Going to kick the hornet's nest, wheel weights for round balls.

[David LaPell]

I know this subject has been debated on end, but I have to ask because I want to actually know if someone has done it and what their results are. I want to know if you can cast round balls for a muzzleloader from wheel weights. I know what you're supposed to use, soft lead, but lead in some places, where I am, is getting tougher to come by. Even the wheel weights themselves is getting tougher, plumbers lead, everything is harder to come by and the more we see the "green" campaigns keep trudging onward, I think we're going to see less lead to use. I do have some soft lead on hand for round balls but I want to know if need be, can wheel weights be used. These would be for new production guns, nothing antique. Also, in my Pedersoli Indian Trade gun and French Cavallerie carbine, these are smooth bore guns that I use balls undercast anyway. For instance, my French gun is .69 that shoots very well and surprisingly accurate with a patched .648 and .662 roundball. My Indian Trade Gun is a .61 caliber roughly that does very well with a .570 roundball and .015" patch. So for at least those two guns, there isn't a super tight fit to worry about.
So, can it be done?

[elmacgyver0]

I know this subject has been debated on end, but I have to ask because I want to actually know if someone has done it and what their results are. I want to know if you can cast round balls for a muzzleloader from wheel weights. I know what you're supposed to use, soft lead, but lead in some places, where I am, is getting tougher to come by. Even the wheel weights themselves is getting tougher, plumbers lead, everything is harder to come by and the more we see the "green" campaigns keep trudging onward, I think we're going to see less lead to use. I do have some soft lead on hand for round balls but I want to know if need be, can wheel weights be used. These would be for new production guns, nothing antique. Also, in my Pedersoli Indian Trade gun and French Cavallerie carbine, these are smooth bore guns that I use balls undercast anyway. For instance, my French gun is .69 that shoots very well and surprisingly accurate with a patched .648 and .662 roundball. My Indian Trade Gun is a .61 caliber roughly that does very well with a .570 roundball and .015" patch. So for at least those two guns, there isn't a super tight fit to worry about.
So, can it be done?

I am only replying to this to get knowledgeable people to tell me I'm full of BS.
I would say go for it on a logical point of view, since the patch is what picks up the rifling and not the ball.
I say this without any firsthand experience.

[Froogal]

I bought 50 pounds of pure lead from Roto-Metals. Should last me the rest of my life. I no longer have the energy needed to go scrounging.

[cwtebay]

Well I'm probably wrong, but I use whatever lead I have for casting round balls. And especially in a smooth bore, I would think that it would be fine as long as you don't get crazy hard with it.

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[LAGS]

I shoot lead balls cast from Wheel Weights .
Especially the Stick on type because that stuff is almost pure lead anyway.
They work well , with the correct patch material.
Just don't make the ball fit so tight that it is hard to load.
I even cast REAL boolits with the Wheel Weights.
I have to use a mallet to get the REAL slug started down the bore.
Wheel Weights are not the best material to use for Muzzleloaders.
But it will work.
And is good material for just plinking ,so you don't use up all your pure lead just casual plinking.
To soften WW, I smelt it with a bunch of Range Scrap which for the most part is softer than WW material from my experience.
But with a patch the WW does work.
I actually started casting with WW material back when I was about 16 years old back in the 1970s.
That was when I ran out of all my dad's Fishing weights and I was working in a gas station that sold tires too.

[elmacgyver0]

IT is nice to know I am not totally full of BS!

[Minerat]

I use pure in my ROA & .44 navy replica because it shaves a little off the ball when seating and pure for the maxi balls for the 54 Hawkens, but alloy for patched round balls. If the projectile is in direct contact with the rifling then I use pure.

[ihunts2much]

Yes you can. I asked the same question here several years ago. Another member replied its all he uses. I've used COWW lead for hunting in a 50 cal. 490 ball, 015 patch. Touch harder to get started. Always found lead balls under skin on off side of deer. Have not found a WW ball.

[gunther]

Wheel weights are gonna give a ROA rammer a rough time, and Italian reproduction revolvers are not going to like that alloy at all. Smoothbores; ww's should be fine. If you use a tight enough patch in a rifle it should engrave the fabric pattern into the sides of the roundball. That will be tough with wheel weights. A hammer on the short starter will be necessary. Maybe there's another shooter nearby who will trade lead with you.

[Thundermaker]

I use wheel weights for just about everything. I use them for patched rifle balls, C&B revolvers, and smoothbores. Never had a problem. As for processing a fabric pattern into the ball, I've never had a reason to use a patch that tight. My revolvers are all colt repros, they don't seem to have problems either. They are a little harder to seat, but not overly so. I should mention that I don't water drop the ones I use in revolvers.

[Wayne Smith]

Yes, obviously you can and successfully. Terminal performance may suffer if you use them for hunting, though. One of the effects of the round ball is that it flattens out passing through an animal, thus increasing it's wounding capacity. WW may not do this, so you have a caliber hole straight through.

[Brimstone]

I use hard, very very hard stuff in front stuffers for paper punching, totally ok for paper punching with patched long guns. I've done it for 6 years and won't be stopping anytime soon.

I do not recommend trying water quenched WW round balls in Remington 1858 style cap and ball revolvers. I broke a rivet in the link of my rammer. Colts aren't as vulnerable to this with their style of toothed rammer I should think but I busted my Remington. I had to cut and buck a new rivet in place.

