Community
Black Powder Ask opinions of other hunters on new technology, gear, and the methods of blackpowder hunting.

stumbled on some good lead i think?

Thread Tools
 
Old 05-27-2013 | 06:34 AM
  #1  
sdhunter11's Avatar
Thread Starter
Typical Buck
 
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 722
Likes: 0
From: northernwestern south dakota
Default stumbled on some good lead i think?

I am a lineman for a small municipality and the town is getting all new water mains put in. The construction crew just started and they have already gave me about 150lbs of lead pipe out of the old trench. Is this pure lead? If it is what brand of round ball mold should I buy lol. Im sure I will end up with a lifetime supply of lead by the end of the project. I have been melting it into ingots and it does seem softer than the wheel weight ingots I use for fishing lures.
sdhunter11 is offline  
Reply
Old 05-27-2013 | 07:48 AM
  #2  
Semisane's Avatar
Boone & Crockett
 
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 10,918
Likes: 1
From: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Default

Generally old lead water pipe is pure lead. You're in good shape for a lot of shooting.
Semisane is offline  
Reply
Old 05-27-2013 | 11:10 AM
  #3  
cayugad's Avatar
Dominant Buck
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21,193
Likes: 0
From: Wisconsin
Default

Yes, normally water lead pipe is pure lead. I have some and have cast a lot of roundball and conical bullets out of it. As for what mold to get, will be determined by the rifle you shoot, or want to shoot. I see from your list you have a Lyman Great Plains Rifle in .54 caliber. So I would get a LEE .530 or .535 double cavity roundball mold. My GPR shoots both of them very well. So you would be set. Get as much of that lead as they will give you. It will surprise you how fast it disappears.
cayugad is offline  
Reply
Old 05-27-2013 | 11:19 AM
  #4  
bronko22000's Avatar
Boone & Crockett
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 12,823
Likes: 5
From: Eastern PA
Default

Good deal...personally I like the Lee brand moulds. IMO they leave less of a spue on the ball than other models.
bronko22000 is offline  
Reply
Old 05-27-2013 | 08:24 PM
  #5  
sdhunter11's Avatar
Thread Starter
Typical Buck
 
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 722
Likes: 0
From: northernwestern south dakota
Default

lee it is, I paid $20 bucks for the last box of hornady balls, that's about the same price as a lee mold so this should work out good. thanks guys!!
sdhunter11 is offline  
Reply
Old 05-28-2013 | 04:40 AM
  #6  
Blackpowdersmoke's Avatar
Nontypical Buck
 
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,628
Likes: 0
From: Penns Woods
Default

If you can score it easily with your thumbnail, it's definitely soft enough for ML projectiles.

BPS
Blackpowdersmoke is offline  
Reply
Old 05-28-2013 | 09:19 AM
  #7  
Nontypical Buck
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,037
Likes: 0
From: Minnesota
Default

The lead pipe I have smelted into ingots has been very soft, very close to pure lead. I wish I had a bunch of it, Congrats.
flounder33 is offline  
Reply

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.