Pure lead, adding shot?

chris in va · December 13, 2013, 02:19 PM

I found a source of pure lead, but it's my understanding it doesn't work for 9mm and 45acp. Can I add a bit of lead shot to harden it up?

maillemaker · December 13, 2013, 02:51 PM

You can, or you might consider swapping with muzzle loading people who must use pure lead for their shot.

Check out www.n-ssa.org and see if you can trade your pure lead for alloy.

Alternatively, you can add tin.

Steve

chris in va · December 13, 2013, 08:24 PM

Thank you. I had a palm slap 'duh' moment and realized I could just add in some wheelweight ingots to the melt. We'll see how it turns out.

The guy I bought the lead from replaces windows and salvaged some big square counterweights. They're quite soft so I suspect it's darn near pure lead.

Now to figure out how to cut them down.

Chaz88 · December 13, 2013, 09:55 PM

With stuff like that I melt it down in a big pot and pour into muffin tins. I do the same thing with my WW. Mark each kind for identification and it makes it simple to make the ratio of pure to WW you want. I also have a big iron lead ladle that helps but I am sure you can find something suitable for dipping the lead into the tins.

myfriendis410 · December 13, 2013, 10:54 PM

You may want to adulterate your pure lead to 50/50 WW just to get the antimony and arsenic up to a useable level. A bit of tin--1 -2% is all you would ever really want in your alloy anyway. More than that won't really harden the alloy and too much turns it into solder.

snuffy · December 14, 2013, 11:54 AM

Adding shotgun pellets to pure lead won't do much to harden that pure lead. Shot is made in 2 main configurations. Regular and magnum. The regular is commonly called "chilled shot". That means the pellets were dropped into very cold water to "chill" them quickly. There's only about 2% antimony and a trace,(less than 1% tin), which allows a hard skin on the pellets. It's what us casters call water drop hardening.

Magnum shot is about 6% antimony, with enough tin to keep the antimony in solution with the lead, about 1.5%. Magnum shot will harden pure lead, but you'd need a lot of shot to do it. Since a 25# bag of magnum shot is right around $50.00, it's a VERY expensive lead to use to alloy pure lead.

Roto metals sells a lead additive that makes for very good alloy by simply adding it to pure lead. It's 30% antimony to 70% pure lead.

http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/...ny_70_lead.htm

You WILL need to add some tin with it to keep the antimony in the alloy. Tin is required in any alloy to keep antimony in solution. If you have too much antimony without tin, you will see antimony crystals surrounded by pure lead. Go to that link at Roto metals for the super hard alloy, then click on the link to the LASC about how to use it to arrive at a useable alloy for your needs, or go straight here;

http://www.lasc.us/SuperHard.htm

reloader28 · December 16, 2013, 11:47 AM

Tin around here is too expensive to use much of. I always use straight clip on WW, but for hunting bullets I use 50/50 pure lead/WW and 2% tin. Makes a very good performing bullet.

I have never used it, but I think allota guys use pure lead-tin in 10-1, 16-1 and 20-1 depending on what gun they are shooting.
I might be wrong, but I think most of the old "pre jacketed" guns shot 20-1 and 30-1.

A good friend of mine is a collector of the old guns. I asked him once his alloy for 45-70 and he said just pure lead with a little tin. He didnt even weigh the amounts. It worked fin for him.

December 13, 2013, 02:19 PM	#1
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Pure lead, adding shot? I found a source of pure lead, but it's my understanding it doesn't work for 9mm and 45acp. Can I add a bit of lead shot to harden it up?

December 13, 2013, 09:55 PM	#4
Chaz88 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2010 Posts: 1,243	With stuff like that I melt it down in a big pot and pour into muffin tins. I do the same thing with my WW. Mark each kind for identification and it makes it simple to make the ratio of pure to WW you want. I also have a big iron lead ladle that helps but I am sure you can find something suitable for dipping the lead into the tins. __________________ Seams like once we the people give what, at the time, seams like a reasonable inch and "they" take the unreasonable mile we can only get that mile back one inch at a time. No spelun and grammar is not my specialty. So please don't hurt my sensitive little feelings by teasing me about it.

December 14, 2013, 11:54 AM	#6
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Adding shotgun pellets to pure lead won't do much to harden that pure lead. Shot is made in 2 main configurations. Regular and magnum. The regular is commonly called "chilled shot". That means the pellets were dropped into very cold water to "chill" them quickly. There's only about 2% antimony and a trace,(less than 1% tin), which allows a hard skin on the pellets. It's what us casters call water drop hardening. Magnum shot is about 6% antimony, with enough tin to keep the antimony in solution with the lead, about 1.5%. Magnum shot will harden pure lead, but you'd need a lot of shot to do it. Since a 25# bag of magnum shot is right around $50.00, it's a VERY expensive lead to use to alloy pure lead. Roto metals sells a lead additive that makes for very good alloy by simply adding it to pure lead. It's 30% antimony to 70% pure lead. http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/...ny_70_lead.htm You WILL need to add some tin with it to keep the antimony in the alloy. Tin is required in any alloy to keep antimony in solution. If you have too much antimony without tin, you will see antimony crystals surrounded by pure lead. Go to that link at Roto metals for the super hard alloy, then click on the link to the LASC about how to use it to arrive at a useable alloy for your needs, or go straight here; http://www.lasc.us/SuperHard.htm __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

December 13, 2013, 02:51 PM	#2
maillemaker Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2010 Posts: 1,635	You can, or you might consider swapping with muzzle loading people who must use pure lead for their shot. Check out www.n-ssa.org and see if you can trade your pure lead for alloy. Alternatively, you can add tin. Steve

December 13, 2013, 08:24 PM	#3
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Thank you. I had a palm slap 'duh' moment and realized I could just add in some wheelweight ingots to the melt. We'll see how it turns out. The guy I bought the lead from replaces windows and salvaged some big square counterweights. They're quite soft so I suspect it's darn near pure lead. Now to figure out how to cut them down.

December 13, 2013, 10:54 PM	#5
myfriendis410 Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2011 Location: Lompoc California Posts: 274	You may want to adulterate your pure lead to 50/50 WW just to get the antimony and arsenic up to a useable level. A bit of tin--1 -2% is all you would ever really want in your alloy anyway. More than that won't really harden the alloy and too much turns it into solder.

December 16, 2013, 11:47 AM	#7
reloader28 Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2009 Location: nw wyoming Posts: 1,061	Tin around here is too expensive to use much of. I always use straight clip on WW, but for hunting bullets I use 50/50 pure lead/WW and 2% tin. Makes a very good performing bullet. I have never used it, but I think allota guys use pure lead-tin in 10-1, 16-1 and 20-1 depending on what gun they are shooting. I might be wrong, but I think most of the old "pre jacketed" guns shot 20-1 and 30-1. A good friend of mine is a collector of the old guns. I asked him once his alloy for 45-70 and he said just pure lead with a little tin. He didnt even weigh the amounts. It worked fin for him.