making my own bullets question

[steviebiggun]

Hello, afew years ago I made my own 54 cal bullets useing a R.E.A.L. bullet mold. I'm going to try it again. back then I used lead wheel weights for my bullets. but they seem to be vary hard. I want my bullets a little softer. where can I purchase softer lead . What would you guys recommend ?
I have a half bag of 8 shot bird shot from when I use to reload shot gun shells is that a softer lead than the wheel weights ? Thanks for the help. Steve

[frontier gander]

"Stick a weight" wheel weights are a lot softer than the normal weight weights.

[mcawful]

I may be wrong on this, but I think the shot will be as hard if not harder than the wheel weights (remember reading it somewhere).

[idahoron]

I have a hardness tester. Chilled lead shot runs 12.5 BHN. Wheel weights run between 12.5 and 14 BHN.
Dental lead is the same from my Dentist 12.5 BHN. I have tried to get "pure lead" from EBAY and I got lead that is 22 BHN and I will tell you it is DANG hard. After waisting about 100 dollars I got virgin pure lead from
http://www.rotometals.com/
No lead right now is cheep. If you buy some "pure lead" and it is not, then you have waisted your money. Rotometal is 2.72 per pound delivered to your door and it is under 5 BHN. You might find a better deal but this stuff is pure I have 150 pounds of it. It is so soft I had to add 250 gr of lead shot per 5 pounds to make it about 6 to 7 BHN so I could push it down the barrel without messing up the nose of the bullets.
If you get some tell them you heard about it from a Muzzleloader guy on the internet. Ron

[goatbrother]

I scroung lead wherever I can find it. Some times roofers and plumbers can be a good source, and your right about needing softer lead, for muzzleloading pure lead is best. Some times cable tv linemen have lead salvaged from replacing the overhead cables that are sheathed in lead. Old houses can have lead pipe, x-ray rooms are lined with the stuff, I got some from an old church a few years ago, it was used to the pipes for the old organ, very thin rolled into pipe shape. Flashing off old roofs is good too. And you can always look at the metal salvage yards for scrap lead too, but you will have to pay for it. So far I have been able to get my scraps for free. I also got some from the local college when the remodles the chemestry class rooms, they used lead sheats to line the troughs on the tables because it is acid resistant. Some folks I know have gotten lead from ship and boat repair yards, lead is used as ballast in old ships.

[cayugad]

Pure lead has a Brinell Hardness Number of 5-6. You can scratch it with your finger nail it is that soft. I lucked out when a friend of mine who works for a construction company was involved with updating city water pipes... all the old pipe had lead joints.. So when they replaced them, they ended up in the back of his truck. I make his REAL conicals for him, and he keeps me supplied with lead. So I have plenty.

Pure lead is now, expensive to purchase. Check with plumbers, roofers, and scrap yards. Some times they get in old lead pipes and fittings.. A while back I landed a bunch of telephone boxes. Some of you might remember them lead boxes that held all the connections.. Well I scored about ten doors off of them. But you can never have enough lead.

[arcticap]

Airgun pellets are a good sourceof pure lead, and airgun shooters can generate a steady supplyof pellets from shooting into traps inside their houses.
All too often they get tossed away or deposited at their shooting clubs with all of the harder lead, when it could beused for BP casting.
Talk to friends& aquaintances oftenabout airgun shooting to see who might be shooting pellets and needs a way to dispose of them.
They end up getting flattened like really thin pancakes after being fired into a pellet or .22 trap.

[Underclocked]

A communication I had a while back with one of the largest lead smelting operations in the country.

http://www.lme.co.uk/lead.asp for current price

tonne is a metric ton - 2204 pounds

This is an email from Amy at Doe Run:

"I am CCing Jessica Bay from our Herculaneum, MO plant. She works in the accounting department and is the primary contact at our "œHerculaneum Lead Store"�. She is the person you need to speak to regarding purchasing small amounts of Pb.

The smallest amount we sell is a 60 pound pig. This is our Herky lead which is primary lead (its purity should match your needs). By contacting Jessica (jbaby@doerun.com or 636-933-3160) she can work with you in the delivery aspects and pricing. Traditionally we charge the LME (London Metals Exchange) rate for the lead plus a premium."

So u kin by a pig dat wayz 60 lb o guud lead fer da LME price plus? by contaktun JBaby. No foolun. Primary lead is very nearly pure.

[mcawful]

Got one and the lead is perfect for muzzleloading. My wifes cousin gave it to me, (he's a scrounger) said he didn't have any need for it.
Great lead.
60 lb lead pig, with my pocket knife slicing off a chunk.

[Underclocked]

Dern thang don't evun luuk lak a pig!