The Lead Thread

[Guest canebreaker]

My son and I are planning a trip to shelbyville and belleuve in 2 weeks. He wants car parts at shelbyville. he plans to go 72 to huntsville then up to shelbyville. I want gun parts and reloading supplies in bellevue on the way back. Time in the nashville area will be short. To much I'd like to do for the time there. But would like a number to call while there for a bit, maybe a meet.

[ted]

please make sure you are in a very very well ventilated area and make sure that you use laytex gloves . the fumes are very dangerous also and prolong periods of time touching lead can get into your blood stream and give you lead poisoning . found this link on the net hope it helps. http://dfuse.us/lead.html

Edited February 21, 2012 by ted

[Guest canebreaker]

Thanks caster, I've been on the west side of 65 a dozen of times. But never on the east side.

Ted, thanks. What can I say??? get out of the lead casting business or read something else?

Watch what you eat or drink? If you're close to 6 foot tall and over 175 lb. what the heck are you doing?

A blow off on fat bodies, 5'11" 165 lb.

Lester, thanks for the reply. I don't think resizing copper plated or jacketed bullets would be good for sizing dies. Someone can try it, but I won't do it to mine.

The 3 indoor ranges at memphis are dark, black or dark gray paint, dim lite, small cubes. I hate them.

We had a good one in southaven, large cubes, plex between 5 lanes, well lite. I loved it. But the owners were eating each others lunch so to speak. So they closed.

A church is talking about opening one in hernando, just a few minutes from me. I want to get in on that as much as possible. But they are still in the talking stage.

I like to fish, I like to travel. I like to shoot. But I don't like a black hole to shoot from.

[Wingshooter]

Excellent write up! thanks.

I have never cast bullets, but I used to help my grandfather cast fishing weights. I still have all the tools he used. I would like to start casting 44mag if I can find some time.

Edited February 21, 2012 by Batman

[Guest canebreaker]

Not to far out of chat town. I was pouring sinkers with my dad and uncle when I was 10. Hate to say, I'm 60 now. But have 5 gallon buckets of sinkers and the old 3 lb coffee cans of bullets. They have never been sized or lubed from the Lee 90327 mold. Hope to see more of you on here.

[Jonnin]

How does that compare to say 22lr that is a lead bullet in hardness.

JTM🔫

Sent from my iPhone

Pure lead is 5 brinell. Most "lead" bullets (factory) are 10-15. 20 is probably excessively hard. Pure lead is so soft you can damage it with just about anything, and is not used in any factory bullets that I know of (same as pure gold, you never see pure 24 karet gold rings as they would dent up fast).

[Caster]

Lead poisoning is a valid concern but I believe it is one that most people take too far. I've been around lead all my life and there's nothing wrong with me with me with me. Seriously, don't eat or smoke or touch your face, and good ventilation is pretty important but the real danger isn't with the clean stuff, it's when you are smelting lead from wheel weights. I wear a respirator. It can get VERY nasty.

As far resizing jacketed bullets, it won't hurt a thing as long as your not trying to size down a great deal. I have made many a .357-.358 jacketed bullet into a .355-.356 for 9mm. A little case lube and run it on through. Of course I'm referring to Lee's sizing dies, not a more traditional lubrisizer type. I have a .224 sizer that I run pull down bullets through. Not all of them, just any with burrs or large deformities. Works perfect. Also, in a pinch I have sized .303 british bullets back to .308. It's not a big deal as long as you don't try anything stupid.

Jonnin, pure lead is used a lot in slower things. Think slugs and muzzle loaders. It's so soft though, you're right, you can whittle on it with your pocket knife without hurting your knife. I use pure lead for 12g slugs. They're uhhh...pretty devastating. I don't think 20 is excessively hard, depending on what you're trying to accomplish. It makes a great ball load facsimile.

Edited February 21, 2012 by Caster

[JeffsSig]

Caster your thoughts on doing cast in .458 SOCOM?

[Caster]

OOoooooo. Many possibilities. Think 45/70 when searching for molds. Lee makes a 500g RN with a gas check. They would be devastating!! I think they'd really shine sub-sonic and suppressed. What ever you engaged would feel like they had been run over by a dump truck. VERY doable.

[Jonnin]

I can see going pure in a muzzleloader or slugs, for sure (its perfect for that) but I do not think even for those applications the factory bought stuff is pure. It may be, but I suspect they mostly use the same 10 or so hardness that is used in .22 and so on. I am guessing that pure lead would not stand up to shipping, storage, manufacturing, or whatever --- it would get dented up at the slightest thing and from what I have seen of the process, bulk manfacturing would dump them into a collection bucket by the thousands from a modest height... /shrug.

Anyway, all that aside, anything under 10 is going to dent/bend/etc in an automatic pistol at an alarming rate, and anything under 15 may be a bad idea in a poly barrel, as a rough guess, so most of the folks here do not want to be making it pure or extra soft.

As for 45-70, do not forget the molds for the simiar calibers (45-90, 45-120, etc there are like 10 of them) which would offer everything from 150 to 500 grain choices.

Edited February 21, 2012 by Jonnin

[RED333]

I know this is an old thread, thanks Caster.

I have been casting my 12ga slugs and "00" buck for a bit.

Cast 54 cal for my muzzle loader, gona cast 44 for the OL's 44-40 rifle(the mold you sold me, cast some today, worked great)

Got a 451 round ball mold coming for Her 44 ball and cap.

