Downright Nasty Backstop Lead

[Fireball 57]

Well, after finding that some genius club member dropped about two hundred pounds of backstop lead at the property fence, I dragged this stuff home in the trunk of MY WIFE'S car. :groner: After formulating Boob Lube on her stove, this, probably was not the wisest thing I've done, lately [smilie=p: Anyway, after fluxing the bejessus out of the melts, I put 'em in ingots. Fine :lovebooli what's the mix with WW or Lino for about 16BHN? Yeah, I need a clue. Thanks.

[David R]

If it were me, I would throw in a little tin from the form of solder, or a little lino unthis the boolits fill out nice. Then quench the boolits from the mold. You will get BHN around 20 or so in a couple of days.

YMMV

David

[FUDD]

I have read from guys in Finland, that brine which will float a potato will hard quench your lead...but do you want salt in your bore? Makes you wonder...

[Willbird]

I have found typical range scrap mixed 50/50 with WW will get just as hard as WW when the bullets are dropped into water from the mold.

Bill

[Fireball 57]

Thanks go out to all! "Drinks" generously offered to test a sample to let me know where I was at concerning hardness. I have considered mixing 50/50 with wheelweights and adding about 1/4 cup of magnum shot to the mix for about 10 pounds. Cast a few 30 cal boolits and test with a Saeco tester. Regards

[Lee W]

Ten pounds range scrap, 1.25 pounds 50/50 solder and eight pounds Linotype will get you close to Lyman's No 2. (aka 16 bhn)
Doesn't sound to cost effective.

I used an excel program from a long lost site. I was smart enough to download it when I was there.
If anyone wants it, PM me and I can email it to you..

[six_gun]

I have been cleaning the lead from the backstops of the indoor range at my club for several years now. When I started doing it everyone else watched and thought I had lost a few cards from my deck. This lead is mostly 22 LR lead with some cast bullets of unknown origin and jacketed bullets thrown in. It also has broken clothes pins and fabric from the backstop cover, in the mix.

I melted it and fluxed it and put it into ingots. The first bullet that I cast from this stuff was perfect. So has 99% of all the rest I have cast for the last few years. It is soft. I don't water drop it or add antimoney or anything else to make it hard. I just lube it and shoot it.

I first started with my 44 mag Rossi 92 at about 1000 fps and Lee Liquod Alox. No leading and excellent accuracy. Then I tried my 357 mag Rossi at 1200 fps. No leading and excellent accuracy. Both of the above word no gas checks. Somewhere in there I started lubing and sizing with a Lyman 450. Next I tried my 22 Hornet at 1700 fps with a gas check. No leading and accuracy was under 1 inch at 100 meters from a 10 in Contender, from a rest. Next I tried my Winchester 94 30-30 at 1900fps with a gas check. No leading and accuracy is 3 inches at 200 meters with a reciever sight, from a rest. Cleaning is a bore snake after about 1000 rounds and a good cleaning every 6 months. No lead in any bore ever.

Now I have, not only the guys at my club, but the guys that I whip at silhouette matches coming up to me asking me about cast bullets.

I really like soft alloy in cast bullets.

Sixgun