Soft lead usage ?

[Stubborn Dutchman]

First post from a Newbie! I want to get started in casting my own. So far I've melted up about 100 lbs of wheel weight ingots and about the same amount in softer scrap lead. What is the most practical method of getting the soft lead up to par with the wheel weight ingots? I used a Lee 10# bottom pour to make the ingots. Will it be expensive to modify the soft lead?

For starters I just want to be able to cast for my .357 (158 swc) and .44 mag (240 swc) for plinking and deer hunting. I'll be asking about good starter molds later.

I've been lurking here for a short while after reading about you folks over on the S&W forum. Thanks for making this such a great site. Almost too much information for a dummy like me to absorb!

[Boerrancher]

Just remember that a 22 LR rim fire is made out of pure lead and runs about 1200 fps. So as long as you shoot less than that you can use your soft lead. I started out mixing soft range lead which is nearly pure 50/50 with WWs. I have backed off to about 20 to 1 now with soft lead and WW. I am shooting the 20 to 1 mix out of a 30-06 at 1900 FPS.


Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[LAcaster]

I use soft lead for muzzle loading I shoot patched round balls. I harden lead acording to the velocity I expect to achieve.In the 357 and 44 mag. I expect to achieve velocities above 1200 fps so I harden it with tin and linotype. If I shoot rifle bullets sometimes I shoot bullets of linotype only just remember that higher velosity needs harder bullets, Too hard of a bullet at lower velocity can lead a barrel as bad as a soft bullet fired at a faster velosity.You need to try different alloys in each loading just as different loads in each bullet weight in jacketed bullets. This is only a experiment. Thats whats makes reloading fun, either your load works or it doesn't. start a log and record everything, this is how you learn enjoy and shoot more and more often. Above all this is a learning experience for us all and report back on the good, bad , and ugly. By the way I don't even own a lead hardness tester I just keep records and see what works for me. Most of all have fun, and report on your succeses and failures.

[randyrat]

Read up on Water Quenching Wheel weights. You can mix pure with WWs and water quench to make harder bullets. The other is read up on "paper patching" One can paper patch soft lead to Jacketed bullet velocities. One more option is add Lynotype, monotype, tin, alloys to make harder bullets for higher velocities. Those are your options. That should give you a life time of reading/searching for the optimum cast bullet more accurate than you can see.

[cohutt]

Boerrancher's experience is similar to mine, although I'm a long way from 20:1 lol.

I've got ton(s) of pure or near pure and way less ww alloy.

I've had excellent experience mixing 1/3 ww and 2/3 ww in 44mag plinkers loaded to 800-900fps. This is with lee tl 240g and watered down alox, no leading excellent accuracy. Same deal in 45 with lee 200g tl @ 900fps.

Same alloy in 9mm rcbs 147g with Lars red, good to go @ 900fps.

Quench all from the mold.

I'll try the next batch at a lower ww ratio.

[vanilla_gorilla]

The first batch of wheelweights I've picked up has a lot of the stick-ons, which it seems are terribly soft. Will water quenching solve this problem, or should they be saved for other projects?

[DanWalker]

I just mix pure lead and WW's in a50/50 mix. To maintain the mix, if you don't want to melt everything back down into alloyed ingots, just add 1 lead and 1 WW ingot whenever you need to refill pot.
To keep things simple, I suggest just remelting all your ingots into one 50/50 alloy.
Water drop the 158 grainers if they're gonna be loaded over 1200-1400 fps, and air cool the 44's
My mixture BHN's at around 12, and I've pushed boolits cast from it at 1700 fps with no leading in my 45/70's.

[Stubborn Dutchman]

Thanks for all the great replies! I think I will first purchase a mold to do 240 gr SWC for the .44 and test out the different ratios offered here. Once I get some casting experience under my belt, I'll then tackle the ratios for the .357's. I already have a few hundred store bought .357 bullets stashed.