Light weight lead

[sig .357]

I use wheel weights and i flux and clean my melted solution but when i cast my bullits the always come out light weight and i dont know what to add or what im doing wrong....any suggestions would be appreciated.

Jim

[ACrowe25]

How light?

[sig .357]

Supposed to be 125g and come out 60-80g almost like im pouring aluminum

[R.M.]

I dare say you're not using lead WW. I hate to say it, cause I hate blaming everything on it, but it sounds like your alloy is mostly zinc.

[earthling121757]

Do your bullets seem to be filled out properly? If so, you better double check your scale.

[dudel]

Supposed to be 125g and come out 60-80g almost like im pouring aluminum

or Zinc? What to add? Lead!:kidding:

[Whiterabbit]

you care casting zinc. I've done 160 grain molds in zinc, they cast about 90 grains.

No doubt about it.

You gotta tumble lube and shoot now. :)

they are 125 gr molds..... 9mm? Do you own a 357 mag? the thing to do is fill a case with H110 and shoot through a nice strong gun and marvell at the muzzle flash.

-------------------

By the way. My suggestion also: since you have this process up and working, keep doing it. DO NOT add lead to the mix. you will get the dreaded oatmeal. Smidge of zinc in lead makes a mess, smidge of lead in zinc makes a mess. Cast up all that zinc, empty your pot. clean out best you can (scraping the pot when hot with the ladle is good enough), then FILL the pot with lead and flux like crazy. That'll let you convert easily back and forth from zinc to lead and back without contamination.

[Whiterabbit]

by the way, zinc is generally considered undesirable, so if you have a good free source of these wheel weights, if your loads shoot accurately and to your liking, and you are just shooting paper, there is no reason not to do what you are doing. You will have no competition for your source of casting metal, you are already accomplishing something that's harder to do than simple lead casting, and if it works you'll have a nice little niche for yourself.

Just don't forget to use 80gr load data, not 125 grain load data!

[sig .357]

**** you all said what i was afrade youd say, so my weights are mostly zinc, i thought the "oatmeal" was the nasty zinc when in fact it is the other way around.....thank you gentlemen for all you help...... Much appreciated

[sig .357]

I own a pleather of different pistolas and rifles but my most favorite is my p239 chambered .357 sig.... Thats my carry pistol

[Bulldogger]

It does sound like zinc. It's shootable. Some guys here have been experimenting with it, there are some good threads on it. Some folks figure getting good at casting and shooting zinc is the next step for survival of recreational shooting when lead wheel weights are banned everywhere.

If you have a lot of zinc, and prefer lead, I have seen posts on this forum where cannon and mortar shooters have offered to trade lead for zinc. You'd need to do a search to find some of those guys' comments to that effect here, but I've seen them.

Bulldogger

[Whiterabbit]

**** you all said what i was afrade youd say, so my weights are mostly zinc, i thought the "oatmeal" was the nasty zinc when in fact it is the other way around.....thank you gentlemen for all you help...... Much appreciated

yep, you scooped the lead out of your zinc. Just like, if you had 80% lead and 20% zinc in your oatmeal, you'd have scooped away the zinc.

again, THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM per say. You just have to treat it like a barnes bullet of 80gr weight and load and shoot accordingly. The muzzle flash will be AMAZING. And when the lead ban finally hits, you'll have a leg up on the way to keep shooting (while the rest of us are shooting ball bearings and marbles in flintlocks).

So chalk it up to experience, but by all means go ahead and size and shoot!

[sig .357]

It does sound like zinc. It's shootable. Some guys here have been experimenting with it, there are some good threads on it. Some folks figure getting good at casting and shooting zinc is the next step for survival of recreational shooting when lead wheel weights are banned everywhere.

If you have a lot of zinc, and prefer lead, I have seen posts on this forum where cannon and mortar shooters have offered to trade lead for zinc. You'd need to do a search to find some of those guys' comments to that effect here, but I've seen them.

