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Thread: I know nothing about swaging, little help here please

  1. #1
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    I know nothing about swaging, little help here please

    So I got a spool of lead wire given to me. Approx 1/4" thick and the spool weighs about 40 lbs. I know the guy used it for swaging because I found some half done buulets in a bucket he gave me.

    So am I to assume it is pure lead?

  2. #2
    In Remembrance
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    Can't say for sure but usually the lead wire used in bullet swaging is soft. however harder lead wire is also used. Find someone with a hardness tester to be sure. Iron whittler

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy aaronraad's Avatar
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    If you have access to an XRF machine you can test relatively quickly and accurately the metal content. A local university or metals distributor/recycler might x-ray a small sample for a 6-pack. It doesn't hurt to give them some idea what they're looking for besides lead in the alloy content.

    Just don't insist on holding the sample while they're running the x-rays over it.
    Be careful what you aim for, you might hit it! Antipodean Industrial - Home of the G7L projecitles

  4. #4
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    JonB_in_Glencoe's Avatar
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    does the spool have in labels or identification (part #) on it ?
    you may be able to request info from the original company?

    I doubt this helps, A few years ago, I bought some lead alloy wire on a auction. two different sizes, I don't recall the exact sizes right now, but somewhere between .200" and .400". The label said it was 97% Lead and 3% antimony.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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  5. #5
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    Unfortunately there is not much left of either end of the spool.

    I guess I have to sneak in a hardness tester.....

  6. #6
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    BT Sniper's Avatar
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    From what little I know going back to my high school earth science class..... pure lead should be about what? 5 BNH? As I recall your finger nail is 7. If you can easily scratch the lead with your finger nail chances are it is pure lead or less then 7 BNH. I would venture to guess it is most likely pure lead anyway even without any testing.

    When I melt the lead into 1lb ingots you can tell pure lead from an alloy mix by the sound/thud it makes when dropped on a concrete floor, if it goes "thud" its pure, if it has any sort of "ting" to the sound it has some additional alloys in it.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
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