OT sorta- What casting alloy is most useful to have on hand?

[AJMD429]

Right now, I don't even have time to reload the few jacketed bullets I have on hand, because I'm out working to support the growing entitlement-class, but someday I would like to have the chance to cast bullets. Thanks to another forum member I now have a nice collection of just the molds I would need.

I may eventually cast some pointy-bullet (7mm, .30 cal) rifle bullets, but most likely will cast .357 and .44 for carbine loads, and .444 and .45-70 rifle loads. I'd like to come close to standard factory loads, but nothing especially hot. I might also even wind up casting for blackpowder, so lots of potential hardnesses of alloy I could need, but most likely, lots of stuff suitable for rifle loads as above.

The other factor is I may not really get into casting for some time, but would like to have at least enough 'lead' on hand that if times get hard I already have it on hand, and in case gubment wackos decide to ban it as hazardous.

My question is, with the various pure lead, and lead-tin and lead-tin-antimony alloys available, I wonder if it would be better to stock up on 'soft' alloy around Brinell 10, or even pure lead - or one of the Brinell 20+ alloys...? I assume I could either add the antimony/tin to the soft ones, or add plain lead to the hard ones, to get what I need.

OR - Would it be sensible to buy the hardest alloy I can find at a decent price, and a similar amount of pure lead, so that I could blend something in between 7mm Mag and .50 Muzzleloader down the road? Or would I be better off buying only the lead in quantity, and adding the tin and antimony separately with each batch?

(Probably if I were smart I'd just spend my money on a few-year's supply of good-quality cast bullets, already lubed, and gas-checks seated, but I never seem to do things the easy way... )

[marlinman93]

Either stock up on wheelweights and cast with that as is, or stock up on pure lead and tin to mix your own.

[morgan in nm]

Either stock up on wheelweights and cast with that as is, or stock up on pure lead and tin to mix your own.

+1. I also keep some antimony/tin solder for the times I need harder bullets and its easier to mix that way.

[Hobie]

I have a supply of pure lead (for the muzzleloaders), 20-1 and Lyman #2 alloy.

[Glenn]

Wheel weights are the most versatile, and used to be the easiest to find. Now the big tire companies are required to send their old weights to the new weight supplier, and you can't pry them out of their hands for love or money. Small shops can still be dealt with, but get 'em while you can.

WWs work great as-is for most pistols (and pistol caliber leverguns) and rifle velocities to about 1800 or so. Heat treat them and shoot them as fast as you dare. Magnum alloy (6-2-92 antimony, tin, lead) is practically the same as Lyman #2 and will work for full loads in .30-30s. Mix it 50-50 with pure lead and you have "wheel weights", but it won't heat treat much. Throw in some Magnum shot and it will heat treat.

Linotype has twice the tin and antimony of Magnum alloy, and can be diluted as well.

At this point, grab anything you can find, including range scrap. You'll figure out a way to make it work.

Glenn

[TedH]

If you can get a supply of wheel weights that will take care of the majority of what you mentioned. 357, 44, 45-70 bullets will do fine with wheel weights. Gas check bullets with wheel weight alloy can be loaded to factory ammo levels in the 357 and 44. If you're increasing pressure over that, or making bullets without gas checks you can add linotype and/or tin to harden your bullet. You can also heat treat the wheel weight bullets to harden. It's handy to have a little harder alloy on hand too. I use 9 pounds of wheel weights, two pounds of linotype and 7 ounces of tin to duplicate the Lyman #2 Alloy. I use it for my 470 NE bullets and 30-30 bullets. If you think there's any chance you'll cast in the future, start scrounging wheel weights. They're getting harder and harder to get every day.

[KirkD]

Either stock up on wheelweights and cast with that as is, or stock up on pure lead and tin to mix your own.

+2 .... I have collected over 700 pounds this winter from various tire shops. They can be sorted into the clip ons (BHN 12) and the stick on (BHN 6). Water quenched wheel weights will give a BHN of 18, good enough for 2,200 fps, at least with a gas check. See http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm These wheel weights cost me 30 cents/pound, which is what I had to pay the tire shops to match the local scrap price.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I agree with the wheel weight guys. Makes a fine bullet and you can always soften it up for pistol/cowboy type loads.

[Old Ironsights]

+ bunches on WW & pb.

I have about 600# of pure pb & 1000# WW... (about 300# smelted)

If you need harder alloy than Water Quenched WW then you are shooting fast & hot...

I tend to stick to pb, 3/1, 4/1 & straight depending on what I want to shoot at.

[Tycer]

In centerfire, I use straight wheel weights unless the mold won't fill out then and I'll add 2% tin. Air cooled if I want expansion in a hunting bullet or a slower plinker and water quenched for fast driving or deep penetration without expansion.