I use "gold neversiz" for flux in my lead, works well,

well vented space is very good to have.

The trick of cutting the weights apart is a good one I did not know,

But there is a LOT I dont know.

[Ray Z]

Caster

I've been casting for the better part of 45 years. I realized that I don't know everything about the casting and now that I've read your post I realize just how little I really do know. Thank you for taking the time to do this post. I really learned a lot.

Ray

[Caster]

You're welcome.

I know the cliche is old but it's my best explanation; This aspect of reloading is like Alice in the Looking Glass, Just how far down the rabbit hole do you wanna go. For most people, it goes deeper than they need or are willing to travel.

[I_Like_Pie]

The

This aspect of reloading is like Alice in the Looking Glass, Just how far down the rabbit hole do you wanna go.

He is right...it is a really deep hole.

[jaysouth]

Caster,

I want to watch you casting some time. I have the time on my hands to take up another hobby. I want some advice on parts/tools to buy before I get into it.

PM me if you are casting anytime soon.

Thanks

[I_Like_Pie]

Just as a reminder/FYI for CRC members here in Chattanooga....we will be teaching a members casting class this Saturday (July 28th)

I know there are quite a couple on the board here.

[Superman]

If I read the first page right, i dont need to lube the bullets before sizing them. Just after sizing correct?

[Dolomite_supafly]

I do not lube them before sizing but my sizing die has been polished. I take 2000 grit sandpaper and sand out the inside then I finish it with Flitz. Then when I tumble I just leave them in the bucket and give it a shake every 8-12 hours until they are dry. No need to lay them out on a mat or waxpaper.

You also need to make sure the sizing die is sizing to the correct size. Some dies can be off by a few .001" and that can make the difference between getting lead in the bore or not. It can also have a dramatic effect on accuracy.

And lead isn't like jacketed. If you have a bore that takes .308" jacketed bullets you can easily shoot .311" cast bullets without issue. I also buy 38 molds because they will also shoot in 9mm. You do need to work up loads but it is generally without issue. Right now I am sizing my bullets to .311" for my 300 blackout which has a .300"x308" bore.

Dolomite

[JAB]

Okay, as someone who has no clue about casting bullets but thinks he would like to 'one of these days' (after I really get a handle on the basics of reloading and decide on a few bullets/types I really like) I have a couple of very basic questions:

1. Why do you need a lead furnace? If a hot plate and a cast iron pot will melt the wheel weights to make ingots then why couldn't you simply use the same hot plate and maybe a different cast iron pot (to keep the contamination from the original process out) to melt the ingots down for molding?

2. Why do you even have to make ingots to begin with? Why can't you just melt the wheel weights, flux an extra time or two then pour the lead directly into the mold and skip the 'middle man' ingot step? Unless, of course, you are melting more lead than you can use in one session - but still, why not go ahead and turn some of it into bullets then make ingots with the remainder to use later?

3. If you quench the bullets in water to harden them and are using them for a revolver (say, .38/.357 or .44 Special/Mag) is leading going to be all that big an issue or could those bullets likely be okay to shoot 'as cast'? Even if the .357 or .44 Mag pressures/velocities created a leading concern, would you think they would be okay to shoot 'as cast' for fairly mild .38 or .44 Special loads? I know accuracy wouldn't be as good as with sizing specifically for the gun but for 10 yard range fodder would it really make that much difference?

Edited August 21, 2012 by JAB

[Caster]

1> You will have MORE control over your temp's. More importantly, I can tell you from experience; A lyman pot will out last half a dozen hot plates and will reach working temps faster.

2>THe smelting process is NASTY. When I smelt weights and whatnot down, I do it in no less than 100lb sessions. I prefer more than that. I wear a respirator and take extra precautions. It's nasty stuff all the paint, dip spit, grease and funk on a wheel weight. Casting into clean ingots streamlines the process and just makes better use of your time. You will get sick of casting really quick if you melt a pot of weights, clean all the crap out, cast bullets for just the one pot worth, then repeat. When I cast I might go through dozens of ingots before I am done. Also, who wants that nasty crud in the pot that you make bullets from? To easy to transfer contaminants. Did I mention that melting wheel weights is kinda nasty?

3>With the rare exception, I do not water drop much of anything. I DO water drop 9x19 most of the time as well as my 325g bullet I use for 45 Colt. BOth of those are driven to MUCH higher pressures than any other pistol bullet. I cast a 170g lyman 358429 semi wadcutter for my 38 special out of pure lead. soft as butter. It's moving less than 900 fps so there is NO need for hard lead.

As far as not sizing, I don't size half what I shoot unless I know the mold to cast an out of round bullet OR I have to crimp a gas check on. If it will fit in the throat and will seat in the case without deforming the brass, it will shoot.

[JAB]

Thanks, Caster!

[Caster]

Thanks, Caster!

ANYTIME.

[timcar86]

What type of hot plate are you using? I guess the better question would be how much wattage do I need to melt the lead?

[Caster]

What type of hot plate are you using? I guess the better question would be how much wattage do I need to melt the lead?

That's what you call a meth-head special. You can get one at any dept store. Walmart, Walgreens, you can even find them at Kroger or Publix.

They're cheap, thank God because they don't last long. A few months maybe.

Edited September 8, 2012 by Caster

[timcar86]

I kind of figured they'd be inexpensive. I just didn't want to get the wrong kind and sit watching a pot of wheel weights heat up and not melt.