casting lead

[wb78963]

Hello the camp,
would a lead tin alloy 1:40 be too hard for handgun balls?
I cast .451" ball for my 1860 Armys mostly.
I just turned up about 20 pounds good commercial quality marked 1:40 from Rotometals.
ant thoughts would be appreciated.
Hold Center
Bunk

 

[Many Klatch]

I don't think the loading handles on your pistols will survive long if you load 1:40 alloy. If you load with the cylinder out of the gun with a heavier duty arm and rammer it might work. Just remember, the 1:40 will cast a slightly smaller ball than pure lead. You might not be able to get a ring of lead when you load these alloy balls. That might not be safe if the balls are loose in the chamber.

The 1:40 mix will work fine with a PRB, either in a rifle or a smoothbore. Again you will be dealing with a slightly smaller ball but that can be compensated for with the thickness of the patch.

 

[mooman76]

1-40 alloy would cast slightly Larger since alloys do not shrink back down as much as pure lead. I believe that small amount would make almost no difference in hardness but you would have to judge that by trying.

 

[Eterry]

It's been my experience casting pure linotype for rifle boolits they run a little small. I read somewhere why, the guys over on castboolits can tell you.
For my CnB guns I use pure lead. Ask any roofer for used flashing and vents, he'll trade for cobeer.

 

[bang]

Just get the pure lead from Rotometals.

 

[M. De Land]

Hello the camp,
would a lead tin alloy 1:40 be too hard for handgun balls?
I cast .451" ball for my 1860 Armys mostly.
I just turned up about 20 pounds good commercial quality marked 1:40 from Rotometals.
ant thoughts would be appreciated.
Hold Center
Bunk

Make a press to load the cylinder out of the gun Bunk. Contrary to popular belief the gun will handle harder alloy as far as shooting, it just strains the rammer and creeping gear when loading them in the gun. Pure lead is BHN 5 and 40 : 1 is 8.

 

[wb78963]

I have to cast some bullets for my unmentionable .4*-7* that is loaded with black gunpowder so that is where this lot will go, That 1:40 is from Rotometal as is the lead used for ball.
There is no source of scrap lead for sale around here.The scrap yard is not allowed to sell scrap lead to individuals. Texas law it sees.
Thanks all.
Bunk

 

[mooman76]

I don't know about Lino, never casted with it but my alloy lead runs .02 over size of what is cast with pure lead.

 

[Tom Compton]

Mix pure lead w the hard stuff till u get hardness u desire.

 

[wb78963]

The decision is to turn the 1:40 into 400 grain Big Lube bullets for an unspeakable black powder rifle we can't talk about.
All the rest of my casting metal is pure Rotometals lead to feed the Sharps and my percussion and flintlock rifle and the array of percussion (mostly Pietta) arbor corrected revolvers.
No scrap lead or wheel weights just good, clean 99.% (like ivory soap) pure lead.
But thanks to everyone for the suggestions.
Hold Center
Bunk


a

 

[Many Klatch]

There is no source of scrap lead for sale around here.The scrap yard is not allowed to sell scrap lead to individuals.

Bunk. I was a roofing contractor for 50 years. Every house, built up to 15 or 20 years ago, has 4# per square foot lead flashing around the soil stack. They weigh about 7 pounds each. Some houses have more than 1. As a roofer, we didn't bother with recycling them because the scrap yards wouldn't give us diddly for them so all the lead flashings went into the trash. So, if you want lead, contact your local roofers and offer to buy direct. Or better yet find some roofers at a local bar and offer them a case of beer for a load of lead. Some motel or hotel roofs may have 30 or 40 of the lead flashings. Before I got into muzzleloading we sold a 55 gallon drum full of lead salvaged off an 1850's school building. Took a fork lift to move it.

BTW, I saved all the lead flashing that I got my hands on and I have over a Ton of lead in my garage. Melted it all down and cast much of it into lead ingots that weigh 35 pounds. I use some of them as wheel stops for the truck and car.

 

[M. De Land]

The decision is to turn the 1:40 into 400 grain Big Lube bullets for an unspeakable black powder rifle we can't talk about.
All the rest of my casting metal is pure Rotometals lead to feed the Sharps and my percussion and flintlock rifle and the array of percussion (mostly Pietta) arbor corrected revolvers.
No scrap lead or wheel weights just good, clean 99.% (like ivory soap) pure lead.
But thanks to everyone for the suggestions.
Hold Center
Bunk


a

Pure lead does not cast as well as if a bit of tin is added especially for bullet molds with square bottom grease grooves.

 

[wb78963]

I noticed that it seemed to be easier to pour. I did almost 8 pounds of bullets and so far have had 0% rejects.
The bullet is a big lube 400 grain with two great big grease grooves.
Bunk