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Rusty Shackleford
07-24-2008, 02:46 PM
Can I add pb to my WW's and how much? I cast 38/357, 44mag & 45ACP Lee TL with LLA. All loads under 1200fps, and I don't size them. I'm not experiencing any leading, with straight WW's. I just want to utilize some pure pb I have. I do have a fair amount solder to add if needed.

docone31
07-24-2008, 02:54 PM
One of the things I do, is rebatch. What that is, is, if I get some pure lead, I add to my wheel weights in a large batch.
I ingot out of my pot, put the ingots into my smelting pot, add the lead, stir, and refill the pot.
While I have the pour pot empty, I take that time to clean the crud out.
This way, all my batch is essentially the same. I add tin, if the molds do not fill out the way I like them.
I push my lead castings hot. I have not gotten leading yet. I also make my lube.

fishhawk
07-24-2008, 03:04 PM
you could probley go 1-1 with pb and WW and be fine

Calamity Jake
07-24-2008, 03:30 PM
All my low vol. pistol(under 1000) and checkless(plain base) rifle boolets are a 50/50 WW/Lead mix, no leading and accurate, if my eyes work right

Nueces
07-24-2008, 03:58 PM
Rusty, no telling exactly what your wheel weights assay at, but the sources I've come upon point to an average of 95.5% lead, 0.5% tin and 4% antimony. Straight WW works for you now, so here are some ideas for alloying WW with lead and solder, to keep your percentage of tin at 0.5%. I'm using 50-50 solder in these calculations.

3 pounds WW + 1 pound lead + 0.01 pounds 50-50 yields 4.01 pounds of alloy, with:

96.5% lead, 0.5% tin and 3% antimony.

1 pound WW + 1 pound lead + 0.01 pounds 50-50 yields 2.01 pounds of alloy, with:

97.5% lead, 0.5% tin and 2% antimony.

Mark

357tex
07-24-2008, 04:42 PM
For pistol boolits for years I mix 3lb of ww to 7lb of pb.Never had a problem.I have a lot more pb than I do ww.If you need to you can water drop them if thats to soft.But I cast 357 and 44 mag. dont size them use Lee mule snot.Works for me.

BABore
07-25-2008, 08:01 AM
50% WW and 50% Pb. Up to 1% tin if you must. It will be 8-9 Bhn air cooled for low velocity use. Water dropped or OHT'd, it will come out at 18-22 Bhn and myself and other's have shot it accurately to 2,400+ fps. Good expansion on both AC'd and HT'd forms. It's my main alloy.

Willbird
07-25-2008, 07:51 PM
50% WW and 50% Pb. Up to 1% tin if you must. It will be 8-9 Bhn air cooled for low velocity use. Water dropped or OHT'd, it will come out at 18-22 Bhn and myself and other's have shot it accurately to 2,400+ fps. Good expansion on both AC'd and HT'd forms. It's my main alloy.

I agree, I have cut WW 1:1 with indoor range scrap lead which is mostly pure lead and they still get hard when water dropped right from the mold.

Bill

Boerrancher
07-26-2008, 11:15 AM
If you are keeping your velocities below 1200 fps, you should be able to shoot pure lead if you want to do so. High velocity 22 LR's are made of pure lead and run about 1200 fps. I have shot pure lead off and on for years in those exact same cartridges with no problems at all. I just make sure they are over sized by a couple of thousandths and well lubed.

Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

Dutch4122
07-26-2008, 11:30 AM
50% WW and 50% Pb. Up to 1% tin if you must. It will be 8-9 Bhn air cooled for low velocity use. Water dropped or OHT'd, it will come out at 18-22 Bhn and myself and other's have shot it accurately to 2,400+ fps. Good expansion on both AC'd and HT'd forms. It's my main alloy.

