Wheel weight to bullet?

Country · November 16, 2006, 07:43 PM

I lay the foundation, I have a SS Ruger Redhawk .44 mag with 5 1/2" barrel.

I am interested in making my own bullets. I have heard that some melt and shoot the lead from wheel weights.

Can y'all please share the steps and the ( only with experience ) things that a person starting out would need to know.

What would be a good all round bullet mold for deer out to 50 yards and hogs?

I like the K.I.S.S. system

Looking forward to reading and learning from y'all.
Thanks!!

rwilson452 · November 16, 2006, 08:39 PM

Here is my process.

Equipment needed.
Electric pot with a bottom pour
5 qt cast iron dutch oven.
one pound lead ingot mold. Usually they mold 3-4 one pound ingota per mold.
A set of cheap BBQ tools THey must be metal
A large propane single burner. I can't remember the mfg of mine but it came with a turkey cooking pot. You going to need a lot of BTUs to melt the lead
Bullet mold(s)

Do this outdoors with plenty of ventilation

Starting with the Big propane burner and dutch oven
Put the wheel weights in the dutch oven and melt them. the metal clips will float to the top as they are lighter than the lead and melt at a higher temperature.
Scoop them off and dump them on a metal or concrete surface. Remember the Lead melts at 650 degrees. Wood burns at 451 degrees. Plastic melts and burns at less than that. The temperature in your pot will be greater than 650 degrees likely close to 1000 degrees. It will burn you on contact. wear gloves and a heavy work apron and eye protection.

The urge will be there to dump the stuff you scoop out into a bucket of water. that will turn the water instantly to steam and blow stuff all over the place. This is known as bad JU-JU.

Once you have a full pot of lead you need to burn off the impurities. I use Parrifin. You can buy this anywhere they sell canning supplies. they make specail fluxes for this but I don't see the need. YOu only need a piece about the size of a large pea. put it in the pot and stir it it will burn. you will then see more slag ( yucky stuff) on the surface of the molten lead scoop it off. and dispose of it. Useing a metal soup ladle Scoop out the lead and carefully fill your mold. Let it harden. If you have two ingot molds the process will go faster. If you have enough wheel weights repeat the process until your exaust the weights or yourself. Store the ingots after they have completely cooled. I do this on the patio and let them set overnight.

To mold bullets fill your bottom pour electric pot with lead and melt the lead. Continue feeding it until full. put your bullet mold on top of the pot to heat.

Knowing when your bullet mold is the right temperature is the tricky part.
I would suggest you start with a two bullet mold. A 6 bullet mold requires more expertise.

Smoke your mold.
Fill the bullet mold from your pot. Some people at this point as soon as the bullets harden dump them in a bucket of water to case harden them. should you decide to do this be very carefull. I use a damp towel. Now you have your first two bullets. let them cool and examine them they should be complete and shiny if they have gaps or other defects it's likely your mold is not hot enough. after you have done some if your bullets start to look a little frosty they are ok but it time to let your bullet mold cool a bit. AS in reloading this is work that requires attention to detail.

I seem to recall that Lymans put out a book on this process. i suggest you get it.

Rimrod · November 17, 2006, 12:29 AM

I flux before removing the metal clips. When the wheel weights first melt part of the junk floating on top is the tin and antimony which separates from the lead. Fluxing ( I use bullet lube, but as rwilson452 said you can use others.) mixes the lead, tin and antimony back together and leaves the garbage floating on top. You skim this off and discard it along with the metal clips.

One other note, if you are using these bullets for hunting you may not want to case harden them. You want them to expand on impact, even if they are not hollowpoints soft lead will mushroom to give better results. In this case seclect a bullet mold that is designed for gas checks. This allows the bullet to be driven at a higher velocity with less lead fouling but is still soft enough to mushroom.

Lyman does sell a "Cast Bullet Manual" and is a very good investment.

Country · November 17, 2006, 10:55 PM

rwilson452 & rimrod, guys I sure appreciate your posts, y'all have been a huge help.

I've got some weights, now I need to start gathering up the items that I will need and the "Cast Bullet Manual".

Thanks again.

If anyone else can think of some useful info to share it to will be greatly appreciated.

cpaspr · November 18, 2006, 10:36 PM

so keep that in mind. When I was a kid, I used to do a lot of casting for my dad. Sat at that pot by the hour, using a one-bullet-at-a-time mold.

Never used the "set your mold on top of the pot" trick (basically because I didn't know it). Would simply start making bullets. The first several were duds, because the mold was too cold, but that was okay. Simply dumped them out and made another. Didn't take too long to get the mold up to temp. Just dumped the duds back in the pot. When they started getting frosty, just slowed down, then held that rhythm.

I really need to get back into that side of reloading. I wonder if my dad will sell me his pot, molds and the 50# of lead he still has . . . .

