cast bullet recovering

[original]

I was trying to recover some cast bullets to see how they expanded and to see if the gas checks stayed on. The first group was non gas checked lee 500 grain 50/50 pure lead to clip on wheel weights at about 1050fps out of the barrel. At 200yds on AR steel I figured they would be slower and easy to recover a flatten projectile, more of a curiosity thing. Probably seven hits on the steel and not a trace on the ground. I also tried 10 or so 350gr GC same 50/50 mix at around 1700fps, no recover after the steel. Should I be able to find a flattened clump a lead around the steel plate or does the 50/50 mix just fragment? thanks

[dubber123]

After shooting a lot of lead at steel, I would bet at best you would find a wafer thin "coin" that weighs just a few grains and the rest is scattered around. Steel is tough on bullets/boolits.

[facetious]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfDoQwIAaXg

Splat!!!

[CastingFool]

Some guys get a 5 gal bucket and pack it tight with rubber mulch, put the lid on, and lay it on its side. Put your target on the lid and shoot away.

[Scharfschuetze]

I've almost always found those little flattened lead wafers that Dubber mentions when firing 38 special and 45 ACP on steel. As you can kind of see from the jacketed bullets in the link's video, most of the cast boolit lead melts on impact with steel and ends up on the ground as lead dust or lead smearing on the steel once it solidifies again.

[original]

I did find those lead wafers and case closed. Thanks. That is amazing that the only left behind from that big old slow bullet is little wafers. I will try the 5gal bucket trick. thank again and awesome video link.

[44man]

I built a steel catcher at 45° and there are no boolits below it. Just lead dust. My revolver boolits hit so hard they bend the 1/2" steel and shear aircraft bolts that hold it together.
Need a 55 gal plastic drum full of rubber mulch to catch mine. Some boolits exit the back, shot at the end. It takes 500 meters to even get a flat boolit on steel.
My 100 yard rail is thick 3/16" square tube and I have penetrated both sides. I HAVE A HABIT OF PUTTING SMALL TARGETS ON THE RAIL AND A LOW HIT TURNED MY RAIL TO SWISS CHEESE! Darn are cast boolits deadly!