Leadcast Bullets

Zeek5793 · January 20, 2007, 10:48 AM

I'm new to trying lead casting bullets, all i'm thinking about is for a 38 special, and I see that all the books say to use is 2% alloy, lead, but Ive cast alot of black powder bullets and used pure lead, Why the difference, I'm thinking it must be something to do with the vel. of the bullet but the 50 black power rifle I shoot is pushing the 385gr lead at about 1700 fps, so that cant be it , just woundering if anyone can help with this??? and also what kind of lube do I use on the bullet???
THanks alot
GOD BLESS
ZEEK 5793

quickshot · January 20, 2007, 10:59 AM

Hey there! first off let me welcome you to your new addiction!! My understanding is that pure lead is softer than say wheel weights so use in a higher pressure round such as .38 spec. would cause the lead bullet to basically "scrape" the bore and leave tons of leading. :barf: I know I am horrible at explaining things so anyone else out there feel free to correct me if I am wrong. As for bullet lube......well that is a matter of personal preference. There are a bunch of commercial lubes that work very well. Or you might get frisky and try your hand at making your own lube. I personally use a lot of Lee Liquid Alox. It is just way to easy to use for me. I cast for 38/357/45/9mm/308 myself. Good luck with your new addiction!!!!!!

Quickshot

Zeek5793 · January 20, 2007, 11:45 AM

quickshot,, Ok that makes scents , Then where do I get the tin and anta. that I add to the lead and how do I mix it so it all stays mixed, or do i have to use wheel weight lead or buy the 2% alloy, I have alot of purelead, and some wheel weight lead but it wouldn't be worth it to have to buy the stuff, I just can't feature that a 38 special shooting at say under 1000 fps, has more pressure than a 50cal blackpowder rifle does at 1700fsp, and Iv'e have no trouble of lead in the barrel of the rifle but I do clean very often, Hope someone can help, Thanks GOD BLESS Zeek5793

cloudcroft · January 20, 2007, 11:48 AM

Zeek5793,

At normal .38SPL bullet speeds, use WHATEVER you want...lead, wheel-weights, a mix of the two, scrap lead at the recyclers of unknown "ingredients"...it doesn't matter. In fact, unless you KNOW for sure it's "pure lead," it most likely isn't but it really doesn't matter unless you're doing serious target shooting.

As for lube, ANY bullet-lube out there, ANY brand...it doesn't matter...they all work.

I would suggest using a hard lube if you're in warmer climates because it's not messy...but you need to have a lubricator/sizer (if you use one) with a heating element on it.

Or, for a cheaper way to get lubed/cast bullets, just use a Lee bullet-sizer and their liquid moly (allox?) coating.

Or BUY cast/lubed bullets already done for you online or at a local gun shop.

Don't waste time and effort fussing with percentages of this or that in your bullet metal. Casting good bullets is not that hard.

Good luck,

-- John D.

snuffy · January 20, 2007, 11:59 AM

Quickshot pretty much nailed it. The difference between your BP rifle and modern guns is pressure and HEAT. Smokeless powder burns hotter, at a much higher pressure, and the pressure curve is steeper. All that adds up to leading of the bore if a harder alloy is NOT used.

Your "2% lead alloy" is what, 2% tin? That wouldn't harden pure lead at all. 2% antimony alone wouldn't either. A proper lead alloy needs both tin AND antimony to harden, and it must be kept mixed into the lead. That requires fluxing at regular intervals during a casting session.

Wheelweight metal is pretty much what most are using to cast most handgun bullets. It consists of 2-3% tin, 2-3% antimony, the rest lead. Used wheelweights can be obtained at tire dealers, garages that do tire work. They are removed from the rims when new tires are mounted and balanced.

yammerschooner · January 20, 2007, 12:16 PM

For what it is worth, in 38 I have had really good luck with the 158 grain tumble lube bullets dropped from lee molds I cast straight wheel weights, and with the Alox for lube, have not gotten any leading in my revolver.

glicerin · January 20, 2007, 09:15 PM

Zeek: pouring the silver stream is addictive. If your BP ML is shooting lead ball, there is very little bore/lead contact. Lots of contact with .38, especially with full wadcutter. Leading can be very trying, mostly in the cylinder chambers, even at very low target velocities( I shoot PPC). Tin helps the alloy to FLOW into nicks and crannies of moulds, making a better filled out bullet, and helps to keep antimony in solution. I often mix pure? lead 1 to 1 with wheelweights for .38's and target .45 acp, does a fine job. Have fun, safely.

