I'm new... Help me mix my lead.

[Green_Canoe]

This is my first post here, though I've been lurking for some time. Please forgive the long. I'm trying to include everything.

I'm tooling up to cast bullets for a .50-70 BPCR. I've been collecting lead for years just knowing I would eventually be casting bullets. This weekend I melted my lead into muffin tin ingots keeping similar lead together. Then I tested the ingots by clamping a steel ball between an ingot of pure lead (from 1/8" sheet) and an ingot of unknown lead using my vise and then comparing the indent size.

Here are the sources, results, and quantities:

1/8" lead sheet, 5 BHN (assumed), 27 lbs
Flower holder lead*, 21 BHN (linotype?), 4 lbs
Pipe organ lead**, 6.5 BHN, 1 lb
Assorted Range pick-up, 18 BHN (composition?), 2 lbs

* This is something I picked up at a flowershop I worked in as a teen. The shop had been around since the early 1900's. These were lead disks filled with an array of .75" long nails on .25" centers. I assumed they used these to hold flowers in a complex arrangements before the days of floral foam.

** My dad is into organs. He has friends in the pipe organ repair business. These are the tips from the square wooded pipes that they swedge down or open up to control the flow of air into the pipe.

So here's my problem: I'd like end up with something I can use in my BPCR w/o purcasing any tin if possible. I'm assuming from what I've read a good starting point is a 20-1 or 30-1 lead / tin ratio or about 9-10 BHN. I think I can assume there is antimony in all but the pipe organ lead. Would that be detrimental to my first attempts at casting for BPCR? Can I just try for a BHN number of around 9, even if it includes the antimony?

Assuming the antimony won't hurt what is the proper/best/easiest way to formulate the alloy?

Thanks,

Ian

[Echo]

Yo, Ian, and welcome. I can give a tad of advice, but only a tad. Example: any more than 3% tin is wasteful, so 30/1 has plenty of tin. (The tin is mainly to reduce the surface tension of the molten alloy, thereby improving mold fill-out)
I don't believe a little antimony will be detrimental - but I would still recommend finding some solder (radiator shop?) to add to the Pb you have to bring it up to no more than 3%. Radiator shops typically have buckets of solder drips that they have to dispose of someway, and you would be glad to take it off their hands. Grubby work, cleaning and ingotizing the solder, but it's worth it.
I'm sure others will have additional help for you. Again, Welcome!

[runfiverun]

if you are gonna shoot bpcr consistency is gonna be your friend.
30-1 should do fine.
sometimes a slightly harder boolit even one with antimony will do fine or excellent.
the only way to know is to try it.
but you need something you can repeat.

[Green_Canoe]

Ah, yes... Consistency, repeatability. I was blinded by economy. I'd hate to have to redevelop a load after my first 300 shots... With consistency and repeatability in mind I'll look for some 50/50 solder or buy some tin to make one of the standard lead / tin mixes and save the Linotype and range reclaim lead for the eventuality of getting a mould for the .41 Mag or .45 ACP.

Thanks for reminding me of what's important.;)