Scrap Lead Find ( I have the Analysis) Your Thoughts?

I came across some scrap Lead locally at $0.40/lb

These are the numbers from the Data Sheet:

Lead (Pb) 93.3489

Amtimony (Sb) 6.2349

Tin (Sn) .3351

Arsenic (As) .0087

Bismuth (Bi) .0236

Other .0488

I would be Casting 230/gr Round Nose for .45 ACP & 148/gr Wad Cutters for .38 Spl

Is this good enough to Cast "As Is" ?

I'll be plinking with it, not target shooting.

Thanks for looking.

 

All that stuff is deadly to humans, I suggest you drop it off at my house and I will safely dispose of it for you. My 1911s were designed for just such a purpose.

 

No way I'm driving to Ohio!!! LOL

 

Looks really similar to Lyman #2 alloy. As long as they are not magnum loads I would sat it'll work OK.

 

6% antimony would make great shot for my 12 gauge

 

As George P. says, 6% is perfect for shot. It is also fine for .45 ACP bullets.

 

I've shot 45 acp much softer than that.. I would buy every piece they had at that price... if you get extra I'll give you .80 a pound for a flat rate box full.

 

Great price on that!

Should be fine in 45 or 38's.

 

Kind of light on tin, but it should work. Tin helps reduce the surface tension and makes it easier to get perfect looking bullets. At that price I’d buy it all.

 

92/6/2 is what I buy at my local fabricator, so that looks quite good to me.

 

As is its good all around alloy. If needed just add in some pure tin as mentioned for fill out.

Go get what you can of it, it won't spoil.

 

What you have is real close to what is known as hardball alloy that is 16bhn. You could easily mix that with pure lead 50%alloy/50% pure lead.

All of my cast bullets for the 38spl's & 45acps are cast with range scrap that is 8/9bhn. I use those bullets for anything from blammo ammo to target loads.

 

Great find!

 

I would get all of it that I could at that price. You might have to add a little tin to it to get it to fill out good but I would cast with it first and see how the bullets look. All of those minor percentages of other stuff can pretty much be ignored. There is a lot that you could do with this.

 

At $.40 a pound I’d be buying a barn full of that stuff.

 

I appreciate all of the great information.

I am currently planning on grabbing 100/lbs for myself and another 100 for a friend.

The Lead is shavings instead of solids / chunks. It's pretty "fluffy" for lack of a better term.
A 5 gallon bucket weighs around 30/lbs.

I could buy it in bulk on a skid, but I don't have a way to unload it when I get home.
Not much room to store it either.

Thanks,
Dredd

 

Great find.

 

Sounds like Babbitt bearing shavings.

 

Once you process it down to ingots a 100 pounds will fit in a big shoe box. It will store outside easy as the weights on your tires, just make sure it's not sitting in water and you will never have an issue

 

You're golden.

The hardness is less important than barrel fit. Cast at .453 size to .452 and use a fairly soft lube and you'll be cleaning your barrel with a rolled up paper towel!

 

I can’t imagine a 5 gallon bucket full of lead weighing 30 lb... A five gallon bucket full of lead should be closer to 130 lbs.

 

Picture Lead in the form of Cotton Candy.

It didn't pack down the way I was expecting. I was imagining buckets holding well over 100/lbs.

 

I don’t think you’re getting the gist of what we’re trying to tell you.

Buy...it...all. Everything they have. It’s worth about $3/lb melted down. It’s like finding a brick of primers for $15.