[jhrosier]

Stock up on WW now. The lead alloy ones will not be available at all in a couple of years.
They are roughly 0.5% tin, 3.5% antimony, 96% lead.
The antimony allows the bullets to be made very hard for higher velocity rifles.
You will probably have to add some tin to make the alloy easy to cast well filled out bullets.

Any alloy containing antimony is very usefull, so keep your eyes open for bargains.
Pure antimony requires higher heat to melt than most lead pots can reach, and special fluxes.
Various kinds of type metal have been very popular for bullet alloys for years because of their high antimony content, about 15% for monotype and up to 23% for foundry type.
Very few print shops use type metal nowadays so be on the lookout for it.
If you hear of any printers going out of business, you could score big.

Pure lead is needed for muzzleloader bullets and black powder rifle alloys.
BPCR usually needs lead-tin alloys with no antimony.
2-1/2 to 5 % tin is commonly used.
Roof flashing and salvaged lead pipe are commn sources.
You might get some pig lead from an older plumber. It is close enough to pure for paractical purposes.

Our gubbermint and the ecco-militants are out to eliminate all sources of lead, so stock up while you can.

You will want several different alloys for target and magnum pistol bullets, black powder and smokeless rifle bullets, and muzzle loader projectiles, so I wouldn't mix up any alloys until you need them. If you melt the scrap materials into ingots, take a chisel and mark them. You will forget which are what after a few years.

Put the word out in your comunity that you are looking for lead. Lots of folks throw out stuff that they think nobody would want and many others would be glad to get rid of lead aas they think that it is very dangerous.

Jack

[Old Ironsights]

Here's my smelting setup... http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showpos ... stcount=41

Cheap & easy to do. Then you put it away all nice and neat:


Talk to your Dentist & Radiology friends and try to get as much Xray Foil/Rad-shielding as possible. That's all wonderful pure pb.

WWs can be as cheap as beer if you know guys at atire shop or as expensive as Scrap Spot.

Keep a spare empty 5gal bucket in the truck and talk nice to the tire shop you do business with.

I picked up 275# today (2 buckets). I figure about 10# will be scrap, & 10# will be pure-lead stick ons. I should get about 200# of clean ingots after smelting.

[Don McDowell]

Some good 20-1 will cover most of your cartridges,smokeless and bp, and some lyman #2 would cover everything just fine.

[Hobie]

THAT is a thing of beauty...

[Chuck 100 yd]

I once purchased about 50# of little lead envelopes that dental x-ray film came in. I melted it down to make BP bullets out of and cast up a few. They looked kinda frosted very unlike pure lead although the envelopes were very soft and easily bent. I wanted to see just how soft they were so I set one of those bullets on the vise and smacked it with a hammer. It turned into dust!!
Not all lead is good for making bullets.

[TedH]

Well sure it is Chuck, you just have some home made frangible bullets! You might just put Glaser out of business with those.

[Old Ironsights]

THAT is a thing of beauty...

That was 210# ago. On a nice day I can smelt 2 buckets... like I did last Saturday.

I've got 8 buckets of WW & 1-1/2 of pb to go.

[perry owens]

I scoop up any lead/tin/wheelweights/linotype I happen across and then mix whatever alloy I need using the alloy calculator spreadsheet from the Cast Bullet Association website:
https://www.castbulletassoc.org/downloads.shtml
The hardness predictions are a bit suspect but it doesn't matter to me as I shoot mainly black powder loads.
Perry Owens.

[Old Time Hunter]

THAT is a thing of beauty...

That was 210# ago. On a nice day I can smelt 2 buckets... like I did last Saturday.

I've got 8 buckets of WW & 1-1/2 of pb to go.

I ain't ever feeling sorry for you again! Heck...I'm just jealous!

[Old Ironsights]

I ain't ever feeling sorry for you again! Heck...I'm just jealous!

3 years of accumulation. I've got to smelt it this year or face the wrath... the buckets are taking over precious laundry room floorspace...

[creosote]

I lucked into hundreds of pounds of kester ultra pure bar solder, 36% tin.
creosote

[Old Ironsights]

I lucked into hundreds of pounds of kester ultra pure bar solder, 36% tin.
creosote

You could make bank with that over on http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php

[Lefty Dude]

My so-in-law is the service mgr. for a Chevy dealer. The tire shop guy saves all the WW's for me. As a matter of fact I just picked-up 300# this morning.

I need to start smelting soon, I have over 1000# in the garage at the present time. I sort the clip on's from the stick on's. The stick on's appear to be almost pure lead.

WW's make mighty fine bullets.