Bulldogger

Thank you for the info

[dudel]

**** you all said what i was afrade youd say, so my weights are mostly zinc, i thought the "oatmeal" was the nasty zinc when in fact it is the other way around.....thank you gentlemen for all you help...... Much appreciated

On the plus side, you don't have any leading issues ;-) Getting nice hard zoolits. Not a total waste. You'll find threads here of some real pioneers that have worked out the issues of shooting zinc. You're just ahead of the curve. There was once a product that put zinc washers on the boolit base instead of gas checks. Zinc doesn't have to be nasty.

[josper]

I hate the thought of someone shooting zinc at the club I belong to. I suppose they will float and I can skim them off.

[blikseme300]

I hate the thought of someone shooting zinc at the club I belong to. I suppose they will float and I can skim them off.

Exactly why I use a PID controlled smelter at 700 when rendering WW's. The zinc WW's won't melt and will float.

[sig .357]

Thats whats weird, i pull out the floaters and i still get zinc...... Strange

[sig .357]

I hate the thought of someone shooting zinc at the club I belong to. I suppose they will float and I can skim them off.

Why does zinc bullits worry you at your club? Im not understanding the distress of shooting these types of bullits? Help me understand please.

Jim

[sig .357]

Im trying to figure out the powder charge on these light bullits but i can't find any reference for a .357 sig 70/80 grain bullit, any ideas where i can find the proper formula?

Jim

[dudel]

Why does zinc bullits worry you at your club? Im not understanding the distress of shooting these types of bullits? Help me understand please.

Jim
He plans to mine the berm, and could end up with zinc in his smelt if not careful.

[dudel]

Your floaters could be Fe weights.

[sig .357]

Oic, that would be a problem....thank you

[sig .357]

Your floaters could be Fe weights.

Fe weights....

Question: what type of lead is in batteries? Electrotype? Linotype?

[guywitha3006]

Not sure of the lead type in batteries, I believe it is close to pure. HOWEVER do NOT melt down batteries, leave it for professionals, The gas can (almost guaranteed) be high toxic as a result of the acid and other contaminates it has.

[243winxb]

http://stevespages.com/page8a.htmMaybe use the starting load for the 88gr bullet??
Im trying to figure out the powder charge on these light bullits but i can't find any reference for a .357 sig 70/80 grain bullit, any ideas where i can find the proper formula?
Bullet Sizes & Weights – How to Vary Them

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Quote:
The bullet diameters and weights presented in this list
are based on the use of Taracorp’s Lawrence Magnum
bullet alloy (2% tin, 6% antimony, 1/4% arsenic,
91.75% lead).
Bullet diameters and weights will vary considerably
depending on the lead casting alloy used. This variation
can be as much as 1/2% on the diameter, and 8% on
the weight among the most commonly used casting
alloys. For example, a .358-158 grain bullet might
show a diameter variation of .002", and a 13 grain difference
in weight.
Of the most commonly used alloys, wheel weights (.5%
tin, 4% antimony, 95% lead) will produce bullets having
the smallest diameter and heaviest weight, with
such bullets running approximately .3% smaller in
diameter and 3% heavier than bullets cast with
Taracorp's metal. Linotype will produce bullets with the
largest diameter and lightest weights. This alloy will
produce bullets approximately 1/10% larger and 3%
lighter than Taracorp. Other alloys of tin and antimony,
with antimony content above 5%, will produce bullets
with diameters and weights falling between those cast
from wheel weights and linotype.
Alloys containing little or no antimony will cast considerably
smaller than wheel weights and in some cases
will produce bullets too small for adequate sizing.
Within the limitations given above, the weight and
diameter of a cast bullet can be adjusted by varying the
alloy’s antimony content.
The size and weight of bullets of a given alloy will also
vary according to casting temperature. Higher temperatures
will result in greater shrinkage as the bullet
cools, thereby producing a slightly smaller and lighter
bullet than one cast of the same alloy at a lower temperature

Jim

[JSnover]

Fe weights....

Question: what type of lead is in batteries? Electrotype? Linotype?

Don't do it.
I did hear one person say they burned a pile of batteries; in a rural area, literally set them on fire one night and went back to collect the lead in the morning. But it would still have to be smelted and I doubt it would be safe. If you don't get poisoned, you could end up in jail.

