Roofing lead for .45 acp?

[cricco]

I have obtained a significant quantity of lead roof flashing that I plan to smelt into ingots. I do have a small quantity of wheel weights also. I am wondering if I could use the roof flashing to cast boolits for .45 ACP without adding any other alloy to my mix? Would roof flashing be too soft?

[Tom W.]

Most likely it will be pure or almost pure lead, and a bit on the soft side. I'd save it for muzzleloaders, or in absence of that, mix W/W with it to harden it up some.

[Willbird]

I worked a great deal with my 1911 after I had it built. Using a ransom rest. I DID want to try to make pure lead bullets work because I had access to pig lead at that time, and it was a for sure known alloy. Recovered bullets however had land marks 1.5 times as wide as recovered bullets made of linotype. This was with 4.0 grains of bullseye. I thought maybe a slower powder was the solution, but none of the many I tried was as clean and accurate as bullseye.

The best accuracy I got from pure lead bullets was around 3" at 50 yards, linotype bullets would shoot 1.25 inches.

Bill

[Wayne Smith]

The other problem you are likely to have with pure is incomplete fillout of the mold. You have to run it real hot to get complete fillout. I'd run 50/50 and see how your gun likes it.

[gray wolf]

If you can handle the expence add a little tin 30-1/20/1 and it should get better.
Or as it has been said 1/2and 1/2 with WW air cooled shouls do it. I use the roofing lead as is for the front stuffer and it is very, very soft. But that's great for the black powder.

[RobS]

The cheapest way is to mix those WW with the roofing lead 50/50. Try to head out and find some more WW if you can and at the worst add tin as mentioned to harden up the alloy a bit. Straight roofing lead probably is not going to give you the performance you want as it is going to be a bit too soft for your application.

[DLCTEX]

Adding tin will not do much for hardening lead. Adding some chilled shot that has arsenic or antimony added will. WW+lead will be a better solution.

[cricco]

Thanks guys. I'll try mixing the ww and lead 50/50.

[SciFiJim]

If you have a LOT more roofing lead than WWs, you might offer to trade for more WWs in the swappin' and sellin' section. Muzzle loaders are always looking for pure.

[Green Frog]

If you have a LOT more roofing lead than WWs, you might offer to trade for more WWs in the swappin' and sellin' section. Muzzle loaders are always looking for pure.


+1 to that! :drinks:

I had a source for roofing lead (before his retirement :???: ) and literally got a half ton or more of clean, pure (essentially) lead trimmings that could be cut with shears to fit into even a 10# pot. For front stuffers this was exactly what I needed, for precise rifle bullets for Schuetzen and Black Powder Silhouette, I generally add either pure tin in sticks or partial bars of Pb/Sn bar solder to get a 25 to 1 ratio alloy (by actual weight.) I really like to know exactly what I am shooting, so just in case something actually goes right for me I can do it again!! [smilie=w:

Wheel weights are good for pistol and plinkin' bullets :Fire: and Linotype is good if you want to make hard bullets to try to get J-word type performance out of cast bullets, but give me pure lead and tin to last the rest of my life and I will be a happy camper!

Froggie

[geargnasher]

Cricco, you can go something like 25% WW and 75% flashing and water quench them by dropping them straight from the mould into a bucket of cold water, they should be plenty hard for your .45 ACP if you let them age-harden for a couple of weeks. Might be anywhere from 10-13 BHN depending on how hot they are when they drop from the mould.

50/50 WW and Roof tin will be fine air cooled, too. We're only talking 750-850 fps anyway, they don't have to be very hard for that.

Gear

[pls1911]

gearnasher's spon this time.
I've gravitated to a 25-75 roof flashing to ww alloy.
onl my roofing material apparently have tin in it, as it casts pretty well and measures 11 brynell after 2 days. mixed 25-75 I get about 13, and it heat treats to 25 or more for rifles...CHEAP.

[Huntducks]

I'm a retired plumber and when I was in Bus. I got ton's of pure lead waste change out P-traps and roof flashings you name it my guys working for me had to save it, I would then buy reclaimed shot like $6-8 a 25lb bag and mix it 50/50 worked great and I still have 6-7 hundred lbs in ingots.:lovebooli

[jmsj]

cricco,
I have been getting away w/ using 50% range scrap/50% Pb + a little tin for my target/plinking 38 Special and .45 acp. I am only using 3.2 gr of Bullseye and a Lyman 452460 for my target loads.
I don't have a hardness tester so I don't know how hard this lead is. It is harder than straight lead but not as hard as WW's. Accuracy is as good as any alloy I have used.
Good luck, jmsj