ORIGINAL: Underclocked

corey, throw that lead away before you hurt yourself. Shot is usually hardened which means it is NOT pure lead. Look for some old roofing lead or plumbers lead. Don't tear open any batteries - that's a REAL bad idea.

What you don't want to do is have your first batch of bullets come out BAD or too hard. So, when you use scavenged lead, make sure to run it through the pot at high temperature, stir and skim, stir and skim, until you get next tonothing when skimming the junk. Doing this outdoors is mandatory!You could even use an ounce or so of motor oil for fluxing the melt but expect it to catch fire and burn for a bit, once the flames subside, stir in the carbonized residue then let it rise to the top and skim.

Lead that contains even a little antimony should be avoided as it is nearly impossible to separate the antimony. Tin is almost as hard to remove. It's much better to start with the purest lead you can lay your hands on - that would include the roofing, plumbing, x-ray, and shielding leads. Ballast lead from boats/ships is generally high quality but hard for most to find. If you are close to the coast, check the boatyards.