[felix]

Most battery smelter operations are in Mexico for a reason. This one you can believe for a legit reason. They use special fluxes to make junk float for skimming that are very strange and powerful, way too much so for us to even think about. ... felix

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Automotive Lead acid batteries...

And then there is common sense. There is about the same amount of useful boolit lead in a Car battery, than you can buy in the S&S section for the price you can get to properly recycle the battery...and NOT have to do the work or risk your health.

[Whiterabbit]

Fe weights....

Question: what type of lead is in batteries? Electrotype? Linotype?

Cadmium-contaminated.

[josper]

He plans to mine the berm, and could end up with zinc in his smelt if not careful. Exactly, zinc in your alloy can cause all sorts of casting trouble. Some how I don't think sig 357 has zinc in his alloy maybe some other mystery metal. Any way to test it??

[josper]

Fe weights....

Question: what type of lead is in batteries? Electrotype? Linotype? Sig 357: Electrotype? Linotype? was used in type setting machines that were used for printing. Not commonly used any more. If you find some grab it ,very good alloy for some boolets.

[dudel]

Fe weights....

Question: what type of lead is in batteries? Electrotype? Linotype?

Fe = Ferrous (Iron weights) They will have an Fe marked on them (usually) They melt at temperatures above what our pots normally do. They would float on a lead/zinc melt.

As for battery lead, please do not use it. Many bad things are released in the fumes. Not just lead vapors, but acid vapors. Bad, bad stuff. It's generally not pure lead anymore. If you have some of the old batteries that have the lead straps between the cells, it's ok to use the straps; but you're not likely to get much there.

One thing I do to prevent zinc from getting into my melt, is I grab the WW with a set of side cutters. If moderate force leaves a dent in the WW, it's lead and it goes into a pile for smelting. Anything else will be much harder than lead and won't leave much of a mark (if any at all), those are zinc, Fe or other stuff I don't want. Others drop the WW onto a concrete surface. Lead WW with thud; while others will ring. Either way is effective. Using the side cutters builds up my shooting grip ;-)

[sig .357]

We have forklift batteries at work and we cut the top post off. I dont get into the battery per say, the bars on top are pure lead and no contaminates.

[dudel]

We have forklift batteries at work and we cut the top post off. I dont get into the battery per say, the bars on top are pure lead and no contaminates.

Shouldn't be any problem with the top posts. Enough of those little snacks, and you could do pretty well.

[sig .357]

Shouldn't be any problem with the top posts. Enough of those little snacks, and you could do pretty well.

Check these out, 10 lb bars and the smaller ones are 4-5 lbs...http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/14/se9a9u5a.jpg

[dudel]

Check these out, 10 lb bars and the smaller ones are 4-5 lbs...http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/14/se9a9u5a.jpg


Man, you hit a mother load! Congratulations. Hopefully those stains are water/grease and not acid; but you should still be golden. Even acid splashed, wash them well, and make sure they are DRY before you add them to the pot.

Figured I may as well tell you now, before some helpful dude suggests you send all that stuff to them for safe disposal (after they smelt it and convert it to boolits!). Sounds like you got a large supply.

There's your silver(!) lining. I'm green with envy!

[sig .357]

Man, you hit a mother load! Congratulations. Hopefully those stains are water/grease and not acid; but you should still be golden. Even acid splashed, wash them well, and make sure they are DRY before you add them to the pot.

Figured I may as well tell you now, before some helpful dude suggests you send all that stuff to them for safe disposal (after they smelt it and convert it to boolits!). Sounds like you got a large supply.

There's your silver(!) lining. I'm green with envy!

They are grease stains i wiped with clothe and BAM they came right off.....

[sig .357]

http://stevespages.com/page8a.htmMaybe use the starting load for the 88gr bullet??

Thank you for that info.....

Everyone has been great helping a stranger like this.... Makes me proud

[dudel]

They are grease stains i wiped with clothe and BAM they came right off.....


Go buy a lotto ticket! It's your lucky day. Grease will make a great flux! Leave it on.

[sig .357]

Lol......

[sig .357]

I hit these

[sig .357]

Some smashed