Question about my final output on .45 app bullets

[lablover]

Hey guys, casting for 45 acp bullseye loads and just scored 300 pounds of Lyman ingots. Have no idea whats in the ingots so I dropped some in my Lyman bottom pour and cast a bunch of 200 gr 45 acp bullets. I'm at about 9-10 BHN on week old air cooled bullets. From what I'm told these are more than hard enough for my light bullseye loads of around 3.8 gr bullseye powder.

Now, I have no idea if the other 290 pounds is all the same stuff. Came from the same 55 gal drum full of these ingots. Seems pretty clean and casts great.

Would you add anything to this lead or just cast it the way it is. I'm using the lead pencil test to get my BHN number.

I have a bunch of 50/50 solder if I need to use that for anything. I'd like to make as many simple and easy to cast bullets as possible :).

Thank all

Joe

[pjames32]

They should be hard enough for a "Bullseye" load. Give them a try! You have no idea what the others are so you can either check each ingot or remelt all together, recast the ingots and have someone test them. Good luck

[lablover]

They should be hard enough for a "Bullseye" load. Give them a try! You have no idea what the others are so you can either check each ingot or remelt all together, recast the ingots and have someone test them. Good luck

I'd love to remelt them all together but have no way of melting that much lead together in one batch. Not sure how I could melt them all together in a different way???

[runfiverun]

you can get them into a single batch it will just take some work.
I single batch all of mine by keeping the smaller ingoted batches sorted then blending them together.
all in a dutch oven.
just pull one from each pile for the pot and keep on pulling them, melting and pouring new ingots without ever emptying the pot.
then blend the ingots as you dump them, dump one left, dump one right.

[lablover]

you can get them into a single batch it will just take some work.
I single batch all of mine by keeping the smaller ingoted batches sorted then blending them together.
all in a dutch oven.
just pull one from each pile for the pot and keep on pulling them, melting and pouring new ingots without ever emptying the pot.
then blend the ingots as you dump them, dump one left, dump one right.

I just happen to have a 5 qt cast iron dutch oven that might just be the ticket. I think I'll give that method a try..Heck, I could even get OCD and after all the new ingots are done mix those all up and do it again...

I wonder how much lead I could get in that 5 qt cast iron pot? 100 lbs?

[lablover]

Went and bought a fish fryer propane set up. That with the 5 qt cast iron dutch oven should do the trick...I have tons of sawdust (cabinet maker) but its a mix of hardwood , plywood etc..Not sure I want to use that...Dang!! Its raining...Hmmm, in the garage?

[Victor N TN]

The soft swagged bullets sold for "target" shooting are pure lead. For your light load, I think it would be OK.

[Grmps]

IF you smelt in the garage with the door open I would strongly recommend a fan blowing out. Block the wind from hitting the pot or flame.

I smelt all non-commercial lead I get. that way I'm sure everything that goes into my pot is dry and clean.

I do this similar to r5r. I've got over 1000pounds of Monotype, I can smelt about 120 pounds at a time and pour it into large molds (pound cake/banana-bread tins) to help things go faster. I will keep each smelting seperate and when I'm done smelting the raw material, if I have 10 piles I will use 12 pounds from each per smelting sesion casting these into 1 1/2" andgle iron 2# ingots until all the piles are gone and I have 1 large pile of ingots. then I send a sample out and have it xrf"d so I know exactly what ALL my 1000+ pounds of Monotype consists of.
I had a couple of the batches tested by BNE and got
SAMPLE LEAD TIN ANTIMONY COPPER
1 72.00 9.4 17.6 1.0
2 73.00 9.4 16.7 .9

[lablover]

Got it all smelted up in 2 different batches. Now, I have to take some from each batch and make one final batch. With the new fish fryer propane stove it went real fast for sure.

Just for giggles I did a pencil test on both batches..All the same.. about 9-11 BHN. I'm really debating making it all one pile. Better safe then sorry I guess.

[Dusty Bannister]

Or just cast some, let them age and test the loads. Save the propane for the next smelting session.

Or just pick an ingot from each bucket each time you add alloy. Keep It Simple.....

[runfiverun]

yep that's why I dump ingots left and right.
one bunch here and one bunch there they all get jumbled up again when I move them, then mixed again when they go in the pot.

9.4 and 10.0 BHN ain't gonna make that big of a deal.
[heck it ain't gonna matter at all, a gust of air on the cooling pile of bullets will change the bhn more than that]
you got it close enough, and hopefully cleaned it all good.

[mdi]

There's only one way to eat an elephant. That's one bite at a time. You only have to melt 290 lbs at one time if you want to. Break it down to 50-60 lb. lots. Much more fun that way...

[fredj338]

I cast a lot of range scrap for full power 45acp & 9/40 minor loads. Bullets shoot better than I can on most days.