RE: range lead soft enough
Scratching lead is not a real good way to go. I have lead that is 22 BHN and I can scratch it. If the ingots are about 1 pound they shoud thunk if the lead is soft. If they ring they are hard. Soft lead is between 5 and 8 BHN. A ingot that is in the 9 to 10 BHN range will have a slight ring. A BIG chunk of hard lead will thunk.
I would melt the range lead. I would smoke a miffin tin and pour them up. Drop them and see what happens. If they are hard use them for round balls, if they are soft it is conical time. Ron