Oxidised bullets

[dancingbear41]

Hi,

Just a quick question. I found some bullets I had cast a while ago and have been stored in a dampish environment in a card board box. Some of the bullets appear to have oxidised. Will they be safe to use? I have no doubts about the load safety but how much harder is lead oxide and can it cause any bore damage? I am sure it will not be a problem, other than cosmetic but I am happy to take advice.......

Many thanks,

Simon.

[TexasGrunt]

I would not shoot them. Remelt them. Make sure you wear gloves. Lead oxide goes through skin a lot easier than plain lead.

[Calamity Jake]

^^^^^^What he said. And DON"T breath the dust!!!!!

[runfiverun]

that white oxide poses a couple of problems.
one is the hardness in your barrel.
the second is the oxide itself being ingested.
not only when you handle them, but when you shoot them it will be pushed around in the air.

[dbosman]

I hope this is related enough so I'm not stealing dancingbear41's thread.

Because wood bullet trays and the tape and glue on cardboard boxes deteriorates after only about twenty years, This year I switched to plastic peanut butter jars for storing bullets. This morning for some reason, the idea of oxygen absorbers, usually used for long term food storage, popped into mind. Just to keep the pretty shine. Anyone tried those for bullet storage?

[Silvercreek Farmer]

On the next batch, even if you don't tumble lube, give them a light coat of Johnson's paste wax before storage. Won't hurt a thing and will help seal out air and moisture. I've never seen any oxidation on my boolits despite being stored in a humid basement. I like in plastic PB jars as well but don't have enough of them for everything.

[dbosman]

...t. I like in plastic PB jars as well but don't have enough of them for everything.

Ask the parent of the family next door with all the kids. They'll have PB jars. Given the cost, if you give them a jar of PB you'll be on the shoppers good side for a long time.

[runfiverun]

the absorbers couldn't hurt I throw them in ammo cans when I have them.
the coating thing is a fair idea also.
I have been looking really hard at using a coat of Hi-Tek to coat my stuff I know will be around a long time that way I can size/lube when needed and just keep the buckets full until I get to the bottom.
but.
I have a few boolits in a baby food jar that have been in there since the summer/fall of 73. another few years and i'll break them out and shoot them on their 50th.
they are coated in alox and look as good as when I put them in there.

[dancingbear41]

Thanks for the replies. This isn't an experience I have had often or, indeed, at all before. I usually store bullets in zip loc bags if they are lubed with hard lubes. These ones were just in a card board box. I shall not do that again. I will heed all of the above advice.

Simon.

[44man]

Oxidation comes fast with soft lead. The stuff is bad news.
I make a lot of round balls and ML boolits from pure and keep them in old Tupper Ware or such but I spray with Sheath or Barricade now.
Some tin like I used in BPCR seems to protect too. I have cooky tins full of them and they are still shiny. An alloy does not get the crud so I would assume you have pure that is not the best anyway for most guns unless BP. I have round balls given to me in sealed plastic bags that are corroded. All it takes is air to ruin.
Melt them down and make a better alloy for the gun.

[BAGTIC]

I have been tumbling mine with JPW for about 35 years now, bullets, slugs, buckshot. I have some old loads from around 1980 that have moved with me cross country twice Still as oxide free as the day they were cast.

[Nick Quick]

R5R, why would you Hi-Tek(I know, for storage) and then size and LUBE when u need them. I mean why lube? The HT coating would suppose to replace the lube. Just curious.

[Dadswickedammo]

I got stacks of bullets from a fella, stacks of old movie film tins all the bullets on end few hundred per tin real sight to see. He said he cast some of them tins in the 60s this was around 2005 all shiny new looking.

[Ken in Iowa]

I have a few round balls that dad cast in the 1960s. The ones stored in sealed glass jars look like new.