My first day in casting

[Al_Bundy]

Thanks to a friendly local caster inviting me for a hands on session i got to experience the process from start to finish. I can tell there's going to be a lot of trial and error and more of a feel you get from experience in getting consistent sized/shaped bullets. Came home with a dozen bullets from that session and they measured .454" but the Lee mold is a 457. I was told the mold might not have been hot enough or the temp of the lead was too hot as possible reasons they came up so short.

today i also made some connections at my local tire shops and most offered free wheel weights even most were not likely to be lead. Some places said they'd put a bucket aside for me and to come back in a week and one very mean old lady wanted cash for a tiny pail of mixed metals which i was fine paying for but only if it were all lead. Her words "no one gave me this for free so why should i?", idk but she came off really unfriendly from the start i would not buy from them. the only real lead i came home with was 25lbs of magnum shot lead.

By the way im planning on casting for an 1895 marlin, 405grs using 10-14gr of unique so very low pressure. So my concern is having the right components of lead for my purpose. From my understanding i need a hardness of 18+ for low pressure rifle bullets, will the shot lead or wheel weights get me their or do i have to experiment with a mixture?

update: Going with magnum lead shot as i've read has a bhn of 13. water quenching will get me where i need to be at. Thanks guys

[runfiverun]

cut that hardness in half.
stop listening to advertisements.

plain everyday ww's have about 2.5-2.99% antimony and will work fine.
depending on the brand, size, and age of your 'magnum' shot it could have 2% or 4% or 6% or 3% antimony.

[Al_Bundy]

cut that hardness in half.
stop listening to advertisements.

plain everyday ww's have about 2.5-2.99% antimony and will work fine.
depending on the brand, size, and age of your 'magnum' shot it could have 2% or 4% or 6% or 3% antimony.

You're right i just looked it up on the website 4-5% antimony on the lead shot and i'll take you're word for the ordinary ww. I just came up with the number 18 by going off a YT named fortunecookie thats well known for casting. As for the small pills i produced earlier, any guesses why that is?

[nvbirdman]

Have fun learning to cast, just remember to keep your shoes on.

[LenH]

Welcome to the madness. Keep in mind that fit is king and hardness is secondary.

Lead scrounging can get to be a maddening quest, I gave up on wheel weights some time ago. But I have what I need as far as alloy.

It is good to have someone kind of show you the ropes, I had a mentor that really helped me in the beginning and he is gone now
but there is nothing like hands on experience.

[RED333]

Al, find a scrap yard and get your lead there. Yes you will pay for it, well some how. I have traded copper for lead at the yard I use.
As said before, size does matter.

[mdi]

Dropped bullet size is dependant of a few things; alloy, mold temp., alloy temp., method of casting and mebbe some more I can't think of right now. I keep a record of what works with each mold as they each seem to have their own personality (aluminum mold, steel/iron or brass mold, two cavity, 6 cavity, bullet size, etc.). I haven't found any wheel weights in a very long time, at least 10 years ago CA banned them, and none of the tire shops around me in So. Oregon have any available, so I purchase my lead, mostly from Vendor Sponsors here...

I've heard it said "the only was to learn to cast bullets is to cast bullets". Yep...

[jdfoxinc]

Don't wear shorts either.

[Al_Bundy]

Dropped bullet size is dependant of a few things; alloy, mold temp., alloy temp., method of casting and mebbe some more I can't think of right now. I keep a record of what works with each mold as they each seem to have their own personality (aluminum mold, steel/iron or brass mold, two cavity, 6 cavity, bullet size, etc.). I haven't found any wheel weights in a very long time, at least 10 years ago CA banned them, and none of the tire shops around me in So. Oregon have any available, so I purchase my lead, mostly from Vendor Sponsors here...

