Diown rigger lead

[VA Shooter]

I have 50 2lb down rigger lead balls has any one tried casting with this alloy ?

[Alan in Vermont]

I would bet that downrigger balls are cast from the cheapest alloy available on a given day. I doubt the ones cast today are going to match the ones cast yesterday unless they happen to have a batch of melt left over.

Cast something out of it and see how it acts in the gun.

[sljacob]

as stated above alloy could be almost anything. I too would pour some boolits, if they cast well and are about the right BHN then load and shoot.
I have a "unknown alloy" pile that that kind of stuff goes into, when I get 200lbs or so I melt it all together in the same pot, cast a few samples to check hardness and castablity,tweak it as needed with some pure or lino , give it a lot number and start casting.

[WILCO]

I have a "unknown alloy" pile that that kind of stuff goes into...

Yep. I too have a pile like that.

[altheating]

That's funny someone would post this thread. My wife's uncle asked me on Easter Sunday if I wanted some lead. Of course I said yes. He had four 5" down rigger balls and 4 other down rigger weights with stainless flat plates embedded in them. The lead appears to be real soft. There must be about 100 lbs of the stuff. I'm not much on getting Easter Baskets filled with candy, but one filled with lead, I'll take that! Ok, and maybe just one Reese's Peanut Butter Egg!