Getting ready to start casting question

[Nefarious Cohort]

Greetings,
I am both new to the site and new to casting, I have been reading and learning a lot here and I thank you for the access to the wealth of information here.

Here is my first of what I think will be many questions, Just yesterday I was given a few boxes of WW lead, already cast bullets, and about 150 pounds of cleaned ingots from a co worker. Also in one of the boxes was a few ingots of "Acme Copper Hard Babbitt" I did a search here for babbitt and see that this topic comes up now and then but in most of those posts the poster was not aware of the make up of the babbitt I know that mine is 36% Tin with 51% Lead, 1% Copper and 12% Antimony So Can this be used and if so, at what proportions with my WW lead?

Like I said I am still in the research mode and have yet to purchase my equipment for casting, so any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Edited to add that I mostly plan on casting pistol caliber in cowboy action range loads


Thanks again

[Wayne Smith]

Welcome to the site and to the craziness. First of all, for casting pistol loads in cowboy range loads you don't need the babbitt - only pure lead - so SEND IT TO ME! Seriously, you only need tin to a 1-30 tin-lead for cowboy speed loads. Save the Babbitt for when you want to cast some relatively high speed rifle loads. It's ideal for that. Add it to ww when you want to do that.

Your WW can be cut easily 50-50 with lead or used straight for what you are trying to do. Lead can be acquired from plumbers and roofers. I'm shooting 1-30 tin-lead in my 44-40's with no leading and good accuracy. I'm getting about 1500fps out of a 20" barrel with a full case of BP.

[Nefarious Cohort]

Thank you Wayne, Thats good info to have.
Most of the lead I acquired is in muffin tin shapes and I am guessing that its all from WW's judging by the amount of WW's that were in the other boxes.

There also must be thousands of cast rifle bullets in the 25 and 30 caliber sizes that I will most likely just melt back down when I get that far.

This afternoon was spent sorting thru all the C style shell holders for the antique Pacific press
and trying to find information on the Meepos Speedlube that were also in one of the boxes.

This site has helped more already then I ever could have imagined. I think I will feel at home here ;)

[9.3X62AL]

There also must be thousands of cast rifle bullets in the 25 and 30 caliber sizes that I will most likely just melt back down when I get that far.

Having on several occasions filled 1# coffee cans with Lyman #257312 castings from a single-cavity mould, MAKE CERTAIN you won't be getting any 25 or 30 caliber rifles for cast boolits before smelting them away. Even as an old retired dude, my time is still worth SOMETHING.

Welcome to the hobby/addiction/avocation. WW metal is a near-perfect alloy for most pistol and CAS load usage--just make sure the boolits fit, ands all should be well. A well-fit boolit covers a power of sins, to paraphrase Samuel Clemens rather loosely.

[Nefarious Cohort]

Having on several occasions filled 1# coffee cans with Lyman #257312 castings from a single-cavity mould, MAKE CERTAIN you won't be getting any 25 or 30 caliber rifles for cast boolits before smelting them away. Even as an old retired dude, my time is still worth SOMETHING....

I can appreciate that, My first love is collecting WWII military weapons for which I was lucky enough to cash in on the once cheap and common surplus ammo over the years My grand kids may still be shooting it up, My second love is Cowboy action and the big bore single shot buffalo guns. These are the ones I plan on casting for.

Thanks for the welcome, and for the info, I may just set some of these rifle boolits aside.