What is the minimum that I can do with pure lead to make it useable for faster loads?

[8mmFan]

Hi Everyone,

I picked up some lead pipe and something that “came from a radiology office” (looks kind of like a radiator screen).

I have some coils of “plumbers solder” or something to that effect that I picked up on sale once at a big box tool supply store.

What easy mix can you guys suggest that would make an alloy suitable for about 2000 fps hunting bullets from a 7x57, 7mm-08, 30-06, and 8mm?

I know - I need to pour some alloys and do some of my own tests with my Lee Hardness Tester, but ahead of mixing it all up, what would you guys suggest?

Thanks,

8mmFan

[mehavey]

Gas-checked, BN-15/Lyman#2/ALOX is all you need normally.

That said, you might try powder-coated even at pure lead levels/and see what happens/may surprise you.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?409893-Pure-Lead-amp-PC&p=5001471&viewfull=1#post5001471

[tomme boy]

look up 20:1 lead. that will get you to where you want to be. Maybe even 16:1 if it needs anything harder.

[Bazoo]

Easiest is to trade it for ww alloy.

[RU shooter]

Get some WHeel weight alloy or similar and mix it 75 pure/soft ,25 ww and water quench the bullets

[Lloyd Smale]

about the only way your going to get accuracy out of that pure lead at 2000fps is alloying it with linotype to get it up to at least 15-18 bhn and even then harder will be better. So your talking maybe 1/4 pure 3/4s linotype. Yup you could pc that pure and shoot it at 2000 fps and probably not get a bit of leading but you probably wont get a bit of accuracy either. Black powder shooters look for pure lead and usually will trade you for equal amounts of ww's that can be casted and water dropped to get you hard enough. Economically thats probably your best bet. Or use it for 800 fps pistol loads. even then your going to need a GOOD lube or pc to stop leading in many guns.

[StuBach]

Lead alloy calculators
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=9688&share_tid=105952&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcastboolits%2Egunloads%2Ecom%2Fsh owthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D105952&share_type=t&link_source=app

You can use the alloy calculator from one of the forum members to play with alloy mixes based on what you have. Calculator gives you rough estimated values but also includes pressure guidelines around hardness. Look up the pressure for the load you want and aim for a close BHN mix using what sweeteners you have or can easily get than try it.

If you need Linotype or wheel weights to mix in, and can’t source local, put up a want to buy thread (WTB) here for what you need and I’m sure someone on forum will be glad to part with some at reasonable prices. (Don’t source on fleabay, likely to get zink mixed in)

[Wayne Smith]

Paper Patch. I've never used PC but that may do it as well. Paper Patched pure lead is useable at the speeds you are wanting and more.

[Larry Gibson]

What easy mix can you guys suggest that would make an alloy suitable for about 2000 fps hunting bullets from a 7x57, 7mm-08, 30-06, and 8mm?

Get #2 alloy (90-5-5) from Rotometals and mix it 50-50 with your lead. That will give you an excellent alloy (95-2.5-2.5) for hunting bullets in those cartridges up through those velocities. I use that alloy myself for those same cartridges (sans the 7-08) for excellent accuracy in the 1800 - 2000 fps range. For hunting you can add another 20% lead for a bit softer alloy if needed depending on the bullet used.

If you know the % of tin in the solder you can also mix up some 20-1 alloy (lead to tin) for bullets upwards of 1200 fps and 16-1 alloy for upwards of 1600 fps.

Assuming GCs are used on the rifle bullets (?).

[8mmFan]

Thanks, guys. These are all great responses, and just what I was looking for. I have never powder coated, paper patched, or purchased from Rotometals. No time like the present to try them all. I probably should have bought the wheel weights the guy had, too, but the last couple of times that I have, it seems like I had to spend a ton of time trying to find the lead weights in there, and there was a lot of other stuff mixed in.

I bought about 750 lbs. of the lead. Got a little excited and bought all they guy had. I’ve cast a decent amount of boolits over the years but, if I’d realized that pure lead is kind of uber soft, I may have bought a little less and looked around for something a little harder. Then again, maybe not. The solutions above all sound like excellent solutions to the softness of the lead.

8mmFan

[MT Gianni]

I have no idea of your location but an offer to swap pure for ww in the classified FTF might work.

[StuBach]

I have no idea of your location but an offer to swap pure for ww in the classified FTF might work.

+1 on adding general location to your profile. If your in Mid Michigan for instance I could probably help with a FtF trade.

[243winxb]

15 BHN minimum

[Alferd Packer]

I say paper patch too.

[243winxb]

Add 2% antimony to the pure. Cast. Then oven Heat treat the bullets, water cool. Allow 2 weeks to fully harden.

[Green Frog]

I have no idea of your location but an offer to swap pure for ww in the classified FTF might work.


+1 on adding general location to your profile. If your in Mid Michigan for instance I could probably help with a FtF trade.

And the same content from me... you've got three of us from widespread areas of the country... if you are close enough to one of us, we could arrange some sort of useful swap... I know I for one constantly need pure lead now for muzzle loaders and starting specific mixes. An indication of where you are would be most helpful.

Froggie

PS With the amount of lead you have, you might look into two sources of alloy, pure tin and linotype (or other hard type metal.) Moderate amounts of these can bring fairly large amounts of pure lead to useful alloys for your stated purpose.

[brewer12345]

If I were you, I would smelt a batch, have BNE (forum member) xrf it for you, and post a WTT on the forum. If you have actual pure lead, the muzzleloader crowd would happily trade you. Heck, I have a pile of lino I could trade some of for pure and I imagine I am not the only one.

[Geezer in NH]

Sell some of your pure here on the forum. Use the money to buy some super hard from roto metals, and mix with the lead you did not sell. Done!

[bangerjim]

The alloy calculator on this site will answer all your "what if" questions. Valuable tool for mixing alloys. With it, you can determine what you can make and what additional alloys you need to buy.