What to do with Oregon trail bullets?

[stubert]

I've got 7-800 Oregon trail bullets in .429 & .458 that I don't use any more. I cast my own now. They are very hard and all have a bevel base. I would like to alloy them into somthing softer and usefull. Any one have any idea what ratio to mix them at? I have pure lead, WW's and 50/50 solder. Thanks in advance, Stubert

[Rocky Raab]

Just toss a dozen or so into every melt you make. They'll bring the hardness up a wee bit.

Or sell them.

[Shiloh]

I would think that alloying them with the pure lead would get you where you want to go.

The ratios will call for a bit of experimentation. Do you water drop? That is are you shooting a harder boolit? I would think that alloyed with pure and water dropped would be plenty hard for you.

The other option of course, is to shoot them. I know what you mean about casting your own though. I have a good supply of 9mm and 158 gr .357 semi wadcutters from the now defunct National Bullet Company, as well as some hollow base 148 gr. wadcutters from Meister.

Shiloh

[deltaenterprizes]

Most commercial alloy is 2% tin, 6% antimony and the rest lead, figure out what percentages you want in your alloy and go from there.

[thx997303]

Personally, I would melt them and cast a small ingot, then test the base hardness of the alloy.

These may have been heat treated, and if so, will return to base hardness after being remlted and air cooled.

They may be a desirable alloy already.

[O.S.O.K.]

If the base alloy is hard, just use it for rifle boolits.

[runfiverun]

lazer cast is dang hard alloy beyond even 2/6.
i just throw some in the pot and stir the plastic lube around as a flux.
i purposly bought some to lead up my bbls then tested different lubes and my boolits to see how long it took to shoot the leading out.

[Goatlips]

If you don't want to shoot them, why not take a picture of them and sell them on Gunbroker. Buy a new mold with the proceeds...

Goatlips

[warf73]

I've got a few of them .454" Organs myself, they tested out around 20brn on my cabine tree. If that helps ya any.

[qajaq59]

I've got 300 or 400 left kicking around too. They don't shoot nearly as well as the ones I cast for my 30 caliber rifles.

[Bret4207]

I bought a box of 500 Lazercast some years back. I melted the 480 or so that I didn't lead my barrel up with and it went into the mix with some WW. Nothing magic in the result.

[44man]

C'mon fellas, didn't you read some recent issue of a rag saying how great they are? Pictures of the machines and the nice people that make them.
I found them to be accurate, I can hit a can at 10 yards every time with my slingshot! :Fire: