What is in range lead?

[blixen]

I searched the forum, but didn't find much discussion on this besides "Lord knows what is in range lead."

I've got a source that is almost entirely commercial jacketed pistol bullets. Any idea what lead alloy manufacturers like Hornady put inside those copper jackets? i.e. how hard is it?

I'll be shooting it at low velocities (1,500 max) out of mil-surps and a couple 30-30s.

Also, can I put the jackets in with my curbside recycling or do I need to treat it has hazardous waste?

Any guidance much appreciated!

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

I do not know the elements in range lead, but I can tell you the stuff I have, will oven heat treat to BHN 28, so
there is some good stuff in it :)

[Mlcompound]

I am using range lead for 38, 9mm, and 45 with good results. I add nothing to it. Simply smelt and cast.

[atom73]

I dont know what is in range lead but copper scrap is worth $, dont put it in curbside recycling for several reasons with the main one being that you could sell it at the yard and make a little change.

[Alan in Vermont]

Here's what was in my range lead;

sb 1.51, mo .58, bi 3.11, pb 91.99, zn .21, cu .33, fe .72

sb 1.66, sn .33, bi 2.23, pb 92.80, cu .31, fe .88

I tend to question the accuracy of the gun that did the tests, those samples were the same metal, poured into muffin tins mere seconds apart. Unfortunately it is the only analysis I have to go by so I averaged the results and use that as my "range scrap" in the alloy calculator.

[rexherring]

I've found a lot of different lead in the mix here. The copper jacketed stuff is pretty soft but smelted down with the commercial hard cast stuff makes a good alloy so far. I've been getting about a 50/50 mix of hard cast and jacketed with my mining of the burms.

[runfiverun]

if it's all commercial jaxketed or nearly so.
they use from soft lead to 3% antimony as their core material.
with anything scrap get a bunch and melt it into a homogenous 'big batch' then treat it all as one.
whatever changes you need to make, will then go for all of it to get the same results.

[fredj338]

Range scrap can be anything, I doubt anyone can tell you unless they have it analyzed EVERY time you mine it. My range has everything from jacketed to 22lr to pure muzzle loaders & every thing in between. It seems to avg out about 10BHN.

[btroj]

I figure it as 1 percent Sb, about 1/4 percent Sn, rest lead. Close enough for me and my uses.

[blixen]

Thanks for the feedback.

BTW, I melted it in one big batch, fluxed and poured it into a steel muffin pan. Mostly jacketed pistol bullets about a half-dozen hard cast lead bullets and two .223 rifle bullets in the 20lb melt.

Dumb question #1: How do I get the muffin pan to release the lead muffins?

#2: A lot of the slugs are .45 full-metal jackets, including the base, and the lead couldn't flow out. Do you crack them like nuts with a hammer or drill holes in them or just give up?

[btroj]

I find that much of the lead does flow out of those FMJ bullets. The base is covered by just a thin disk and the lead flows out easily. The plated ones have such A thin plating that e lead gets out easily.

The one big batch works best.

[Pb Burner]

On the fmj that the lead didn't come out of, smack em with a hammer till the jacket cracks and put them in the next smelt.

[runfiverun]

hammer them.

your muffin tin might have a tin coating on it, many do.
just flip it over and heat it with a torch. gently.
leave the pan outside, rust is an excellent release agent.

[Bigslug]

Range scrap can be anything, I doubt anyone can tell you unless they have it analyzed EVERY time you mine it. My range has everything from jacketed to 22lr to pure muzzle loaders & every thing in between. It seems to avg out about 10BHN.

Mind you, I've only done three smelts at this point, but I tend to agree. My first ran about 9.75BHN, but contained a good deal of wheel weights. The next two were all range scrap and seem to be about 9.5 - and I'm picking up what is probably a much higher percentage than normal of soft shotgun slugs.

[Larry Gibson]

......I've got a source that is almost entirely commercial jacketed pistol bullets. Any idea what lead alloy manufacturers like Hornady put inside those copper jackets? i.e. how hard is it?

I'll be shooting it at low velocities (1,500 max) out of mil-surps and a couple 30-30s.

Also, can I put the jackets in with my curbside recycling or do I need to treat it has hazardous waste?.........

As runfiverun notes it will be from 0 - 3% antimony. More likely 1 - 2 % because it is a mixture of various types of J bullets.

If you mix 2% tin with it that alloy will be much better and will cast a lot better. The BHN of the AC'd and WQ'd bullets will depend but will be higher than without the tin. With the tin added it will make an excellent alloy for your bullets upwards of 1500 fps AC'd or WQ'd, especially with GC'd bullets.

Might see if the local scrap dealer will take them for $s. In some locals they are considered hazardous waste and others they are not, depends on what will be done with them.

Larry Gibson

[TheGrimReaper]

on the fmj that the lead didn't come out of, smack em with a hammer till the jacket cracks and put them in the next smelt.yep!!!

[10 ga]

On the fmj that the lead didn't come out of, smack em with a hammer till the jacket cracks and put them in the next smelt.

Dittos " " for Pb Burner I keep a 3 lb. hammer and a section of I beam handy for this work. Save them until I have a big can full and then pound away.

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