November 16, 2006, 07:43 PM	#1
Country Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: Texas Hill Country Posts: 42	Wheel weight to bullet? I lay the foundation, I have a SS Ruger Redhawk .44 mag with 5 1/2" barrel. I am interested in making my own bullets. I have heard that some melt and shoot the lead from wheel weights. Can y'all please share the steps and the ( only with experience ) things that a person starting out would need to know. What would be a good all round bullet mold for deer out to 50 yards and hogs? I like the K.I.S.S. system Looking forward to reading and learning from y'all. Thanks!! __________________ <(((>< " A country boy will survive" www.MinutemanBorderFence.com Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant" is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist"

November 16, 2006, 08:39 PM	#2
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	molding process Here is my process. Equipment needed. Electric pot with a bottom pour 5 qt cast iron dutch oven. one pound lead ingot mold. Usually they mold 3-4 one pound ingota per mold. A set of cheap BBQ tools THey must be metal A large propane single burner. I can't remember the mfg of mine but it came with a turkey cooking pot. You going to need a lot of BTUs to melt the lead Bullet mold(s) Do this outdoors with plenty of ventilation Starting with the Big propane burner and dutch oven Put the wheel weights in the dutch oven and melt them. the metal clips will float to the top as they are lighter than the lead and melt at a higher temperature. Scoop them off and dump them on a metal or concrete surface. Remember the Lead melts at 650 degrees. Wood burns at 451 degrees. Plastic melts and burns at less than that. The temperature in your pot will be greater than 650 degrees likely close to 1000 degrees. It will burn you on contact. wear gloves and a heavy work apron and eye protection. The urge will be there to dump the stuff you scoop out into a bucket of water. that will turn the water instantly to steam and blow stuff all over the place. This is known as bad JU-JU. Once you have a full pot of lead you need to burn off the impurities. I use Parrifin. You can buy this anywhere they sell canning supplies. they make specail fluxes for this but I don't see the need. YOu only need a piece about the size of a large pea. put it in the pot and stir it it will burn. you will then see more slag ( yucky stuff) on the surface of the molten lead scoop it off. and dispose of it. Useing a metal soup ladle Scoop out the lead and carefully fill your mold. Let it harden. If you have two ingot molds the process will go faster. If you have enough wheel weights repeat the process until your exaust the weights or yourself. Store the ingots after they have completely cooled. I do this on the patio and let them set overnight. To mold bullets fill your bottom pour electric pot with lead and melt the lead. Continue feeding it until full. put your bullet mold on top of the pot to heat. Knowing when your bullet mold is the right temperature is the tricky part. I would suggest you start with a two bullet mold. A 6 bullet mold requires more expertise. Smoke your mold. Fill the bullet mold from your pot. Some people at this point as soon as the bullets harden dump them in a bucket of water to case harden them. should you decide to do this be very carefull. I use a damp towel. Now you have your first two bullets. let them cool and examine them they should be complete and shiny if they have gaps or other defects it's likely your mold is not hot enough. after you have done some if your bullets start to look a little frosty they are ok but it time to let your bullet mold cool a bit. AS in reloading this is work that requires attention to detail. I seem to recall that Lymans put out a book on this process. i suggest you get it.

November 17, 2006, 10:55 PM	#4
Country Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: Texas Hill Country Posts: 42	rwilson452 & rimrod, guys I sure appreciate your posts, y'all have been a huge help. I've got some weights, now I need to start gathering up the items that I will need and the "Cast Bullet Manual". Thanks again. If anyone else can think of some useful info to share it to will be greatly appreciated. __________________ <(((>< " A country boy will survive" www.MinutemanBorderFence.com Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant" is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist"

November 18, 2006, 10:36 PM	#5
cpaspr Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2005 Location: Oregon Posts: 304	Ancient memories here, so keep that in mind. When I was a kid, I used to do a lot of casting for my dad. Sat at that pot by the hour, using a one-bullet-at-a-time mold. Never used the "set your mold on top of the pot" trick (basically because I didn't know it). Would simply start making bullets. The first several were duds, because the mold was too cold, but that was okay. Simply dumped them out and made another. Didn't take too long to get the mold up to temp. Just dumped the duds back in the pot. When they started getting frosty, just slowed down, then held that rhythm. I really need to get back into that side of reloading. I wonder if my dad will sell me his pot, molds and the 50# of lead he still has . . . .

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November 17, 2006, 12:29 AM	#3
Rimrod Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2005 Location: Behind enemy lines Posts: 1,309	I flux before removing the metal clips. When the wheel weights first melt part of the junk floating on top is the tin and antimony which separates from the lead. Fluxing ( I use bullet lube, but as rwilson452 said you can use others.) mixes the lead, tin and antimony back together and leaves the garbage floating on top. You skim this off and discard it along with the metal clips. One other note, if you are using these bullets for hunting you may not want to case harden them. You want them to expand on impact, even if they are not hollowpoints soft lead will mushroom to give better results. In this case seclect a bullet mold that is designed for gas checks. This allows the bullet to be driven at a higher velocity with less lead fouling but is still soft enough to mushroom. Lyman does sell a "Cast Bullet Manual" and is a very good investment.