Decent Size Melt

[Ihsarah]

Finally got around to melting down the 80lbs of lead I picked up. I'll have to mix some of it with wheel weights for pistol rounds but now I've got more lead than I know what to do with. http://i.imgur.com/PG8fLyw.jpg

[lobowolf761]

80lbs is just a good start. That's a really nice melt. Ingots look real good. What calibers do you mould for?

[Ihsarah]

I cast mostly .358 but I also cast some .32 for a friend's Nagant revolver, I use a simple 50/50 mix of wheel weight/pure lead with a dash of tin thrown in for my pistol rounds. For the most part I do pretty small batches of casting, maybe 100-150 boolits a go so my 100ish pounds of lead is gonna last me at least the next year.

[altheating]

That's less than 2000, 285 gr 44 mag boolits. You don't have enough or more than you know what to do with, believe me! That's only 98 rounds a year for the next 20 years or one good day of casting.

[Ihsarah]

Ha, I guess I can't argue with the math. I'm definitely not going to resist a good opportunity for lead when it arises, I'm just not pumping out as many rounds as some folks yet.

[lightman]

That was a good days work but don't quit now. You can shoot your way thru that quicker than you think.

[bangerjim]

I know what to do with it! Shoot it.

I can go thru 80# in a couple three good daze at the range. Shooting teeny 9mm's or 38's, it will last a little bit, but many of us shoot 300-450+ grain boolits and that stack will go down very fast.

Keep on collecting. You WILL use/need it.

banger

[dragon813gt]

Awwww.....that's a cute little pile you have going. Add a zero the total weight and now we're talking ;)

[MrWolf]

Um... There is never enough :shock:

[lobowolf761]

Um... There is never enough :shock:
Amen to that. I cast 9mm to 45lc and .308-314, .440,450,458 and .54cal. 80lbs is just a teaser.

[RogerDat]

Don't listen to those negative Nelly's they don't seem to understand the math of 80# of ingots on the driveway is 160# of cast boolits. I'm sure it looks much nicer in those ingots than it did before you smelted it down. I had a tire store owner say well I only have half a bucket are you sure you want to bother buying it? I replied I don't mind eating an apple in small bites, it gets eaten and enjoyed all the same.

[Ihsarah]

I'm sure once it cools down here in Texas I'll be able to reload and cast more so my lead use will go up, but for now I've got a good amount of raw material for how much I load and shoot.

[dragon813gt]

Don't listen to those negative Nelly's they don't seem to understand the math of 80# of ingots on the driveway is 160# of cast boolits.

Someone must have been taught common core math for those figures to make sense.

[odinohi]

After looking at the photos something is wrong with those ingots. The "n" is backwards. You should send those to me for evaluation. ;) Nice looking pile of lead there!

[captaint]

Feels great to turn scrap into pretty ingots, don't it ?? You did well to keep your softer lead separate. Always do that. Wheel weights, soft lead, lino - always keep it separate. You can mix it later, when needed. Great start..

[lobowolf761]

Someone must have been taught common core math for those figures to make sense.
The math can be right if you do a 50/50 mix of WW bars and Linotype to come up with an alloy close to #2. 80+80=160lbs of #2 alloy or real close to it.

[LongRangeAir]

Someone must have been taught common core math for those figures to make sense.

considering that he already stated that he mixed 50/50, perhaps it's reading comprehension rather than Math that is the problem! LOL!!!:oops::bigsmyl2:

KnifeMaker

[LongRangeAir]

I only cast .257 right now. That would do just fine for me!

[mold maker]

Aren't the Lyman molds with the reverse N collector items? I have a pair of them.

[lobowolf761]

considering that he already stated that he mixed 50/50, perhaps it's reading comprehension rather than Math that is the problem! LOL!!!:oops::bigsmyl2:

KnifeMaker
His 50/50 mix is 50%WW and 50%lead.

[lobowolf761]

My reading comprehension is fine.

[GoBig]

And here I thought the thousand pounds I finally finished pouring into six pound ingots, two hundred pounds per batch was just a good start.

[RogerDat]

Some folks are working on their first ton of lead stash, some are working on their second ton......... Then there are those that have enough that the mass of their stash creates a gravitational anomaly for satellites orbiting earth.

And yes I was working off of the OP's stated intention to use the ingots shown in a 50/50 mix. Thus they represented 2x their weight in usable alloy. We are talking between 3,500 and 4,500 boolits at 158 - 124 grain cast from 80#. Should allow OP to spend at least a bit of range time. Call it 17.5 to 22.5 range trips at 200 rounds per trip. Which is a fair to middling amount of shooting time for a revolver but more of a brief trip with an auto loader. ;-)

[GoBig]

How does one make half a range trip? I would think it would just be a trip that's half as long.

[Pee Wee]

80 Lbs is better than no pounds.