Silver Bullet

[VenisonRX]

Have the first 22 shell my daughter ever fired and wanted to make a necklace pendant for her. Anyone ever try to cast a bullet with silver before? I’m not stuck on 99.9 silver but would like to if possible. Anything jewelry grade would be fine as long as it doesn’t tarnish overly fast or contain nickel. Don’t want to use lead because I want her to be able to wear it.

This can’t be as easy as lead with a higher temp can it? Would zinc wheel weights be a suitable alternative if silver based metals aren’t feasible?

Gonna order one of those 22lr reloading mold/crimp die combos for the project.

[Joe504]

Use pure tin/pewter

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[bangerjim]

Ag is Ag. Period. I think she would really appreciate a boolit necklace made by you from pure Ag. Pewter is carp! And it DOES look different.

Melting and casting it just takes more heat, 1,764°F to be precise for melt point. An Al mold would melt at ~1,220°F, depending on the alloy it is made from. To be safe, use an iron mold.

I think she would appreciate the work & extra effort you went to for a PURE SIIVER boolit. And she can use to protect against vampires!!!! ;)

[cwtebay]

I actually have done this for my sister,I took my 38 Colt heeled bullet mould to a jewler and we poured 6 to load into a "werewolf and vampire kit" that we made for her when her husband accepted a job near in Pemberton, BC. I brought the coins, they did a superb job of smelting them and casting bullets for the project. They did have a specific way of fluxing the metal so as to leave them looking like grandma's dinner set!

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[rintinglen]

A jewelry maker is your best bet, silver is pretty hard to melt without specialized equipment.

[dverna]

If she is school age, she may not be able to wear it...something to consider....it is a woke world.

[Winger Ed.]

I'd run it past a jeweler that makes custom stuff and get the price for real Silver.
Also offer him a pulled .22 projectile to use for making his mold, and let them put it in the spent case.

[Joby]

For only one. I’d machine it on a lathe. Using 2 gauge silver wire which specs at .257”. Or 1/4” silver rod stock.
I made many solid copper bullets this way. I cast 45 cal silver bullets long ago using a Lyman mold but be careful they will want to bond to mold blocks. Good luck. JS

[Bakebfr480]

I remember an article in an early 60’s Gun World article about shooting/casting silver bullets. Written by Dan Cotterman or Duke Roberts if I recall correctly!

[Ickisrulz]

These guys make and sell silver bullets. No 22 though.

https://minutemanammo.com/

[Thumbcocker]

I read an article where they used stove cement to make a mold around a boolit. They melted the boolit out and poured silver in. I think wax would work just as well.

[country gent]

To cast one I would consider the brownels low temp silver solder. Its melting working point is much closer to lead. where as the high temp silver solders and silver are much closer to 1500*. Also would recommend using the recommended soldering flux for each as at these temps what we normally use will burn off to quick. Using true silver I would also use a steel mould as aluminum and silvers melting points are very close with silver being slightly higher.

The last rolls of true silver solder I bought (I think it was 45% silver) Was around $86.00 tor a 1 ounce roll of 1/16" dia.

Fluxes work in certain temp ranges so you need one to match the solder. In your case borax may work also.

Your lead pot isnt going to do the job and even a home type propane torch will struggle to melt it in an amount. mapp gas preferably with oxygen will do it but will be slow.

Also wear PPE glasses gloves heavy clothing pron and face shield. with the temps your working at its more dangerous than lead.

[Milsurp Junkie]

Be careful with the silver solders, as some contain cadmium. Unless you wanted some specific detail from the 22, I think that making one from round stock would be easier than trying to cast it and clean it up afterwards, especially if you are only doing one.

[Tazman1602]

These guys make and sell silver bullets. No 22 though.

https://minutemanammo.com/

I love that but Im too cheap to buy!

Art

[Wayne Smith]

I'll double down on the suggestion to see a jeweler - you are dealing with a melting temp well beyond our capabilities and probably a lost wax type of casting - again, something we are not equipped to do but the jewelry industry does it on a daily basis.

[charlie b]

Yep, lost wax and ceramics are the way to go. Jeweler's stuff.