James A. Mullins · January 21, 2007, 03:44 AM

Where you get your lead is a big factor in casting. If you are using lead soder, you might want to ad tin. With wheel weights as is works good. If pushing loads much over 1000fps you might consider finding lineotype to add to the mix. I use a nine to one mix and never have a problem. Some of my 44 loads are about 1500fps. Best of luck to you.
James

Powderman · January 21, 2007, 04:49 AM

Use wheelweights--and shoot well and often.

For general use, I have yet to find something that will beat good old wheelweight for superior cast bullets. Just keep the velocity down, if you're using a plain lead bullet--say around 1100 fps.

Any faster than that, invest in a mold that produces a bullet that can take a gas check. This will take care of your leading problems, up to and around 1400 fps or so.

What do I use? Well, lately, I've been using pure, 100% range scrap

from our pistol backstop. I simply melt it and clean it up, scraping all the garbage off; then fluxing with Marvelux twice and pouring into 10 lb. ingots. I re-melt these when casting.

How good are they? Enough to shoot roughly 1" groups at 25 yards out of my wadcutter gun, and enough to hold the 10 ring (3.386 inches) at 50 yards. So yes, they can be extremely accurate.

The only time you would have to worry about alloy composition would be if you're casting for a rifle. Shoot straight and often!

quickshot · January 21, 2007, 09:45 AM

there is a forum that is specifically (sp?) devoted to that magical silver stream:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com

pretty great group of guys over there. Thats where I got my first taste of the silver string. There are a great many guys over there that have forgotten more than I know. Check them out!!!

Quickshot

Zeek5793 · January 21, 2007, 10:11 AM

Thanks everyone for the great INFO, I'll try and put it to some good use,
I'll post my finding at a later date,
Thanks again GOD BLESS
Zeek5793

snuffy · January 21, 2007, 02:06 PM

Quote:

If you are using lead soder, you might want to ad tin.

Lead soLder is from 50% to as much as 95% TIN. Lead solder is used for adding tin to lead that MAY NOT have enough tin in it. Linotype that has been used a lot for type, usually has lost a lot of it's tin being re-melted. Solder added to it or a mixture of lino and wheelwheights will help fill out a mold better. Tin alone does not harden a lead alloy.

January 20, 2007, 10:48 AM	#1
Zeek5793 Member Join Date: November 23, 2006 Location: Best place on Earth {IDAHO} Posts: 33	Leadcast Bullets I'm new to trying lead casting bullets, all i'm thinking about is for a 38 special, and I see that all the books say to use is 2% alloy, lead, but Ive cast alot of black powder bullets and used pure lead, Why the difference, I'm thinking it must be something to do with the vel. of the bullet but the 50 black power rifle I shoot is pushing the 385gr lead at about 1700 fps, so that cant be it , just woundering if anyone can help with this??? and also what kind of lube do I use on the bullet??? THanks alot GOD BLESS ZEEK 5793

January 20, 2007, 11:45 AM	#3
Zeek5793 Member Join Date: November 23, 2006 Location: Best place on Earth {IDAHO} Posts: 33	Thanks quickshot,, Ok that makes scents , Then where do I get the tin and anta. that I add to the lead and how do I mix it so it all stays mixed, or do i have to use wheel weight lead or buy the 2% alloy, I have alot of purelead, and some wheel weight lead but it wouldn't be worth it to have to buy the stuff, I just can't feature that a 38 special shooting at say under 1000 fps, has more pressure than a 50cal blackpowder rifle does at 1700fsp, and Iv'e have no trouble of lead in the barrel of the rifle but I do clean very often, Hope someone can help, Thanks GOD BLESS Zeek5793

January 20, 2007, 11:59 AM	#5
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Quickshot pretty much nailed it. The difference between your BP rifle and modern guns is pressure and HEAT. Smokeless powder burns hotter, at a much higher pressure, and the pressure curve is steeper. All that adds up to leading of the bore if a harder alloy is NOT used. Your "2% lead alloy" is what, 2% tin? That wouldn't harden pure lead at all. 2% antimony alone wouldn't either. A proper lead alloy needs both tin AND antimony to harden, and it must be kept mixed into the lead. That requires fluxing at regular intervals during a casting session. Wheelweight metal is pretty much what most are using to cast most handgun bullets. It consists of 2-3% tin, 2-3% antimony, the rest lead. Used wheelweights can be obtained at tire dealers, garages that do tire work. They are removed from the rims when new tires are mounted and balanced. __________________ 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?

