Drilling lead....

[Jim]

.... is a pain in the buttstock! I bought a Lead Sled rifle rest and cast up 2 30 lb. dead weights to put on it. I drilled holes in the weights for rope handles. Y'all ever tried drilling lead? Man, that's aggravating!

[Old Ironsights]

Coarse, sharp bit, slow speed.

Never had any problems.

[VTDW]

Coarse, sharp bit, slow speed.

Never had any problems.

I might add that I have to drill slow for a little and draw the bit back out of the hole over and over again to get rid of the lead chips. Works for me, just slow like Ironsights said.

Dave

[w30wcf]

Jim.

In addition to advice already given, use oil. It keeps the chips from sticking to the drill and they flow freely.

Actually, with the use of oil, I have drilled lead at a fairly quick rate (1/8" bit). Larger bit = slower.

Have fun!
w30wcf

[MT Gianni]

.... is a pain in the buttstock! I bought a Lead Sled rifle rest and cast up 2 30 lb. dead weights to put on it. I drilled holes in the weights for rope handles. Y'all ever tried drilling lead? Man, that's aggravating!

Jim, Jim, Jim. You haven't collected a paycheck from them yet and are allready using your discount priveleges. I see great things coming! Gianni

[Jim]

Well, as to the advice given on drilling lead, the job is done. I was just doing a little complaining, I guess.

Gianni, I ain't no dummy. Of coarse, I'm using my discount! $139 Lead Sled and I got it for $119 after tax!

[jhalcott]

When I use a "sled" I put 2 bags of shot on it. That might ONLY be 50 pounds but it works real well !

[Jim]

Jhalcott,
What's the largest caliber rifle you've ever fired on your sled?

[44man]

I just read where someone was using 100 pounds and broke the gun stock. You have to leave some movement or it is like putting the stock against a tree.

[AZ-Stew]

I've always said that drilling pure lead is like drilling bubble gum.

44man,

Thanks for the info. Since I first saw this device I've wondered how many stocks it was responsible for breaking. That's one. Anyone heard of any others?

Regards,

Stew

[Pepe Ray]

The sled didn't come from the factory loaded w/the extra 100#s, did it?
Pepe Ray
Here we go, blaiming objects for the acts of humans. :roll:

[Jim]

nope, comes with an empty tray.

[joatmon]

You just add weight till it stops breaking the egg!

[buck1]

I wondered how a stock would hold up to that. Well I bet that over time even with the corect wt on it , it does damage to the stock. my $.02

[georgeld]

Long time ago when I first started working in a machine shop they put me in the Precision Drilling Dept. We drilled hole's from 4" all the way down to #80 which is the smallest bit made. Material were anything from soft gummy aluminum, to many kinds of steel, lead, brass, copper, rubber, plastics of several kinds and Teflon when it was first introduced.

These hole's ALL had to be within a couple thousanths tolerance and pass inspection with drill gauges. IF they were too large, they were scrapped and we caught hell.

They taught us to pump the handle/drill bit. Just enough to relieve the pressure. THis breaks the chips so they don't wind around the bit, clears the flutes and keeps things cooler. We sometimes used cutting oil depending on the material being drilled. Doing it this way you can't clog the bit, or have much trouble making a decently clean hole.

You might keep this is mind when drilling no matter what material.

Wish you well, hope this helps with the educational aspect of things.

[PatMarlin]

That's interesting George. I stumbled on to pumping the bit on my own.

I also pump the trigger on a Makita cordless when drilling. I found that worked great as well.. :drinks: