Pure lead for low velocity pistol?

[opentop]

I have a pile of lead that I melted into ingots from pipe. I’m pretty sure I’ll have to harden it a little. I’m casting for low velocity cowboy type pistol bullets. (800 FPS or lower) what would I have to add to the lead? Would 60/40 or 50/50 solder be good enough, and at what ratio? I also have about a half of a coffee can of shot I could use to harden with.

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

[AZ-Stew]

18 pounds of lead + 2 pounds of 50-50 bar solder will give you a 1:20 tin:lead alloy that will make nice bullets for anything up to 1200 fps or so, assuming they are sized properly to fit the gun and a proper lube is used. It was either that alloy or a 1:16 alloy (14 pounds lead, 2 pounds 50-50 bar solder) that Elmer Keith used for his loads.

If you're using a revolver, check the size of the chamber throats and the groove diameter of the barrel. They should either be the same size, or the chamber throats should be no more than .0015 larger than the groove diameter. If the chamber throats are smaller than the barrel groove diameter, have them reamed out to the above spec. by a reputable gunsmith. Again, size your bullets to fit the chamber throats, +.001/-.000. This will give you the best accuracy.

Regards,

Stew

[Buckshot]

..............Hello opentop and welcome to the board! I regularly shoot straight pure lead WC's with 1 LG lubed, and that's the bottom one. Either that or Lee LA. I shoot these through a S&W K38 w/6" bbl, S&W "V" model 38 S&W w/5" bbl, another with a 4" bbl and a Iver Johnson breaktop in 38 S&W w/4" bbl.

Accuracy from the K38 is match grade, and in the others it's as good as anything else tried. Possibly the most important thing is that they don't lead in any iof these revolvers. The K38 is using 2.7grs of Bullseye. The others are book 38 S&W loads.

..............Buckshot

[mroliver77]

I am shooting an almost "pure" lead boolit in mty 38 special. A 170 gr Lee .358 boolit over 2.5grclays. There is just a tad of tin in it. mebbe like 60-1. These shoot well and do not lead at all. Barrel is extremely clean!
J

[opentop]

Thanks y'all, I got some "spermenten" to do now. I just got started in 38 special and have to pick out my molds. you all have been a big help!

[Wayne Smith]

Remember that your swaged lead bullets are typically very soft and just tumble lubed. They are designed for target shooting, like Buckshots 2.7gr Bullseye load.

[xsquidgator]

Well, now I'm going to sound like a stuck record since I learned my latest trick. How about adding Cream of Wheat filler on top of the powder to scrub out any leading?:mrgreen: I don't think I'm as concerned about hardness of my boolits now that I've found cream of wheat bore-cleaning!

[EDK]

Go to leverguns .. and then to articles...and look up Glen Fryxell's article on the 1894 MARLINS. A lot of good info on loads and what feeds and works in your rifle.

I'm starting to do some experimenting after using the 358665 and 358156 for years for CAS....and their 44 equivalents. RANCH DOG has an excellent 432 265 designed for 44 MARLINS and a 359 190 coming out in the near future. You can't use gas checked boolits for CAS, but running a few through after a match will help get the lead out....and if you use the guns for something more serious, the gas check boolit performance tends to be better than the plain based ones. Check out LEE LIQUID ALOX and TUMBLE LUBING.

If you buy moulds, get either a LYMAN 4 cavity or a LEE 6 cavity. The aluminum LEE is less expensive and their 6 cavity quality is vastly superior to their 2 cavity moulds. The iron LYMAN is good and my preferrence. Go to evilbay and investigate...you might find a mould you like cheap. There are also bargains in the classifieds here. A discounter is Cliffsgunsmithing....has a lot of LEE and LYMAN and discontinued stuff.

I hope I've helped a little. Do some searches and throw out a thread for help...or PM most of the guys who responded. They'll save you a lot of time and money rather than you "having to re-invent the wheel.".....and you can do the same for someone else later.

:cbpour::redneck::Fire:

[Ricochet]

I routinely water drop my boolits, largely because it's more convenient for casting in volume than trying to catch them on a soft towel without dinging them against each other. I've found that a lot of my scrap lead that is soft enough to appear "pure" hardens up substantially over time after quenching. Obviously it isn't pure, but that's my point. You can't tell if you didn't buy it new from a certified supplier. I find those quenched soft boolits work very well in pistols without adding more stuff to the metal.

[Just Duke]

I am going to end up with 1 bucket of lead tape on wheel weight which from what I am told they are pure lead. Can they be used for casting 45 acp around 700 to 800 fps?

[Wayne Smith]

I am going to end up with 1 bucket of lead tape on wheel weight which from what I am told they are pure lead. Can they be used for casting 45 acp around 700 to 800 fps?

Yes. "Your message as entered is too short" Can't be clear and simple any more, eh?

[colbyjack]

how bad will pure lead, lead up your 1911 barell? or will that depend on the lube you use? -chris

[Leftoverdj]

how bad will pure lead, lead up your 1911 barell? or will that depend on the lube you use? -chris

Depends on the barrel, the lube, the fit, and the load. Shouldn't lead at all with light target loads if you've got everything right. I prefer one of the wax or soap coatings as lube for this stuff and add a small amount of tin. Nothing scientific about my choices. They just felt right to me and work for me. Can't say that something else would not work as well.