how many bullets per 20 pounds of lead?

[lordgroom]

I know this will vary depending on bullet weight but on average how many bullets are you typically getting from 20 pounds of lead?

[44man]

466 for 300 gr boolits. 7000 gr's per pound. Sure goes through a lot of lead. :???:

[crabo]

The math is easy. There are 7000 grains in a pound. 20 pounds x 7000 grains =140,000 grains. Divide that by bullet weight.

140,000 divide by 158=886 (38s)
140,000 divide by 230=608 (45 ball)
140,000 divide by 300=466 (44 mag)

I am looking for a good 125 grain boolit to shoot steel plates in 38 special. I figure for every 5000 rounds of 158s that I would shoot, I can shoot 6320 125 grain boolits. That is 1320 free bullets. I am finally getting around to test some 125s that I got from Ohio Rusty. If they shoot good at 25 yards, I will start casting the Lee 125 grain boolit for my stand and blast in 38 special.

You can also use the same formula for calculating how many loads per pound of powder. Some powders are more efficent than others. It can make a difference in the long run if you are trying to make your reloading dollars stretch.

Crabo

[TX BOOMER]

I was thinking there was 480 gr's in a troy ounce . Which is what they use to measure presious metals. And what I have seen since I started on my path of casting just a few days ago lead and ww are presious metals. So if my math is right a pound of lead has .


7680 gr's in it

which means 20lbs weighs 153,600 gr's

which in trun should give you 512 300gr bullets

But like I said I just started this hobby about a week ago , so what I say might not hold water . Besides that I still wondering what took me 50+ years to get into this. :Fire:

[oneokie]

Boomer, hate to burst your bubble, but there are 12, twelve, a dozen, Troy ounces to a pound.

Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium, etc..

[drinks]

The reason a pound of feathers weighs more than a pound of gold!
7000gr vs 5760gr.

[Forester]

7000grs in a pound, multiply then divide....

If you are asking about 20lbs because you are using a pot that is rated at 20# be aware that most of them don't really. The Lees run about 15#s "working capacity" of WW alloy in my experience

[TX BOOMER]

Oneokie , you did'nt by no means bust my bubble . I failed math ,after all I am a stump jumping , river rat ,redneck from Texas.:mrgreen:
:Fire:

[armoredman]

crabo, I got lucky- I have a Lee TL 356 125 2R I bought for my 9mm, and it drops good boolits at .360. I size them for both 38 and 9mm, work great, nice little LRN.

[Springfield]

Crabo: To really save lead you should get in on my 105 grain 38 bullet Group Buy! Now running at a cast boolit forum near you.

[mauser1959]

But on the good side ; 1 troy ounce = 31.1034768 grams and a regular ounce is 28.349 grams .