Bullet cores?

[tomme boy]

Has anyone any experience with using the lead from bullet cores? I have a lot of lead that I melted out of bullets I got from a Police range. They were 99% .40 cal FMJ bullets. They used the chipped rubber for the backstop so all of them were intact. Got close to $1500 in cashing in the jackets. Cost $40 in propane and the bullets were free. So I think I made out pretty well other than the callus's on my hands from cutting each jacket to melt them out.

Reason I am asking about the lead is it is really HARD. I have been making some bullets for my 357 and water dropping the bullets. After about a couple of hours they are almost in the harness range of 19. After a couple of days they are up to 21. I have a feeling these are going to be too hard for the 38 spec.

I am not too sure how accurate my thermometer is in my pot but I have always cast bullets before at around 700*-725* But this lead I am having to cast up to about 775* to get them to release from this mould. Even at this temp and casting as fast as I can, all it takes to open the sprue plate and the bullets are already froze over is a 5 count. At about 790* it takes an almost 12 count to freeze over.

The lead seems to be full liquid at 600* And even at the high temps I have above, NONE of the bullets are frosted. They look like linotype. Nice and shiny. There is no galvanizing type look to any of the ingots or bullets. I have always figured that this lead would be soft. But it is far from it. I think I may try some of this in my rifle as the fillout of the mould is PERFECT. That is what is strange.

Anyone know what they may have used? I may half to get this tested. Other than taking so much heat to get the mould to release the bullet, I may actually like it.

[30Carbine]

Have had the same thing happen range lead here runs oh between 20 and 26 on the lee hardness tester. I just cut it 50/50 with pure and shoot.

[dragonrider]

How much do they weigh??

[cbrick]

Probably just a high Sb alloy, forget the water dropping. Some Sierra handgun bullets run 5% Sb, if you need to you can always cut this alloy with a softer one.

Rick

[WHITETAIL]

Three things you need to know.
What is the weight to mould size?
What is the size of the boolit? ( OD )
What is the hardness?
Then you can make up your mind to
use them or remake them.:coffee:

[tomme boy]

The mould is a NOE 360477 150 gr SWC. It is dropping right at 0.360" at 153 grs. Till I get my gun back from Ruger, I don't know if these are going to be too hard or not.

[cbrick]

The mould is a NOE 360477 150 gr SWC. It is dropping right at 0.360" at 153 grs. Till I get my gun back from Ruger, I don't know if these are going to be too hard or not.

In a 38 Special? Yeah, I think much harder than needed. Whatever you have to cut that alloy is what I would use to shoot in the 38. Low velocity, low pressure round, hard is not needed. I shoot 8 BHN full power HP loads in my 45 ACP. I shoot 12 BHN in everything else rifle and handgun up to 2000 fps. 21 BHN would probably work well in your 454 but a 38?

Rick

[tomme boy]

I think I am just going to put them all back in the pot and not water drop them. I have a couple hundred that I have already sized and lubed. Not going to melt them down.

[Intel6]

Do you know the brand of the ammo that was shot? since you are talking about cutting bullets I assume they were TMJ plated? If that is the case then it is most likely ATK made so Speer or Federal.

I got some lead from a LE range that uses snail traps and I know that 99% of the ammo shot there is .40 Federal JHP's.

The lead I smelted out of it I had tested at the scrap yard and they said it was:

97% Lead
2+% Tin
1-% Copper

[lwknight]

You do not need to water drop anything for 38spl. Even soft pure lead is hard enough if properly lubed.
I admit that most of my 38 bullets are fairly hard but not by intent. The old FBI HPs were pure lead and work just fine as long as the bullet is big enough for the bore.

[tomme boy]

Well I cast some up this AM and air cooled them. Just tried to sized them. NO DEAL. They are about dead soft. I was flattening out the whole nose. A few wiped out the crimp groove. The nose flattened out about half its length.

This lead must have just antimony in it and thats it. Lead like that is good for swagging as it flows from what I read, right???

[lwknight]

Well I cast some up this AM and air cooled them. Just tried to sized them. NO DEAL. They are about dead soft. I was flattening out the whole nose. A few wiped out the crimp groove. The nose flattened out about half its length.

This lead must have just antimony in it and thats it. Lead like that is good for swagging as it flows from what I read, right???
Let them sit for a few days. They will harden up some. Also you need a top punch that fits the shape of the bullet nose.

[tomme boy]

I do have the top punch. It is a 360477 with one of his top punches. It smashed it all the way down to the first band. I already melted them down. They felt almost as soft as a SOWW. I did not check them to see how hard they actually were.

[badbob454]

why size them ? should be about right to fill the grooves ... and soft enough to do no harm

[tomme boy]

I don't pan lube. I have 2 rcbs sizers. They are dropping from the mould at 0.3605"

[lwknight]

I do have the top punch. It is a 360477 with one of his top punches. It smashed it all the way down to the first band.
I'm starting to wonder just much gunpowder is in the case.

[tomme boy]

The nose was smashed. This is not loaded, just sizing them

[lwknight]

The nose was smashed. This is not loaded, just sizing them

Oh, OK. I missed that part LOL!!
I use a push through sizer so I did not think about the Lyman 450 style. The push through shoved the bullet up from the base.