I paid to have a jeweler do custom work for me at one time. It wasn't that expensive considering he was working with gold :)

[VenisonRX]

That’s a lot of great ideas that I didn’t think about before.

What kindof jeweler should I be looking for that does that kindof work or is that pretty much any of them? I’m not too proud to enlist help. I was dumb and didn’t actually look up the melting temps of this stuff. I can’t mill one from a silver rod so it’ll have to be cast. I guess pewter will be my backup plan if a jeweler can’t help. How much does that shrink when cast?

My plan is to try making a few from some empty cases I have rolling around in the bottom of my shooting bag. So I may go with some pewter and zinc just to have something to test my entire process with before taking a drill bit to the bottom of my daughters case. Thank you all very much for the help so far!

[cwtebay]

I would try for a jewler that isn't associated with a chain, that does their own settings. When I wish to have something made, I take in my own metal (scrap silver - generally older US currency, scrap gold - generally bought from a pawn shop in the form of jewelry). I get a receipt for the metal along with the estimate on purity. It is amazing what people want cast in precious metal, so the moulds are not difficult to make or come by or make - a quick YouTube search will help.
The jewelers that I have worked with are usually excited to not be making more prongs or stone settings and do a fantastic job.
As an alternative - there are several silver casters that advertise their services on the internet.

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[lightman]

Your Daughter should really like that. I think I have some electrical contacts that have silver on them. It seems like maybe each contact has a piece about the size of a dime. I would gladly send you a few for this project.

[Mk42gunner]

I remember a write up years ago about casting silver bullets. It seemed quite an involved process to get a decent result.

Remembering back to my high school jewelry class, a combination of lost wax and centrifugal casting make it seem simple, if you have the casting centrifuge.

For a one of, I would go with turning a representative boolit either in a real lathe or using a drill and files. Or see if you can find a local jeweler.

Robert

[Wayne Smith]

You are looking for a jeweler who makes his own settings. Not someone who puts together what someone else has made.

[charlie b]

The two jewelry makers that I knew had vacuum chambers for casting. The ceramic molds are just porous enough that the vacuum draws the silver (or gold) into the tiniest features.

You might search for a 'Silversmith' as well as a jeweler. As mentioned above, many jewelers buy all their components and just assemble the products.

[Hickok]

A boolit cast of pure babbit would last forever.

[gwpercle]

I remember the "Guns Magazine" series of articles that got started with the "Lone Ranger" and his silver bullets . Casting in a iron mould didn't work ... that month's episode was a Hoot ! I believe they couldn't get a decent boolit cast in silver ...lack of heat in both melting pot and mould gave pathetic almost boolits ... they ended up going to a jewelers who had melting and casting equipment , he made a wax boolit and used the Lost Wax process to cast one or...they might of had him turn one on a lath ...I forget ... anyways the next series of articles was working up a load and next was the shooting.
But back to problem at hand ... find a jeweler who can turn one on a lathe and finish it nicely ... Remove the boolit from an unfired 22 LR so he will know how to shape it and have the dimensions .
After getting it made simply insert into that fired case and crimp it into place.
I would have the Jeweler look at what you want to do and have him make a nice mounting for attaching to a chain ... it sure would look nice on a nice chain and mounted ...something more than just a hole drilled through the case with a chain run through it !
Special gift for a special daughter !
Gary

[kenton]

Where are you located? I know of a jeweler in central Il who I know wold have the skills and equipment to make something like that.

[beagle]

Years and years ago I dabbled into that "once" and that was all. Used a Lyman "dipper" ladle and a torch to melt. Candidate was a 358311. The problem is to get everything right. Mould has to be hot as hades and so does the ladle and silver. I used some scrap sterling and a couple of mutilated coins. Due to the small amount of silver and the requirement to keep everything hot, I was never able to get a bullet without wrinkles and after a while gave up and dumped the melt into the pot. Sure made the bullets harder.
The lathe turning sounds like the best approach./beagle

[GregLaROCHE]

How about taking a copper jacketed bullet and silver or chrome plating it?

[Shanghai Jack]

These guys make and sell silver bullets. No 22 though.

https://minutemanammo.com/

At 150 dollars a bullet I'll pass -

[waksupi]

Go to a jewelry maker, and have him turn one on his lathe.