22 Long Rifle Lead and Casting?

[tray999]

First let me state that I am new to casting so I have a newb question..... I shoot 22 long rifle year round in my garage and have a three gallon bucket worth of 22 bullet lead collected from my trap. There is a mix of paper from the targets mixed in with the 22 lead. A fair amount of the lead is almost powder from hitting the angled AR500 steel. I want to use the lead to cast for my 45 Colt guns. Want would you all suggest before I start...... I have everything I need to start making ingots, but have not seen anything about using 22 lead for casting.

Thanks!

[lightman]

Welcome Aboard! Your 22 lead is going to be soft. You probably need to add some antimony and tin. Fit is more important than hardness but you do need a certain amount or hardness. Someone will probably be along soon with recommendations. The paper won't hurt anything when you start melting it down except that it will smoke and maybe burn.

[mdi]

I understand rimfire bullets are pretty soft, running 8-9 BHN. I would ask on the Lead and Alloys forum for info for hardening it up. I would add tin, but don't have a ratio handy (I have used 20-1 and 16-1 for my low pressure handgun bullets). For now, I'd melt and clean it up then cast some ingots.

[Outpost75]

For many years I have used salvaged backstop scrap, mostly gleaned from military and police indoor ranges in which the deposits were 12-ga. slugs and buckshot, 9mm, and .40 cal. FMJ and some .38 Special. Paper fragments and crumb rubber from the backstop will smoke alot, but burn off leaving a fine particle carbon residue which works well as a fluxing agent. The jacket material floats to the top and should be skimmed off, shaken over a 1/4" screen and then stored in buckets, because once you remove any steel jackets with a "cow magnet" the gilding metal jacket material is worth more than the lead and when sold to a scrapper will more than pay for the cost of propane to melt the salvaged lead, as well as for any tin or linotype you may want to blend with it.

I use a plumber's pot, and a large iron pot which holds about 50-60 pounds at a whack and ten ingot molds.

If melting wheel weights, use a good thermoeter and keep the melt temperature below 750 degs. F so that any zinc wheelweights float to the top and can be skimmed off with the jackets.

If you are lucky enough to have backstop lead composed of nothing more than .22 rimfire and .38 wadcutter lead, it will make great revolver bullets as-is. You might want to add 1% tin to the mix to improve casting, but cast all into ingots first and then try what you have before doing so.

[tray999]

Thanks all who have replied!!!

[rking22]

When I was in high school and college we cast 38 and 3030 bullets from 22lr range cleanings. We were on the rifle team and able to keep what we wanted for cleaning out the backstop. It cast well and in 38special plain base loads up to 5 gr unique did not lead and were accurate. Same with 311410s on 10 gr herco in the 3030 M94s we had. Can't quote group sizes as I have no memory of testing other than to zero. Good lead, wish I had easy acces still. We cleaned it out without any ppe what so ever! Today there is no doubt we would have instantly fallen over dead from the dreaded lead! I Would wear a filter knowing what I know now, but we were 16, bullet proof and invisiable. Pb in dust form is not good for you, at all.

[waco]

I have several hundred pounds of .22lr lead. Mine is around 10bhn. Casts nice bullets for handguns or is a good base alloy for rifle stuff.