Range Lead for Casting Pistol Boolits

[Alzado]

Just wondering how many of you cast with scrap range lead, and how does everyone mix it for use in 9mm, 40 S&W, 44 Mag. and 45ACP. Any ideas on average hardness. What to watch out for. The pros and cons. Just collecting multiple ideas.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

i use a lot of range lead in my 9mm 357 & aw heck just about all i cast for i do a 60/40 mix or so
40% WW i dont know the hardness works ok for me

[imashooter2]

I have been using indoor range scrap almost exclusively for years. It casts beautifully with no additions whatsoever. Air cooled is just fine for .38 Special class cartridges and I've shot water quenched up to ~2,000 fps in .30/30 and magnum handgun class cartridges.

[runfiverun]

range scrap was boolits/bullets before you dug it up.
i think it will make boolits again with no problems.
the make-up of the various alloys varys depending on what they were to begin with.
i like to somewhat sort out the different boolits in range scrap then i can mix it as i need to,
i just shoot for a bhn of @10 and seem to do fine.

[evan price]

My range scrap runs 8-10bhn and I uae it for all pistol target loads.
Water drops to 12 bhn
Perfect imho.

[GRid.1569]

Range Scrap... great... just add heat & flux....

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I suggest sample testing your alloy, because...
I bought a couple boxes of range scrap from a fellow member here.
I measured the hardness with my Lee tester, BHN is about 7.
It's softer than what most others report about they're range lead.
I suspect there is alot of 22 rimfire in it.
I blend it 60/40 with WW alloy for most pistol boolits.
I am not complaining about the purchase by any means, it was a great price.

If you're gonna load that 44 Mag Hot, you'll want a harder alloy.
also, 9mm and 40 are high pressure rounds and may also require
a harder alloy, read from the link at the bottom of the page
http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm
for more info about alloys and high pressure loads,
most reloading manuals will include PSI with the load data.

[R.M.]

Yup, just as it is, is all I use for bullseye loads (750 f/s) in 32, 38, and 45. I got tired of blending this and that.Went to 100% range lead, and am seeing no down-side.

[Mud Eagle]

I cast straight outdoor range lead, with no additives, in 45 ACP for plinking loads, and am very happy with the results.

[40Super]

I have two sources for range lead. The indoor stuff is rather pulverized from hitting a steel backer so I can only pick out some of the plated splatters that are still held together. Those are a little harder, ave 12bhn air cooled and aged. The dug up scrap I get from an outdoor range, I can pick out the cast bullets and keep the jacketed together it is 10bhn. Both work great for all pistol boolits. I use the harder blend for my 9mm and .40, and the softer for all .45's and hp'ing most calibers.

[cgm]

Range lead is all I use. Not a clue at how hard it is! Works fine for me in 38/44/45. All I load is light target velocities...

[Alzado]

The stuff I've been getting is mostly jacketed pistol bullets with some cast in it from local outdoor ranges. I just melted it all down together and poured into ingots but have no means of testing the hardness. Seems pretty soft. Thanks for all the replies.

[cbrick]

Here's quote from Glen E. Fryxel, he wrote this to add to an article on alloy's I was writing.

Hope this helps,

Rick

Salvaged range lead can be quite the mix unless you’re familiar with the range and know that a specific type of shooting is mostly done. .22 lead is mostly lead, virtually no antimony, and usually about 1-2% tin. Jacketed bullet alloy composition ranges anywhere from pure lead to 5% Sb. As a very general statement, many handgun jacketed bullets have pure lead cores (almost all Noslers, almost all FMJs, and most std. velocity jacketed handgun bullets). Some have hardened cores (e.g. the Sierra 300 grain .44 Mag bullets is 5% Sb). If the range has centerfire rifle bullets, then they are commonly 3% or 5% Sb. So the bottom line is that jacketed bullets can contribute almost any hardness to bullet metal.

[fredj338]

Range scrap varies a lot depending on the ranges use. I get a lot of cast bullets in mine, so BHN runs around 9-10, perfect as is for 45acp & lower vel 9mm thru 44mags (under 1100fps).

[Pooch]

I just started using range lead as my rod & gun club told me to help myself. Works fine for my subsonic loads in .38 special & .45 Colt.

[ChuckS1]

Geez, I hope it's okay. I have a 5 gallon bucket full of it. :)

[Jack Stanley]

Most of the range lead I get is about eight or nine brinell and works fine for almost anything slow . My forty-five ACP likes the alloy to be about eleven brinell so I add about a pound and a half of linotype to eight pounds of scrap . That mix I have run up to twenty-three hundred feet per second if the fit is right in a thirty caliber rifle and the powder gives an easy boost .

Jack

[Alzado]

Thanks guys! Guess I will keep picking the scrap boolits up and saving them. Might even start looking a bit harder for them. Lol.

[williamwaco]

Just wondering how many of you cast with scrap range lead, and how does everyone mix it for use in 9mm, 40 S&W, 44 Mag. and 45ACP. Any ideas on average hardness. What to watch out for. The pros and cons. Just collecting multiple ideas.


Yes.

I use it for all those calibers. It tests BNH 8 to 9 with my tester.

I have found no need to harden it.

Occasionally I will add about 10% lino just to get the tin.

.

[Jal5]

I just add some tin and go with it for all my 38/357, 9mm luger, 9mm makarov, 32 acp boolits. Even works ok for plinking in .270 Win. for the rifle.
Joe

[Wolfer]

I pretty much shoot all range scrap. But it's from my own sand traps. Every boolit I have has been shot several times.

[sleddman]

I pretty much shoot all range scrap. But it's from my own sand traps. Every boolit I have has been shot several times.

I just keep adding boards to the front. Feels like shooting money into a safe. I wont shoot anywhere else. I'm cheap, I dont want to give my lead away.
Range lead is just part of the circle. :castmine:

[zxcvbob]

Most of the lead I use is from an indoor range that does not allow jacketed bullets (but some shooters use them anyway.) I bet it's at least 60% .22LR.

It works great for .38 Specials and .45 Colts, even when loaded hot. I use water-quenched wheel weights when I cast for .357 Magnum, so I don't know yet how well this stuff works when really pushed -- it probably works just fine.

[trixter]

A lot of you talk about adding tin. What are some of your sources of tin? do any of you use lead-less solder? What about other sources? Thanks

[Iron Mike Golf]

I buy ingotized range scrap from the range I belong to. I understand thay have several ranges they "mine" in addition to the indoor one I shoot at. They have it analyzed periodically and it runs about 2% Sb. It's very convenient not having to smelt the dirty stuff.

[cbrick]

A lot of you talk about adding tin. What are some of your sources of tin? do any of you use lead-less solder? What about other sources? Thanks

Lot's of folks use solder as a source of tin. Some seek out pewter for the tin.

In one of the more brilliant times of my life several years ago whenever I placed an order at Midway I added tin to the order. They sold it by two pounds (2 one pound ingots) per order for about $12.00. I would just add it to whatever I was ordering and save the shipping. Did this for a couple of years and still have about 30 pounds left.

Right now at Midway tin is $25.00 per pound, two pound minimum. Yikes! :confused: :(

Roto Metals, a sponsor of this forum (see banner top of this page) has tin at $16.00 per pound. :coffee:

Rick