Where to start with pure lead for 9mm and .45?

[mehavey]

Unless you're grossly resizing (like 458 --> 452) I've never found lube req'd.
- Just run Hornady 1-shot into the die to clean.
- Dry out thoroughly w/ twisted-up paper towel.
- Size . . .

But check it out yourself.

[Tripplebeards]

I’d tell you to go straight Cast wheel weight alloy. Pure is way too soft for 9mm as everyone has mentioned.

[Sam Sackett]

I’d tell you to go straight Cast wheel weight alloy. Pure is way too soft for 9mm as everyone has mentioned.

This!
Sam Sackett

[Rickf1985]

I think pure is too soft for any kind of smokeless powder shooting in modern guns. Powder coating is nice but it does not change the physical characteristic's of the lead. Soft is soft and when you slam it with a load heavy enough to get it out of the barrel the soft bullet is going to obturate, A LOT! Which is going to jam it into the lands much harder than it should. This will strip the PC off of the lead and then you are cleaning heavy leading. People that say they are shooting pure in 45 and especially 9mm are either lying or they have never checked their "pure" lead for hardness.

[john.k]

A lot of whats called pure lead is recovered building sheet ...and it has a certain amount of alloys to make it 'stiff' enough to be handled and installed.........Ive found the x ray shield sheet to ideal for blackpowder guns ..... (not Minies)

[quilbilly]

If you have any hard/chillest birdshot around, just mix 60% pure with 40% shot and you should have a fine alloy for your purposes.

[mehavey]

...pure is too soft for any kind of smokeless powder shooting in modern guns.
Powder coating is nice but ...Soft is soft and when you slam it with a load heavy
enough to get it out of the barrel the soft bullet is going to... will strip the PC
off of the lead....

See https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...=1#post5506686

30-1 is "effectively" pure lead. Held to anything short of magnum pressures,
PC will protect the bullet and the base, as well as hold to the the bullet itself
all the through its travels -- barrel, and target material alike.

Even the purest of pure lead -- powder coated -- does extraordinarily well in
most all arms at moderate/moderately fast velocities.
See also https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...=1#post5001471

Consider powder coating to be the pure-lead/paper patched bullet reborn -- in polyester.

[uscra112]

OP said he has no access to wheelweights or

[uscra112]

What should I add to my pure lead for a starting alloy? Whatever I add I will probably have to buy from Rotometals because I don't have access to linotype or wheel weights, etc, unless I get lucky and find it online. I've heard I should aim for about 10BHN when loading 9mm and .45?

I'm just looking for a starting point on my alloy. I can experiment with dropping in cold water, powder coating, slugging, sizing, later. I'd just like to get some boolits made so I can start somewhere. Thanks.

OP says right off that he has no access to linotype or wheelweights, and you guys apparently didn't notice.

SIMPLE and QUICK solution, although not cheap, is to go buy lead-free plumbing solder, which nowadays is about 95% tin, (which is why it's not cheap). Any hardware store has it. Mix about 1 pound solder to 20 pounds pure lead.

Lucky me, I bought about 45 pounds of the old 50-50 solder at an estate auction a while ago, so I use it at double that ratio to get 20:1 from pure lead, which I too have a lot of. Maybe he'll get lucky too.

[muskeg13]

SIMPLE and QUICK solution, although not cheap, is to go buy lead-free plumbing solder, which nowadays is about 95% tin, (which is why it's not cheap). Any hardware store has it. Mix about 1 pound solder to 20 pounds pure lead. Lucky me, I bought about 45 pounds of the old 50-50 solder at an estate auction a while ago, so I use it at double that ratio to get 20:1 from pure lead.

Ditto!! Keep it simple. For what it's worth for free internet advice:

Pure lead and tin 20:1 works splendidly with a good lube like Alox or Lee Liquid Lube at pistol velocities. You didn't state your "pure" lead source, but plumbing lead, roof flashing and cable sheathing is considered essentially pure lead. Anything else will probably have some small amounts of hardening agents, like tin and antimony, which is a good thing and won't hurt. If you find pewter to use as tin or resort to lead-free solder, you can treat them as being essentially pure tin for your purposes. Don't get tripped up over scientifically exact alloy formulas. Hard enough at low-moderate velocities is absolutely good enough.

You must slug the bores of all the guns you're going to shoot cast boolits in, and be sure to size whatever you cast at no less than the bore measurement to 0.003" over, NEVER under. 0.002" over is a good rule of thumb. Sizing dimensions and adequate lube is much more important than alloy hardness.

I've cast for almost 50 years and have no use for water quenching or powder coating. Wheel weights and 2% tin (or a little less), pure lead and tin at a 20:1 ratio, air cooled, get the job done (if sized correctly) for almost all of my shooting needs. I even use my own lube concoctions. If the loads are expected to exceed 1400 or so, I use gas checks and have experienced no leading up to 2300.

The one thing that might drive you to need a harder alloy is how well your semi-auto firearms feed cast boolits. I've never had a problem with any of my .45 ACPs, but do need hard alloy in the few 10mms I have or the boolits sometimes get hung up on the feed ramps. Start simple, and work from there.

[oldhenry]

I don't know how much pure lead you have, but keep in mind that some members have plenty of COWW ingots & would welcome some pure lead to alloy @ 50/50+2%tin. They would be happy to change out your pure lead for equal amounts of COWW alloy.

The SAS section is the place to help you out.

[Rickf1985]

The OP has not posted on this thread since the two posts he made on the first day almost a month ago. He has not been on the site for the last week. Pretty sure we can stop running in circles on this one.

[Swineherd]

I cast and shoot powder coated pure lead in tame 45/70 and 45acp both. I mean, I can't tell by tasting it, but Rotometals sold it to me as pure, so...