Pure lead - Newbie questions

[Huntsman52]

I have about 220 LBS of 99.9% pure lead in my garage right now with about another 300 plus pound about to be added. It was left over from some lead lined sheet rock. I have been melting it down to ingots for storage. I have just started reloading and would like to cast my own. Not new to casting though. Shoot black powder all the time. This lead works great for that since it is realy soft. What i need to know is how to harden it up for casting .45 acp rounds. What would be a good mixture to harden it up with? any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

SH

[Doby45]

Get you some lino to add to it..

[Huntsman52]

I do not have any lino. What can be added that is to find to harden up lead?

[runfiverun]

3 parts of what you have to one part lino will make fine 45 acp boolits.
you could even stretch it a bit further to maybe 4-1 with a good fit and correct powder selection.

[runfiverun]

some magnum shot will work also.
but on the expensive side.
it generally has about 5% antimony but no tin.

[Huntsman52]

Thanks for the help. Still have alot to learn. Will check into the WW and Lino.

[Huntsman52]

Well I stopped by a used tire shop after work today and was able to get my hands on a 5 gal. bucket of wheel weights. I wold say 90% of them are stick ons. Will give it a try 50/50 and see what turns up.

[shotman]

your stick on is about pure too but you say a 45 acp
load them light and they work good with pure lead . better on gun too . get another recoil spring or 2 and get you a load you like about 3gr bullseye . that wont eject with a reg spring see what load works for you and then cut a coil at a time till it ejects. and paint the spring for that load

[lylejb]

By wheel weights, they meant clip on wheel weights. They are a different, harder alloy than stick ons.

While stick ons are usefull, they're soft. Nearly as soft as pure lead.

While I do say get any and all lead you can, sounds like you need more clip on's.

Is this your first bucket of wheel weights? I ask to make sure you know to sort out the Iron and zinc weights, and smelt separately the clip on's from the stick on's.

Also, keep in mind the swappin and sellin section. Since you have pure ingots, you might post a trade for clip on WW ingots. I think lots of people have more clip on's than pure.

[Huntsman52]

I started to sort them out when I got home. Figured out which ones where the iron and zinc realy quickly. Will smelt the clip ons seperately. So i guess I ended up wil more pure lead! oh well, can never have to much.

[R.M.]

You should download one of the alloy calculators on here. Play around with it. It'll give you an idea of what you might be looking for.

[Roundnoser]

Huntsman52 -- Just something to think about here. You maybe able to swap some of that pure lead for linotype with folks on this forum. I'm sure there are fellow BP shooters who would like to wheel-and-deal for some that dead-soft Pb you have! Consider taking full advantage of the want-to-buy (WTB), want-to-trade (WTT) and Want to Sell (WTS) sections of the forum. Welcome, and good luck with your 45 casting.

[Huntsman52]

I think I will go that route. Just need 19 more posts or 27 more days...which ever comes sooner.

[Huntsman52]

Alloy calculator? Will do a search for that. Did not even think of search for one. Thanks for the tips and help from everyone. A wealth of knowledge to be found on here.

[Freightman]

25 is no problem just comment on all the threads, shouldn't take twenty minutes.

[bumpo628]

Alloy calculator? Will do a search for that. Did not even think of search for one. Thanks for the tips and help from everyone. A wealth of knowledge to be found on here.

I have an alloy calculator that you can download in excel. Get the 3/29/11 version.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952

[Huntsman52]

Thanks for the link to the calc.