[Driver man]

I destroyed the rammer on my Uberti Remington Old Army trying to force home a ball that was just a little harder than pure lead.

[Brimstone]

So is there a "I broke my Remington rammer with hard balls" patch or award, trophy?

[flyingmonkey35]

I have used dead soft / wheel weights / and range scrap. All with success.

They key I have always found is a wet patch. (Not dripping)

I use water with dawn ish soap in a spray bottle. To keep the patch’s moist.

I find it lubes and cleans the barrel on the way down.

Keep in mind the patch is what should be engaging the rifling.

I use pillow ticking for patches.


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[CoryT]

To the OP, yes.
I’ve taken many animals with ww cast round balls in my .50 and .54 muzzle guns.

[Eddie2002]

I've used different alloys for round balls in my .50 calibers with no problem. For target shooting past 50 yds I check their weights. The harder alloy RB's weigh less and have less drop farther out than pure lead.

[indian joe]

I use wheel weights for just about everything. I use them for patched rifle balls, C&B revolvers, and smoothbores. Never had a problem. As for processing a fabric pattern into the ball, I've never had a reason to use a patch that tight. My revolvers are all colt repros, they don't seem to have problems either. They are a little harder to seat, but not overly so. I should mention that I don't water drop the ones I use in revolvers.

My son bought a second hand army colt, we though it was a good deal at the time, 3-400 rounds and the gears under the barrel stripped - (or wore enough they wouldnt engage properly) previous owner or his dealer must have had a problem and tricked it up good enough to sell, fixing that was above my paygrade at the time so I converted it over to a remy style rammer - it takes somebody that knows, inside ten yards to spot it, and works good but would make me cautious of using hardball in a gear rammer model. Replacing a busted pivot pin is simple - refurbing those gears under the barrel would not pay in the US I think.

[waksupi]

I've been shooting wheel weight balls for 47 years. They work.

[charlie b]

I used WW round balls in my old Remy. It was a 70's era Navy Arms kit. That cylinder had nice, sharp mouth area that cut a good, clean sliver from the round ball. Pure lead balls required just a little force. WWs took quite a bit more. It would wear out the palm of your hand to do a few cylinder loads. I didn't shoot the gun that much so the WW balls worked just fine.

If I was doing range sessions or a lot of plinking I'd stick with pure lead.

Patched round ball in an old CVA Ky rifle were all made from WW. Worked well.

[dondiego]

Soft lead for Cap and Ball revolvers but WW works well for patched ball.

[Longknife]

Soft lead balls will imprint with the pattern of the rifling when started when the fit is correct. When using WW balls, they will mot imprint as easily. If they are too tight to load go to a .005 smaller ball and a .005 thicker patch. I also shoot WW balls in my smooth bores, same thing, shoot smaller ball and thicker patch. I have been shooting WW ball in my rifles and smoothbores for 40 years, targets don't care, game don't care! The Englishman Frederic Selous, 1851-1917 was one of the greatest big game hunters in Africa. He always shot Hardened ball in his guns. They would not expand and penetrate deeper thus making a quicker kill,,,,,,,LK

[sledgehammer001]

I've had no issues using WW RB in my .50 or in my .58..... I actually deliberately cast my .58 Minie` out of WW and it keeps the skirt from deforming with a hotter load. I've ran them up to 120gr of Pyro RS without them blowing the skirt.

[GhostHawk]

I've done it. Way way back when I had my fling with Holy Black pure lead was hard to find and cost money. COWW's were everywhere and mostly free.
Some work needed to get clean alloy out of it. Sweat equity, but I shot almost all COWW lead in my CVA .45 caplock.

[Geezer in NH]

I have always used pure lead for my rifled guns. Easy to find to me. WW's I use for my unmentionable or my smoothbores, n fact I like hard buckshot.

Today I find more pure scrounging than alloyed WW's. Home depot even sells pure in the roofing dept if I ever become that hard up for it.

You want to shoot WW's in patches but many will trade you pure for it.

[dtknowles]

I have used harder than pure for muzzleloaders when that was all I had. It was fine. Now harder alloys are harder to find than pure. My scrap yard has lots of almost pure lead but almost no harder alloy. I would check for scrap roof lead as that is what I find mostly at the scrap yard. I did find some solder but that is too precious for round balls.
TEK

[GregLaROCHE]

Hard lead has always worked for me with a smooth bore and patched.

[triggerhappy243]

I know this subject has been debated on end, but I have to ask because I want to actually know if someone has done it and what their results are. I want to know if you can cast round balls for a muzzleloader from wheel weights. I know what you're supposed to use, soft lead, but lead in some places, where I am, is getting tougher to come by. Even the wheel weights themselves is getting tougher, plumbers lead, everything is harder to come by and the more we see the "green" campaigns keep trudging onward, I think we're going to see less lead to use. I do have some soft lead on hand for round balls but I want to know if need be, can wheel weights be used. These would be for new production guns, nothing antique. Also, in my Pedersoli Indian Trade gun and French Cavallerie carbine, these are smooth bore guns that I use balls undercast anyway. For instance, my French gun is .69 that shoots very well and surprisingly accurate with a patched .648 and .662 roundball. My Indian Trade Gun is a .61 caliber roughly that does very well with a .570 roundball and .015" patch. So for at least those two guns, there isn't a super tight fit to worry about.
So, can it be done?

If you are really really concerned about the lead being too hard, you can always give it the sulfur treatment to weed out the zinc and antimony. do it outdoors on a breezy day.