Casting range pickup

[fritoguy]

Is it possible to coat range lead (powder coat, epoxy, etc) and load for Semi-auto hand guns with out adding alloy? WW are gone in my area. every shop is set up with recyclers. My range pick-up is a mixture of cowboy action, cast bullets and jacketed lead.

[mold maker]

Anything is possible, depending on the % of the source lead. What you describe will likely be shy on hardness, again depending on what you cast for.
The addition of some linotype or tin will likely fix any problem you have using the range lead.
I don't PC yet, but that might mitigate soft cast for you.

[fritoguy]

I did consider purchasing linotype from Rotometals, but you can get #2 lyman from them cheaper. Seems the more I learn about casting, the more confused I am. BTW I load for 9mm, 40sw and 223. My only 40 at this time is a Glock 23.

[runfiverun]

depending on the makeup [proportion] of the range scrap you could easily do what you want.
most of the cast bullets have a tin content of 2% and an antimony content of 6%.
the jacketed bullets may or may not have antimony in them.
and the cowboy shooters could be using an alloy similar to ww's or the above mentioned 2/6/92 alloy
if the proportions look to be just about equal between the three I would give the alloy a try.
if the jacketed amount looks to be double I'd give the mix a try, if it's any where in between I'd give it a go as is.
if it's mostly jacketed I'd add some tin to help fill out of the mold.

the key is to try and get about the same proportions of scrap in the mix and make large batches of the alloy.
once you have that bigger batch of alloy you can then manipulate it some to get about the same bhn/make-up from batch to batch.

[rsrocket1]

I do that with range pickup, except it is "shotgun range" pickup. Yup, reclaimed shot. I know that shotgunners will say "sacrilege", but it's cheaper for me to use this stuff than buy > $1/pound+postage stuff or lose money on shipping 25# bags across the country. I use it for 9/38/357/40/45/308/7.62x54R and 50 cal muzzleloader projectiles. They all work great anywhere from 600fps to 2400fps. At first I was mixing in some 50/50 WW/Linotype to try to raise the tin content, but now I don't bother. The fillout is perfect with the pot set at 700-750F so long as the molds are hot enough. I just pour the shot into the pot, wait, then scoop out the graphite.

[mdi]

In my experience, range lead is kinda soft (9-10 BHN), which is good for my handgun bullets as is. But, there is no reason not to PC your range scrap bullets. I have PCed all my handgun bullets (.38/.357 Mag., .44 Special/Mag., 45 ACP, and 9mm) using my "mystery metal" alloy, which is fairly soft, and have had no problems...

[Jal5]

I have used only range scrap for the last 3-4 yrs for 9/223/270/45acp/38/357/32acp/9mak with little problem. Fit is king.

[fritoguy]

Thanks for all the input guys, I need to slug my barrels to get the correct molds but I think I will try to cast some of this and PC it before I buy any alloy from Rotometals.

[country gent]

Alot depends on the range and what is shot there. Laser cast, and alot of the commercial bullets are very hard and can if them alone can be softened with pure lead to get where you really want to be. A range that sees alot of BPCR shooting is going to be much softer lead ( and bigger chunks). Jacketed can range from pure lead cores to mid range antimony. Until its melted blended fluxed and poured into ingots there no real good way to tell what you have as far as bhn. Smelting/rendering in large batches will yield the best results since you will have 200-400lbs the same. Repeating one batch of clened blended range metal may be hard to do due to variances in what you get. Make a big smelting pot and burner, do large batches, flux and blend, then pour into ingots and go from there

[mdi]

FWIW; most of the range lead I mined was made up of a lot of .22 rimfire and jacketed bullets (core is usually soft). So, my range scrap is mostly soft...

[Tatume]

Linotype is available here in the S&S forum. It's usually cheap and it doesn't take much to improve your alloy. Lead/tin solder or pewter can be had inexpensively also. If you treat your range salvage lead as plain lead and for every 10 pounds of alloy include one pound of linotype and 1/4 pound of 50/50 lead/tin (or 1/8 pound of pewter), you will have a nice 10 BHN alloy. You can use that for most pistol bullets, and you can always add more linotype and tin later for a harder alloy.

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

I use cast range scrap for H110 loads in 357 and 300 blackout without any coating, just tumble lubed. No issues. If you have a large percentage of jacketed in the mix, it's probably be a different story. If I am casting for 9mm or 45acp, I add some softer jacketed bullet or roofing lead into the mix to soften it up a bit.

[lobogunleather]

When I started casting in 1972 I utilized several sources for lead and lead alloys. Purchased used linotype from a printer, picked up buckets full of wheelweights from garages and tire stores, and spent hours at the police range with a shovel and wire screen to recover fired bullets from the traps. It all works, just some is more work than others.