Less than 100% pure lead for round balls and conicals ?

[Archer 756]

Interesting subject, no one even mention that patch round ball really depends on more than the hardness of lead, patch material, patch size, riffling, and many other factors. Plus, I don't think many are shooters that would notice any difference in the lead harness.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Not here. I wouldn't use range scrap for a muzzle loader. I prefer 'pure' soft lead. But, I'll admit most lead we can get these days is probably alloyed a small bit. I always relied on the thumbnail test for softness.

 

[Rancocas]

For precision target shooting it might make a difference, but I never worried about it. I collect whatever lead I can find; wheel weights, spent bullets, plumber's lead - whatever. A .50 caliber hole is a 1/2 inch hole in a deer, bear, or paper target. Quite a few deer have gone down to my .50.
I cast catfishing sinkers from the same stuff.

 

[rafterob]

Since I use a pretty tight load, anything but pure lead can be hard to get started. After that it shoots just fine.

 

[sheriff john]

Som & Friend cleaned out an indoor range, melted whole thing down, cast into 5-lb ingots. Much cleaner than dirt berm stuff. Can't complain. Hollow base .58 minies deform & engage rifling and round balls cut a circle of lead in revolvers. Free is good if man's not picky.

 

[docmel]

There have been lotsa long range kills in both the Rev and Civil War: Ill bet the lead wasnt 100% and was full of impurities

 

[CapPopper]

Loading modern guns I've never had a problem with hard cast bullets being to hard for light low pressure loads so I cannot imagine it would harm muzzleloader performance too much. However I can see it becoming a right pain to load hard stuff. I would think also with real hard balls patch thickness may become less forgiving finding a combo that loads well and is still accurate.

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

I've used commercially cast (Laser Cast) bullets to make patched round balls. Can't say as I noticed any difference, but milk jugs at fifty yards is a far cry from serious accuracy. I break the rules quite often. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. You shouldn't have any safety issues with patched round balls made from scrap lead.

 

[Nuthatch]

I use cast wheel weight lead 0.480 for practice and bismuth alloy for hunting. I just use a thicker patch for the smaller (but harder) balls than I would for soft lead. We can't use lead for hunting so I probably won't be shooting soft lead again. WW lead is cheap and plentiful. I don't feel handicapped in the least.

 

[Capt. Kirk]

I add a lil tin when casting Maxis, to get better mold fill out. Doesn't take much.

 

[Eutycus]

I dont really see where WWs are so plentiful.It seems most tire shops have gone to "stick on" wheel weights. And half of them aren't even lead.

 

[bud in pa]

I remember the Bevel Bros. doing a test in Muzzleblasts Magazine. They found no difference between soft lead and alloyed lead.

 

[Eric Krewson]

All my collected lead is range lead from a range that only allows M./L shooting, when I pick it up, I can tell by the degree of deformity which is soft and which is wheel weight lead, the soft stuff looks like a splatter, the hard is barely deformed. I tried to keep it separate at first but ended up melting it all together later on. The mixed lead seems to group just like the soft stuff, I usually shoot a .490 in a .50 and .530 in a .54 so there is plenty of patching between the ball and the bore.

Range lead, I used to wash it but found that all it takes is one drop of water in a hollow base mini to cause a violent lead spatter from the pot. Now I just skim off the crud after the lead melts and flux a bunch of times.

 

[kyron4]

All my collected lead is range lead from a range that only allows M./L shooting, when I pick it up, I can tell by the degree of deformity which is soft and which is wheel weight lead, the soft stuff looks like a splatter, the hard is barely deformed. I tried to keep it separate at first but ended up melting it all together later on. The mixed lead seems to group just like the soft stuff, I usually shoot a .490 in a .50 and .530 in a .54 so there is plenty of patching between the ball and the bore.

Range lead, I used to wash it but found that all it takes is one drop of water in a hollow base mini to cause a violent lead spatter from the pot. Now I just skim off the crud after the lead melts and flux a bunch of times.

View attachment 205272

Good to know. I melt down range lead from my range which is from all kinds of factory loaded ammo, from Federal and Hornady to 1940's European surplus. Melted down together I'm sure it's not 100% but still good enough for round balls from what I've read.

 

[Dwight Dutton]

If I'm casting something that's going to be loaded with a patch I figure I can be less picky. I got a bunch of lead that was contaminated with Zinc and thats how it got used. For revolvers I figure it has to be pure.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Mixed range lead at 50 yards, I was adjusting my sights, patch thickness and powder load on a new .54 build. I was hitting low and had already filed the front sight as low as I wanted to go so I upped my load from 80 to 85 gr of 2F, I held high on first shot and hit high. I found I had gained the necessary elevation after the load change and used a 6 o'clock hold for the next two shots. I can live with results in spite of the naysayers proclaiming to notch accuracy is impossible with anything but pure lead. All of my flintlock rifles (5 of them) group like this or better with mixed range lead. I usually use a .015-.018 patch.

Another thing; I had just coned this rifle's barrel barrel with a Joe Woods coning tool before I worked up a load for this rifle.

 

[andy52]

Range lead, I used to wash it but found that all it takes is one drop of water in a hollow base mini to cause a violent lead spatter from the pot. Now I just skim off the crud after the lead melts and flux a bunch of times.

Oh yeah, you don't want to meet the silver dragon it can be very painful.

 

[Nazgul58]

Oh yeah, you don't want to meet the silver dragon it can be very painful.

Otherwise known as the Tinsel Fairy.

Don

 

[Rob M.]

Following ....