I've heard it said "the only was to learn to cast bullets is to cast bullets". Yep...

yeah its looking like 10-20% of the wheel weights i picked up yesterday were only lead. Most of the auto guys told me its mostly zinc or steel. I do have a cheap source for mag lead shot and considering the eventual extinction of lead ww in CA i might just give up on the local tire shops and stick to lead shot or try my local range for scrap. I'll begin my first solo cast session as soon as get my gloves mailed. As for the lead shot i can just pour that straight into the lee pot and skip the ingot casting correct?

[JBinMN]

Welcome!


There is the option of using the Vendors here for your lead, etc needs as well as the sponsors like Rotometals that have a link at the top of the pages. You can also check the "Swappin & Sellin" section of the forum.( < Although there may be a post limit for there. Meaning ya need a certain amount of posts as a member. I am not sure on that though.)

G'Luck!

[sqlbullet]

I have had more leading from bullets being too hard than too soft. In fact, I don't know that I every had had a bullet that was too soft. I cast isotope lead. Sometimes I cut it 50/50 with pure, but most often I just use it as is.

[sutherpride59]

WW lead should be plenty hard air cooled but try both air cooled and water dropped and see how your accuracy changes.

[Al_Bundy]

WW lead should be plenty hard air cooled but try both air cooled and water dropped and see how your accuracy changes.

i didnt find enough ww as its pretty rare in CA and expensive to ship, so im going to adopt magnum leadshot as my main source of lead as i can get it for $1/lb. Does someone know if the size of shot matters before i purchase more, all i can read from the descriptions is 4-5% antimony and as some on this site have mentioned 1-2% arsenic. Youtube came up with zero finds on lead shot casting into bullets which is strange because that would make for an interesting video since it hasnt been done. I basically dont need to buy a turkey frier and dutch oven now if im just going to be pouring these bb's into the lee pot and cast from there.

[pworley1]

Welcome. There is a lot of knowledge here. The search function is your friend.

[Al_Bundy]

I have had more leading from bullets being too hard than too soft. In fact, I don't know that I every had had a bullet that was too soft. I cast isotope lead. Sometimes I cut it 50/50 with pure, but most often I just use it as is.

do you know what bhn your lead is at?

[Walter Laich]

shot usually has a high BHN

I'm old and lazy and can find lead for around $1.30 shipped. At 71 that's cheap enough for me especially when it's already been smelted and is ready to go.

I understand some folks see the 'hunt' for lead as a Grand Quest and I always felt if it makes you happy go for it.

Welcome to the fun and games and will second no shorts--as well as no sandals

[Al_Bundy]

shot usually has a high BHN

I'm old and lazy and can find lead for around $1.30 shipped. At 71 that's cheap enough for me especially when it's already been smelted and is ready to go.

I understand some folks see the 'hunt' for lead as a Grand Quest and I always felt if it makes you happy go for it.

Welcome to the fun and games and will second no shorts--as well as no sandals

thats a fair price and thank you for the reassurance on the bhn, thats what i've been reading. sifting through 100's of pages even after using the search function is both a positive and a negative lol at this point i just have to try this out and see how it goes.

[sqlbullet]

do you know what bhn your lead is at?

11-12 from the mold. Ages to about 14. Water drops to 22.

Less than full power Blue Dot charges in 10mm with 175 grain bullets will lead my Witness and Para Ordnance. Replicate the velocity with Unique, leading goes away, due I believe to the higher peak pressure obturating the bullet base and sealing the bore better. Full power Blue Dot charges also work fine.

I mostly shoot powder coated in 10mm these days, which is less finicky.

[Wayne Smith]

yeah its looking like 10-20% of the wheel weights i picked up yesterday were only lead. Most of the auto guys told me its mostly zinc or steel. I do have a cheap source for mag lead shot and considering the eventual extinction of lead ww in CA i might just give up on the local tire shops and stick to lead shot or try my local range for scrap. I'll begin my first solo cast session as soon as get my gloves mailed. As for the lead shot i can just pour that straight into the lee pot and skip the ingot casting correct?

Rotometals is in California and they have sent me lead in Virginia. Of course you can get it, perhaps just not casually.