What BABore said. Another benefit with 50% WW - 50% PB is that you won't get that white colored antimony "wash" in the bore that some think is very light leading. With 50/50 and proper boolit fit you can just swab out the bore with a dry patch & be done after shooting. If you try the 50% WW -50% PB alloy, you wont be disappointed; just remember air-cooled for lower pressure / lower velocity loads and water dropped or heat treated for higher pressure & velocity loads.

Good luck,:Fire:

targetshootr
07-26-2008, 12:01 PM
I thought PB meant plain base but here it must mean something else. Pure......?

Echo
07-26-2008, 12:26 PM
Pb is designation for lead. Latin name (I think) was plumbus, hence pb.

Rusty, if you have a supply of solder, I suggest at least 1%, and preferably 2%, tin. It will lower the surface tension of the molten alloy, and allow it to more fully fill the mold. Five pound WW, five pounds pb, and a quarter-pound of 50-50 will make a very nice alloy. Just be sure there is more antimony than tin, and this mix satisfies that requirement (as long as the ww's are 4% sb).

Rusty Shackleford
07-26-2008, 04:53 PM
Thanks for info, guys.
Rusty

nighthunter
07-26-2008, 05:30 PM
My father is retired from the telephone company. When I got into casting he brought me tons of salvaged cable sheathing. This was back when all the lead had to go because it was an enviromental hazard. I used to mix it 50/50 with WW and never had the slightest problem. I only wish that my dad would have brought me about 40 tons more. There is too much emphasis placed on bullet hardness today. Hell ...... if it don't lead the barrel, just shoot it.
Nighthunter

whisler
07-26-2008, 10:02 PM
22LR lead is pure lead...sometimes. A friend and I cleaned out a college rifle range trap and used it to cast ML balls. When I went to use these balls, they would not thumb start (my muzzle is coned) and they were hard to ram. I thought "what the heck"! Then some one here posted that European 22LR bullets contained antimony and I realized that all they shoot for competition at this school is Eley. So I miked the balls and they were .493, when pure casts at .489, then checked hardness crudely by placing 1 each in a vise and squeezing. The larger ball is significantly harder, too. From the hardness difference, I would guess that the antimony level is more than slight. Oh well, a little tin and I have lead for boolits, so still a good score.

Tom Herman
07-27-2008, 10:18 AM
50% WW and 50% Pb. Up to 1% tin if you must. It will be 8-9 Bhn air cooled for low velocity use. Water dropped or OHT'd, it will come out at 18-22 Bhn and myself and other's have shot it accurately to 2,400+ fps. Good expansion on both AC'd and HT'd forms. It's my main alloy.

I use the 50/50 alloy exclusively, and add 2% Tin for better fill out. My experience is that this alloy is about 7.5-8 Saeco hardness or about 12-14 Brinell Harness when water dropped.
I think there are differences in hardness testers, so no one is wrong here.
Bottom line: Great all pupose fairly low pressure alloy. Zero leading in my .455 Webleys, little to no leading in my .45 Long Colts and .44 SPL. Good accuracy.
I use SPG lube.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

yodar
08-03-2008, 12:48 PM
Can I add pb to my WW's and how much? I cast 38/357, 44mag & 45ACP Lee TL with LLA. All loads under 1200fps, and I don't size them. I'm not experiencing any leading, with straight WW's. I just want to utilize some pure pb I have. I do have a fair amount solder to add if needed.

If it aint broke, don't mess widdit. I had the same problem when I got 200 lb of hospital lead.

I use W/W 1% tin pistol bullets and never have any leading.

I followed Norman Johnson's axiom: Proper Bullet fit is the first priority to minimizing leading.

He says hardness is the least important. A softer bullet obdurates easily and stops gas cutting.

I wanted to retain the hardness of my favorite alloy after augmenting it with pure lead, so I added a kool ade scoop full of Magnum Shot and water quenched.

The soft lead augmented wheel-weight alloy worked fine, was just as hard and the bullets looked like they were chrome plated ;>)
(Good enuf fer the SKS )

yodar