Casting copper or ? bullets

[JimB..]

Cuttingedgebullets.com is another option. Unless you’re hunting hogs, with a machine gun, do you really use enough rounds that the cost of the bullet is that important?

[GhostHawk]

If you were determined to do it yourself. I think your best bet would be to use sand castings to create rods 3/4" thick and 4-6" long.
Then true them up and turn them out on a lathe. This would get you your best precision.

There are some copper shotgun slugs designed to break apart on impact. Spreading the damage.

Best choice IMO would be to get out of the state.

[dondiego]

Lead free solder works fine for bullets.

[country gent]

I don't think Id bother casting the copper rounds. 1/2" number 1 copper 4'-8' is available in most hardware supply stores in the form of ground rods. Sad casting copper and brass can become a trick keeping air bubbles and sand inclusions out.

[JBinMN]

IMO, It is truly disappointing that I am/We are reading this topic at all....

It should not ever have come to this...

[Rizzo]

▲▲▲ Lead-free
https://www.rotometals.com/low-melt-fusible-alloys/ ---- CB sponsor

Thank you for the link.
Yes, it does have some 0% lead alternatives.
Food for thought.

[Rizzo]

You're not going to be casting copper bullets in a iron mold. The melting point is barely above that of copper. The strength however goes away a lot quicker than that.

Your choice is zinc, it's heavier than copper anyway.

Thanks for your input, but, the chart I saw on the "net" says copper is heavier,
http://www.coyotesteel.com/assets/im...rcubicfoot.pdf

[Rizzo]

Are you allowed to make your own hunting ammo in CA? A friend from CA told me only CA-certified ammo is allowed for hunting so he could not make his own even if it used lead-free bullets.

Lead free bullets must be on the California "acceptable list" for hunting, making your own would technically not be legal.

Thank you both for that input.
I was not aware of that.
Sounds like a deal killer.
<sigh>

[Rizzo]

Cuttingedgebullets.com is another option. Unless you’re hunting hogs, with a machine gun, do you really use enough rounds that the cost of the bullet is that important?

Good point there.
From a caster's point of view I was thinking of what I could use, rather than lead.

[JM7.7x58]

I’ve moved a thousand miles away from my hometown. It is expensive. You don’t know anybody. The new job didn’t happen/fell through (the owner was diagnosed with ALS and the business was sold to pay for medical costs.) Fifteen years later I still am not sure we made the right choice to leave our home state of California. California is a great place to live, but it has become very expensive. I’ve always lived near the ocean, and I probably always will.

This is a hobby. No hobby is worth uprooting your life. If you enjoy where you are then accept the workaround.

Buy some factory ammo, sight in your rifle, and go on with your great life. Enjoy your family and friends.

JM

$39.19 Barnes VOR-TX Ammunition 30-06 Springfield 180 Grain TTSX Polymer Tipped Spitzer Boat Tail Lead-Free Box of 20

$4300.00 The average cost of an interstate household move. Source; The American Moving and Storage Association

[Rizzo]

IMO, It is truly disappointing that I am/We are reading this topic at all....

It should not ever have come to this...

Yes, it's actually infuriating to me, along with all the other nonsensical gun laws we have here.
Gr-r-rr.

[Rizzo]

I’ve moved a thousand miles away from my hometown. It is expensive. You don’t know anybody. The new job didn’t happen/fell through (the owner was diagnosed with ALS and the business was sold to pay for medical costs.) Fifteen years later I still am not sure we made the right choice to leave our home state of California. California is a great place to live, but it has become very expensive. I’ve always lived near the ocean, and I probably always will.

This is a hobby. No hobby is worth uprooting your life. If you enjoy where you are then accept the workaround.

Buy some factory ammo, sight in your rifle, and go on with your great life. Enjoy your family and friends.

JM

$39.19 Barnes VOR-TX Ammunition 30-06 Springfield 180 Grain TTSX Polymer Tipped Spitzer Boat Tail Lead-Free Box of 20

$4300.00 The average cost of an interstate household move. Source; The American Moving and Storage Association

I agree with you JM.
Believe me, with all the craziness going on here in CA I have deeply considered moving out.
But, I love where I live. I have a 100 yard shooting range in my backyard, have family close by, etc., etc.
I'm staying put and try not to dwell on the negative stuff.
Good point with the financial comparison.

[Rizzo]

To everyone that has posted....Thank you.
Great input.
Hopefully this non-lead bullet craziness does not infect your state in the future.

[JM7.7x58]

Washington has been doing some pretty silly stuff. I hope lead doesn’t get banned up here also. Washington banned lead COWW ten years ago. However, they have left fishing weights and boolits alone.
JM

[Rizzo]

I did a search on the net about casting Zinc bullets and lo and behold, it pointed right back here to Castboolits! Duh-h-h!
Here is an interesting link on casting Zinc bullets.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...uminum-bullets

Several negatives about Zinc.
It seems to have a corrosive effect on steel (rifle barrel?).
Fumes can be toxic.....but so is lead for that matter.

And one poster asked the caster to not shoot them at his range.
I suppose he harvests lead there and did not want zinc contamination in melting down the range scrap.
Valid point.

[Bird]

Here is the list for California certified ammo.
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/...tion/Certified
Rotometals is on the list. If you were to us their lead free alloy, get the cert with it.

[Rizzo]

Here is the list for California certified ammo.
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/...tion/Certified
Rotometals is on the list. If you were to us their lead free alloy, get the cert with it.

Thank you.
I see that Rotometals has had a bit of input/requests from casters that need a non-lead alloy for casting.
They came up with a Bismuth/tin 88/12:

https://www.rotometals.com/lead-free...ismuth-12-tin/

From that link:
"This ratio of 88% Bismuth and 12% Tin is the best ratio we have come up with as a substitute for lead. This alloy melts at about 395 F and is best cast or poured at about 500F. Testing the hardness with a Lee Hardness Testing Kit, we came up with an average of 19.3 on the Brinnell Hardness Scale, although there was a range during the testing.

The bismuth gives you the weight (as close to lead as possible) and the tin helps holds it together and makes it less brittle. This is an alloy we have been asked to make a few times so we decided to make a larger batch and have it easily available to everyone. As we are still testing this alloy, we are offering it at a lower cost and asking customers for feedback and their thoughts on how it works. Yes, we know it costs way more then a lead version, but hopefully with more volume, we can offer better prices in the future."

Wow, that does sound interesting but a bit pricey.
Without shipping cost, I calculate the bullet price for a 357 mag, 158 grain bullet to be approx. $0.35.
Barnes TSX copper bullets are around $1.00 each.

Bismuth/Tin looks like the way to go at this point.

[17nut]

What's wrong with pure tin?
Softer and heavier than zink and casts readily with normal equipment, oh and it's cheap.

[17nut]

What's wrong with pure tin?
Softer and heavier than zink and casts readily with normal equipment, oh and it's cheap.

[Peregrine]

What's wrong with pure tin?
Softer and heavier than zink and casts readily with normal equipment, oh and it's cheap.

By what standards is tin "cheap"? Compaired to silver maybe, unless you've played the pewter scrounging game to good effect.

I'm actually curious if anyone here has any experience with straight tin boolits, I've always wondered how those would work out, beyond being an extravagant indulgence. Bet they would look real pretty.

Anyways, bismuth is half the price of tin and about a third heavier. From the research I've done what the original poster is looking for is a tin/bismuth alloy.