[Doc Hoy]

The US leading manufacturer of wheel weights uses an alloy that is never less than 95% lead and normally up near 98 to 99%. She told me that the decision about the alloy has to do with the cost of the various components and the cost to eliminate metals other than lead from the alloy. I asked her if they deliberately use other metals to alloy with the lead and she told me that the other metals do not make any difference in the characteristics of the weights. So apparently they do not deliberately add bismuth or tin or antimony to get any specific characteristic.

She told me that lead is the cheapest of the metals that might be present and there is no reason to pay more for the raw materials. Therefore the higher the percentage of lead, the cheaper the cost to make the weights and the happier they are.

Stick on or clip on makes no difference.

There are some zinc weights out there but they will not melt at the temperatures attainable in the lead pots people use for bullets.

There is a problem though. Many wheel weights are imported from China and the alloy is completely unknown.

I cast all of my bullets from lead from two sources.

One is ballast from ships which I was told was pure lead. (but the person who told me could not be truly relied upon to understand the definition of the word "pure")

Two is wheel weights.

My bullets pass the thumbnail test but I know they are slightly harder than Hornadys. Makes them a little harder to load but I use a press anyway.