Indoor Range Lead

[WVHunter129]

I lucked up and got 3-5 gallon buckets of indoor range lead. It is a bunch of copper jacketed bullets and cast bullets and lead dust. The indoor range had a steel back plate angled into the wall and a steel plate in the ceiling.

The range lead was shoveled up and put in the buckets. I have melted down half of one bucket so far and got 42 lbs of lead.

I have been told that it will be to soft to use in handgun loads. I am just curious if this is the fact.

Here is a picture of the range lead in the pot heating up.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_123104f70032cd1e51.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=4592)

Here are some ingots hot out of the mould. I made these in muffin pan mould so to keep it separate from my WW lead which has been done with a LEE ingot mould.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_123104f700355799dd.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=4593)

This is the pan of copper jackets that I skimmed off the top of the molten lead, before I fluxed with 20 Mule Team Borax.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_123104f70039a6f80b.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=4594)

Can I make this hard enough to use in handguns if I add plumbers solder that is 50/50 (solder/tin)??

Thanks for any insites.

[runfiverun]

depending on the scraps make up it can be harder or softer than ww alloy.
if it's mostly jaxketed and 22's its gonna be soft.
if it's a lot of commercial cast boolits it will be harder.
you either gotta go on that,or test the hardness.
go by weight,or have it shot.

[40Super]

I have a couple buckets of indoor also and I have been adding 1 slug of tin(Rotometals tin bar cuts)and about 1/4-1/2lb of linotype to 20lbs of range scrap.They are coming out great,

[shotman]

All that I have tested was near as hard as WW . take a magnet and run through the jackets . the rest will sell as brass/or no3 copper

[C.F.Plinker]

The range scrap I cast up last week was 8 BHN air cooled and 13 BHN when I water dropped them.

[imashooter2]

I have been using nothing but indoor range scrap for quite some time now. My scrap measures 12 - 14bhn air cooled and 20-24bhn water dropped. This is based on samples pulled from many different buckets collected over a better than 5 year span. I do take some steps to homogenize my take. I pour 2 buckets at a time into a wheelbarrow and load the pot from it. I smelt in 500 or so pound sessions and I jumble the ingots before piling them away. The conventional wisdom of range scrap being almost pure soft lead doesn't match my experience at all.

The stuff I have casts beautifully with no additions whatsoever and is perfectly adequate for all my uses to include magnum pistols and full power .30/30 class rifle loads.

[R.M.]

I've used mostly range scrap for a long time. My range doesn't allow jacketed, though it's surprising how many jackets I do find. This stuff averages 10-12 bhn, and I mix it half and half with soft lead pipe to get 8-9 which I find does well for 45 bullseye loads.

[mold maker]

I've smelted several tons of range scrap, from an outdoor range. it was a mix of FMJ, JHP, and cast. The BHN is always bwtween 11 & 12. It cast great as is, and shoots without problem up to 1450 FPS.
If I have a problem (seldom) with fillout, I just add SOME old plumbers solder till it works.