Wheel weights

[93marshooter]

I just bought today 115 lb. Of wheel weights. Mixed in the batch are lots of 1/2 oz squares. These seem softer than the clip weights. Do any of you know the make up of these. I probably will separate these for muzzle loader round balls.

[awp101]

I want to say zinc but someone who knows what they are talking about will show up soon. I hope...

[pokey]

the stick-ons are pure soft lead.
there has been a story or two about odd ball stuff
showing up lately, so caveat emptor.

check these out.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=40765

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=60268

[centershot]

If they're softer than the clip-on weights they are pure lead, they'll work great in a muzzleloader!

[pwl44m]

They r the ones used for Mag Wheels and the such. As to Their lead content I couldn't tell U. All I did was put them on.

[Catshooter]

The stick ons are pure or very close to it.

Zinc are very hard and not really suitable for bullets. They look the same or similar to normal clip on wheel weights. They melt at a much higher temp then lead/WW.


Cat

[adirondakjack]

Rule of thumb is this. If no clip, and usually shows tape residue, bends in the fingers, it's pure lead. I set those aside and melt em into pure lead ingots separately. If it clips on, I shovel em into the pot. When the ordinary WW melts, everything else, iron, zinc etc gets skimmed off with the clips.

[93marshooter]

I have bought WWs from time to time but I plan to store up several hundred lb due to shift in government rules on use of lead based tire weights to non lead weights. It's coming.

[HEAD0001]

That's a good idea, Tom.

[93marshooter]

Aspire, aspire!!!!! Tom that's lots-a-bullets!!!!

[bunyan]

Would that count as stockpiling if its in the form of wheel weights?

[93marshooter]

Invest in Precious metal!!! 100lb WWs = 100x7000=700,000 grs / 170grs= 4117 bullets yes thats stock piling

[Chuck 100 yd]

Keep your melt temp low and skim off anything that floats after the rest has melted. The floaters are probably Zinc or steel. I mix WW and soft lead at 50/50 for most pistol and low velocity rifle bullets.
When hard bullets are wanted I use straight wheel weights and add several ounces of extra hard bird shot per 10lb. to get the Arsenic content up so I can oven heat treat them. An hour in the oven at 475 deg. and drop them into a sink full of ice water and after one week they will be at 30bh. or more.
You want to size and lube and seat gas checks on these right after heat treating and before they get too hard.
Good for target shooting but too hard for hunting IMHO.

[HEAD0001]

Invest in Precious metal!!! 100lb WWs = 100x7000=700,000 grs / 170grs= 4117 bullets yes thats stock piling

I have got some gold buried in jars in the woods. I never thought about burying lead?? Tom.

[adirondakjack]

Invest in Precious metal!!! 100lb WWs = 100x7000=700,000 grs / 170grs= 4117 bullets yes thats stock piling

If I was down to 100 lbs of lead I wouldn't be able to sleep......

lemme just say in a wood framed building, when I wheel in a another large ammo box filled with 400 lbs or so of ingots, i have to carefully consider where to park em (I get em close to an outside wall)....

[93marshooter]

A serious question?? How do you test for the zinc weights? Do they float on the melt like the clips?

[BenT]

A serious question?? How do you test for the zinc weights? Do they float on the melt like the clips?

They won't melt , they are lighter than lead so they should be toward the top. I used a side cutters when sorting wheel weights. It won't cut into zinc or steel. After sorting for 5 minutes or so you can idenify the manufacturing marks of the bad stuff and don't need the cutters anymore. I start a pot melting and keep sorting the rest.

[Chuck 100 yd]

Zinc will melt at a much higher temp. than lead/tin WW alloy.
If the melt temp is kept on the low side,they will float on top and can be just skimmed off and discarded.
If you do melt a little Zinc into your alloy it will make an alloy that is very hard to work with, molds wont fill out bad bullets will be the best you can get and just a general mess and the Zinc is impossible to remove from your batch of alloy.

The Zinc weights I have found are not difficult to recognize.
They are marked with the letters ZN or have the clips riveted on instead of cast in and also are very hard as in cant be cut with a side cutter like regular lead alloy wheel weights.

Lead/ PB melts at 621.43 f.
Zinc / ZN melts at 787.15 f.

Keep your melt temp low and don't worry about it.
Make small batches of alloy. that way if you have a problem with contamination it will only be in a small amount of alloy.

[KirkD]

I have got some gold buried in jars in the woods. I never thought about burying lead?? Tom.

Where would these woods be located?

I hand-separate the pure lead stick ons from the clip ons. If you are in doubt as to whether a weight is lead or something else, chomp into it with a pliers. If you can chomp into it, it's lead. If you can't, it is something else. Still, the odd zinc or steel wheel weight slips through and I just skim it off the top of the melt.

[Old Ironsights]

Invest in Precious metal!!! 100lb WWs = 100x7000=700,000 grs / 170grs= 4117 bullets yes thats stock piling

If I was down to 100 lbs of lead I wouldn't be able to sleep......

lemme just say in a wood framed building, when I wheel in a another large ammo box filled with 400 lbs or so of ingots, i have to carefully consider where to park em (I get em close to an outside wall)....

Ditto. My Lead Shed has only about 1500lbs right now... (I had to sell off about 1000# when I moved) so I'm a little sketched out...

[HEAD0001]

Where would these woods be located?

I will give you one clue. Somewhere in the State of WV. But there could also be some buried in PA. Tom.

[BAGTIC]

I don't shoot muzzleloaders so I sort out the little soft lead squares and use them to cast split shot fishing weights.