FMJ's...pure lead?

[emt1581]

Tried to cast some fishing sinkers for the first time on Saturday using my new Do It All mold. Now I have a split shot mold so the sinkers need to have some flex to them I used my bullet alloy and there was not the ability to flex in hand and pliers were needed which I don't like but I digress. If I take ONLY FMJ bullets from range mined lead and melt those into ingots, will I have pure lead to be able to make better sinkers with? If not, any suggestions for getting pure/softer lead from range mining....since that's what I'm down to for lead sourcing now?

Thanks!

[Ledhead]

Jacketed cores have some antimony in them as they can be heat treated IME. If you're looking for pure lead from range scrap then you're looking for foster slugs, .22's and Miniè balls.

Drive around after bad spring storms and look for roofers stripping shingles. Ask them for the old flashing, that's as pure as it gets.

[emt1581]

Jacketed cores have some antimony in them as they can be heat treated IME. If you're looking for pure lead from range scrap then you're looking for foster slugs, .22's and Miniè balls.

Drive around after bad spring storms and look for roofers stripping shingles. Ask them for the old flashing, that's as pure as it gets.

Have a friend that is a roofer. He said he hasn't seen any in years.

Didn't think of .22's...those are easy enough to spot with the circle they have. Balls are rare to find as not many shoot black powder on the range I shoot on.

Thanks though!

[Kylongrifle32]

Might find someone to trade your lead for some soft lead.

[emt1581]

Might find someone to trade your lead for some soft lead.

I don't know of anyone around me that casts. In fact the last friend that did, gave me his old linotype. Maybe if I see someone shooting cast at the range I can chat with them.

[tazman]

What is your general location?
Maybe someone on here will be willing to help out.

[emt1581]

What is your general location?
Maybe someone on here will be willing to help out.

Lehigh Valley, PA

I guess I need to add my location in my profile.

[Goofy]

John Walters, Moore, Oklahoma. (405) 799-0376

Good source for lead. Alloys, wads etc

[higgins]

I separate range scrap into jacketed, cast, and misc. before smelting. I have found that FMJ cores are near enough to pure for your needs. I found FMJ core metal too soft for bullets. Others apparently have made bullets cast of FMJ core metal work, but I couldn't.

[RU shooter]

If your club has dedicated lanes for muzzleloader that's where you want to mine lead

[Big Boomer]

Stick-on wheel weights are slightly stiffer than bubble gun. Might be someone on Cast Boolits willing to trade you lb for lb of your harder alloy. Big Boomer

[dkf]

Hardness of the core of FMJ bullets vary IME, some rifle bullet cores can be fairly hard and not cast well as is. For split shots you want pure lead. For some jig heads you can get away with harder lead but if the features are small the fill out can suffer. I do use some harder lead for some jig heads with wire retainers because the retainer stays in better over time than with pure.

[Joby]

PM sent

[gbrown]

I have soft lead from the 60s and before. Some my Dad smelted from jobsites he was on, and some I got later. Not interested in selling, I can use it. It's out there, just have to find it.

[243winxb]

Get lead and mold to maximum heat. Frosted sinkers. Shrinkage will be greater, allowing sinkers to fall from mold.

Sierra makes the core of the bullet from four lead alloys: 6% antimony-4% tin, 6% antimony, 3% antimony, 1 1/2% antimony and pure lead.

[Winger Ed.]

I cast some of those football shaped split sinkers with the tab on each end.
I use as close to pure lead as I can and it still fill out and act right.

But its still too hard to pinch the little tab by hand.
I just keep some old rusty pliers in the tackle box now.

Range scrap should work, maybe with a few wheel weights added to improve flow & fill out.
But ya might want to keep some small pliers handy too.