Lead

[Enfield1]

I was wanting to stock up on some more lead for casting. I went over to my local metal recycling center to check the soft lead bin. My findings weren't as good as the last time that I went. I did find several pieces of rain gutter and down spout. It is very soft lead. You can easily squeeze it with your hand or bend/fold it. I did not know that they ever made gutters from lead. How old is this? I only cast round balls. If I melt this and flux it good, do you think that this will work? Will it have too much of an alloy in it?

 

[Kansas Kid]

It will be fine if it’s that soft. Most of mine was X-ray room shielding. Get it while you can.

 

[ZUG]

Some say that the solder joint if included in the melt will make the mix much harder than the base pure lead. There is some truth to this but the solder joint is small compared to the overall amount of pure lead and I don't think it will make a hill of beans of a difference to the over all hardness of the lead. I would use it with no worries

 

[mooman76]

Rifle ok for sure. I've shot WWs out of rifle it it shot very good too.

 

[appalichian hunter]

As Kansas kid I am fortunate enough to have a good supply of x-ray sheeting good soft pure lead. You can scratch the lead you mention with your thumb nail if it leaves a mark your good to go. If worried about the solder joints why not just cut them out with a pair of shears.

 

[bang]

Doesn't matter too much for a patched ball but need pure soft for revolvers, mini, maxi and bullet/conical.

 

[Richard Dittman]

I took some metal to one of my scrap metal dealers and they had a nice sheet of soft lead. But they wouldn’t sell it to me. Said I needed some type of license.

 

[appalichian hunter]

bang, perhaps the harder lead is good for punching holes in paper, but I prefer the soft lead for hunting in theory (mine) it would seem the soft lead even in a round ball will flatten out a bit more thus creating a larger wound channel and reduce the possibility of shoot throughs. therefore the ball expends all or most of its energy within the intended targeted animal. I shoot the softest lead I can get in all types of shooting once a load is found for a particular weapon I stick to all component's as the same. I am very particular when it comes to hunting load development I owe it to the animal that will feed me.

 

[Stony Broke]

I took some metal to one of my scrap metal dealers and they had a nice sheet of soft lead. But they wouldn’t sell it to me. Said I needed some type of license.

Sounds like something that happened over on the left coast !

 

[appalichian hunter]

Strange times over there, out to save the world them boys are and they cannot even save their own as@@@

 

[RB POWELL]

It will be fine if it’s that soft. Most of mine was X-ray room shielding. Get it while you can.

Radioactive round balls! when ever you miss the kill shot it will die of radiation poisoning.

 

[Kansas Kid]

Radioactive round balls! when ever you miss the kill shot it will die of radiation poisoning.

Also really good for nighttime candle shoots.

 

[Boommeup]

I thought the radiation didn’t effect the lead. I have some out in the shed cleaned up. It has a nice purple color to it!

 

[appalichian hunter]

You also do not need to turn on the lights to get you casting supplies, nice neon green glow. Makes really nice tracer balls also.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I thought the radiation didn’t effect the lead. I have some out in the shed cleaned up. It has a nice purple color to it!

That's what I understood as well.

 

[sportster73hp]

I also have some shielding lead left overs. The lead does ot become radioactive when in use. The small pieces in a dental x-ray are also safe to cast bullets from. If in doubt get a geiger counter and try it. Probably get more signal from the radon in your basement

 

[appalichian hunter]

The lead is fine if it was a bio hazard due to radiation the E.PA. would have restrictions on it like every thing else, you know like California every thing there is hazardous to your health. What you folks do for toilet paper on the left wing of the country. The processing of it is probably hazardous to your well you know. If you have the chance to score that type of lead get all you can.

 

[Treestalker]

I took some metal to one of my scrap metal dealers and they had a nice sheet of soft lead. But they wouldn’t sell it to me. Said I needed some type of license.

Where do you live? I won't go there.

 

[dalmeida88]

I took some metal to one of my scrap metal dealers and they had a nice sheet of soft lead. But they wouldn’t sell it to me. Said I needed some type of license.

It might depend on the dealer, I just reached out locally to a few in my area and one told me they only sell to environmentally approved facilities and another quoted me $1 per pound for some old tractor wheel weights.

 

[mushka]

I go to the tire shop and repair place where I trade and all I have to do is take them a replacement bucket to take the one with the wheel weights I take. Lots of scrap junk weights that I have to sort, but it's worth it. I have a couple hundred lbs of usable weights to cast with and that will last me a long time no more than I shoot..