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So now i am on the mission to obtain some pure lead from my huge stock pile. I want to cast a bunch of pure lead round ball for my muzzies. Would jacketed pistol bullets be made with pure lead? I am sitting on 2 tons of indoor range scrap. No reloads are allowed, so no chance of zinc contamination.
Range scraps have antimony in it. Its not pure nor really soft. The scraps i use average 12 to 13 BHN yours will vary.
What size balls are you needing to cast
Range lead is fine for round balls, it will cast slightly larger than pure lead so you may need to adjust your patch thickness. Range lead is generally low in tin, you may need to run the pot at a higher temperature for good mould fill out. My range lead runs about bhn 10.
Minie bullets require near pure lead, I've used pipe and sheet lead, about bhn 6.
Range lead is fine for patched round balls and minie balls. For C&B revolvers you need pure or you will break your loading lever.
I'm sure you could offer up a SFRB of your range lead for same amount in soft plain lead as trade in the Swapping and Selling forum and get 20# or so in an easy swap with both paying the shipping. It's an option.
Or just WTB soft lead posted there should get you plenty of offers. Sometimes just buying a box of what you need is easier and better use of your time. Shipping would be same, your just sending payment instead of box of range lead. Payment would include one way of shipping so no difference between a swap or buy in the shipping cost.
You'd better be carefully about the zinc deal. An indoor range doesn't necessarily mean there's no zinc. There's some .22LR out there made of zinc as well as a component in some frangable ammo.
If there is any zinc in the range lead don't worry. Melt it all down. The fraction of a percent will make no difference.
Mytmousemalibu, did you read my original post?
I think the actual question is:
Does anyone know if some parts of range lead softer and suitable for casting round ball? Specifically large caliber jacketed.
I think most just melt range lead into one homogenous alloy which runs hard for round ball. Has anyone tried sorting range lead and found some parts were consistently softer?
I have processed a lot of range scraps. Its hard to tell one bullet from another if they are smashed up. I suspect you could pick through for cast bullets or 22LR but the time required for that versus pay off would drive one crazy. The 22LR would be pure. The copper jacketed lead cores would be lead with a bit of antimony. Any cast bullets are anyone's guess. The shot is lead and antimony and possibly arsenic.
The OP says the following:
He wants to find pure lead for muzzle loading.
He has a stash of jacketed bullets. (Presumably a mix of jacketed rifle and pistol bullets.)
He is asking if there is a difference in the lead alloys used in jacketed pistol Vs. Jacketed rifle bullets.
At least that's the way I read it....
My opinion (based on lots of XrF testing.) is that you will find the alloy content of jacketed pistol bullets to be 99% Pb, 1% Sb. Most of the time.
I have tested lots of "range scrap". I usually just get a sample from someone, so I do not know the origin of the scrap. (Pistol / rifle / cast etc.) Range scrap I have tested will vary from as low as 0.5% Sb to 1.5% Sb. I do not remember finding any amount of Sn from range scrap.
MOST of the time it is 1%, +/- 0.1%. I have not separated and tested jacketed Pistol bullets Vs. jacketed Pistol bullets, so I can't be 100% sure.
My opinion is that the alloy will be the same. That is my opinion and it is FREE. Therefore you are getting EXACTLY what you paid for!
Thant being said, if someone feels obliged to separate rifle bullets and pistol bullets. Smelt them out of their jackets, and then send samples, I would be happy to test and confirm.
Yes, I just wanted to point out that your range scrap, no matter the use could end up with some zinc in it from some of the factory ammo out and about these days.Quote:
Originally Posted by triggerhappy243
If you get your alloy melted and don't flux it you can keep skim the top surface that looks like crud and get closer to leavine just lead behind. The alloys are lighter and come to the top, but don't flux the melt.
I always separated out the jacketed bullets and the .22 bullets from the rest of the range scrap and melted them separately. I used that alloy for black powder cartridge grease groove boolits, figuring that if they weren’t pure lead to begin with, by the time they were melted, stirred, fluxed and skimmed, they would be as close to it as I cared to worry about.
I would have no problem using that lead in my muzzle loaders. The BHN on my SAECO tester was around 5 or 6, IIRC.
The plated boolits stayed in the rest of the range scrap, since their alloy could also be anything meltable. I always classified that as “Lino/wheelweight” and it typically would have a BHN of 9 or so, air-cooled, and up to 14, water-quenched.
Ah, for the days I could get all the free lead I wanted by mining range scrap! They won’t let me do it on the range I go to now. And the Border Patrol must put 300 lbs of jacketed into the berm every working day! (*sob!*).
When I mine range scrap I've noticed the flat wafers with that speck of copper in the middle are very soft and pliable. I guess those are bullet cores, but I've mixed them with everything else and had no trouble ramming 36 cal round balls into my 61 navy.
not trying to thread-jack or change the topic but i always wondered why you need softer lead for front stuffers... not ever having used one i just dont know...
anyne care to explain why?
I think they are just easier to load, but I was wondering if that's it or if theres more reasons
Well i can tell you that with w/w lead, it is soo hard, you need a hammer to drive a maxi-ball down the bore.
Because front stuffers aren't size over groove and its hard to get a hard bullet down the bore. The bullets I cast aren't sized and are pushed with a small amount effort with my thumb. Also being soft allows the bullet to quickly obturate and seal the bore against gasses.
Round balls are under bore size, wrapped in a cloth patch, and expand when fired to grip the rifling - soft lead is best. Maxi balls have a bore sized base and groove sized nose, so the nose is forced into the rifling when loading, the base expands when fired to grip the rifling - soft is best. Minie bullets are under bore size and the hollow base expands when fired to grip the rifling - soft is best.
However, round balls don't expand that much, and with a tight patch I've used range, wheel weight, and even linotype lead.
The most important reason for soft lead is to get the dang ball screw into the ball you loaded with no powder under it :)
Yup, first the powder then the ball, do it wrong you'll surely squall.
Long time past I was given 25lbs of range scrap that consisted only of .45acp 230gr G. I. round ball. I melted it down in a 10lb cast iron pot over a small propane burner. I pulled out each jacket with a pair of needle nose pliers, shaking out the lead from the bottom of each jacket. It was poured into 1lb ingots. They cast soft enough for MAXI-BALLS but not round ball in my .44 REM Army replica. I DID BREAK THE RAMMER ON MY UBERTI.
I use the jacketed range scrap for my 22lr bullets. They test pretty close to pure lead in hardness. I would say about 7bhn to 8bhn. But that is a guess.