January 20, 2007, 09:15 PM	#7
glicerin Member Join Date: October 9, 2006 Location: Northern Ontario Posts: 36	alloy Zeek: pouring the silver stream is addictive. If your BP ML is shooting lead ball, there is very little bore/lead contact. Lots of contact with .38, especially with full wadcutter. Leading can be very trying, mostly in the cylinder chambers, even at very low target velocities( I shoot PPC). Tin helps the alloy to FLOW into nicks and crannies of moulds, making a better filled out bullet, and helps to keep antimony in solution. I often mix pure? lead 1 to 1 with wheelweights for .38's and target .45 acp, does a fine job. Have fun, safely.

January 21, 2007, 04:49 AM	#9
Powderman Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2001 Location: Washington State Posts: 2,166	Use wheelweights--and shoot well and often. For general use, I have yet to find something that will beat good old wheelweight for superior cast bullets. Just keep the velocity down, if you're using a plain lead bullet--say around 1100 fps. Any faster than that, invest in a mold that produces a bullet that can take a gas check. This will take care of your leading problems, up to and around 1400 fps or so. What do I use? Well, lately, I've been using pure, 100% range scrap from our pistol backstop. I simply melt it and clean it up, scraping all the garbage off; then fluxing with Marvelux twice and pouring into 10 lb. ingots. I re-melt these when casting. How good are they? Enough to shoot roughly 1" groups at 25 yards out of my wadcutter gun, and enough to hold the 10 ring (3.386 inches) at 50 yards. So yes, they can be extremely accurate. The only time you would have to worry about alloy composition would be if you're casting for a rifle. Shoot straight and often! __________________ Hiding in plain sight...

January 20, 2007, 10:59 AM	#2
quickshot Member Join Date: December 6, 2005 Posts: 46	Hey there! first off let me welcome you to your new addiction!! My understanding is that pure lead is softer than say wheel weights so use in a higher pressure round such as .38 spec. would cause the lead bullet to basically "scrape" the bore and leave tons of leading. :barf: I know I am horrible at explaining things so anyone else out there feel free to correct me if I am wrong. As for bullet lube......well that is a matter of personal preference. There are a bunch of commercial lubes that work very well. Or you might get frisky and try your hand at making your own lube. I personally use a lot of Lee Liquid Alox. It is just way to easy to use for me. I cast for 38/357/45/9mm/308 myself. Good luck with your new addiction!!!!!! Quickshot

January 20, 2007, 11:48 AM	#4
cloudcroft Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2006 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 565	Zeek5793, At normal .38SPL bullet speeds, use WHATEVER you want...lead, wheel-weights, a mix of the two, scrap lead at the recyclers of unknown "ingredients"...it doesn't matter. In fact, unless you KNOW for sure it's "pure lead," it most likely isn't but it really doesn't matter unless you're doing serious target shooting. As for lube, ANY bullet-lube out there, ANY brand...it doesn't matter...they all work. I would suggest using a hard lube if you're in warmer climates because it's not messy...but you need to have a lubricator/sizer (if you use one) with a heating element on it. Or, for a cheaper way to get lubed/cast bullets, just use a Lee bullet-sizer and their liquid moly (allox?) coating. Or BUY cast/lubed bullets already done for you online or at a local gun shop. Don't waste time and effort fussing with percentages of this or that in your bullet metal. Casting good bullets is not that hard. Good luck, -- John D.

January 20, 2007, 12:16 PM	#6
yammerschooner Junior Member Join Date: October 8, 2004 Posts: 9	For what it is worth, in 38 I have had really good luck with the 158 grain tumble lube bullets dropped from lee molds I cast straight wheel weights, and with the Alox for lube, have not gotten any leading in my revolver.

January 21, 2007, 03:44 AM	#8
James A. Mullins Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2006 Location: Vancouver Washington Posts: 124	Where you get your lead is a big factor in casting. If you are using lead soder, you might want to ad tin. With wheel weights as is works good. If pushing loads much over 1000fps you might consider finding lineotype to add to the mix. I use a nine to one mix and never have a problem. Some of my 44 loads are about 1500fps. Best of luck to you. James

January 21, 2007, 09:45 AM	#10
quickshot Member Join Date: December 6, 2005 Posts: 46	oops I almost forgot there is a forum that is specifically (sp?) devoted to that magical silver stream: http://castboolits.gunloads.com pretty great group of guys over there. Thats where I got my first taste of the silver string. There are a great many guys over there that have forgotten more than I know. Check them out!!! Quickshot

January 21, 2007, 10:11 AM	#11
Zeek5793 Member Join Date: November 23, 2006 Location: Best place on Earth {IDAHO} Posts: 33	Thanks to all Thanks everyone for the great INFO, I'll try and put it to some good use, I'll post my finding at a later date, Thanks again GOD BLESS Zeek5793