I would like to make some hard lead balls for hunting, what do I add to the lead to make it harder...D
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hard balls
- Thread starter rusty
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Tin and antimony. Arsenic if you are going to heat treat them.
If you can find lead wheel weights they should be harder than pure lead.
Depends on what you are going to shoot them out of. A patched round ball in a rifled barrel needs to be soft enough to engage the patch/rifling. In a smooth bore they can be harder as long as the size is correct. Again it depends on what you are hunting. Soft lead round balls do a very good job on almost any game.
Don
If you can find lead wheel weights they should be harder than pure lead.
Depends on what you are going to shoot them out of. A patched round ball in a rifled barrel needs to be soft enough to engage the patch/rifling. In a smooth bore they can be harder as long as the size is correct. Again it depends on what you are hunting. Soft lead round balls do a very good job on almost any game.
Don
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Do not use the zinc wheel weights. It's getting very difficult to find wheel weight of lead and tin. Most use zinc.
About 1 part tin to 40 parts pure lead.
About 1 part tin to 40 parts pure lead.
64Springer
75 Cal.
Straight up wheel weights will get the job done. Visit your local tire and mounting shop. Many times, they're more than happy to give them to you for free. Just take them a dozen donuts the next morning. Friends for life.
Melt the wheel weights at a temperature that melts lead and nothing else. The steel clips will float to the surface. The rock hard zinc weights will float to the surface. Skim them off and you have really good lead for bullets and balls. No need for additional antimony. Toss in 4% tin for mold fill out and you'll be fine.
To save a lot of money on tin, go to your local Good Will store. Buy up all the old pewter laying around. Melt it down and you'll have high quality tin. Most pewter will say PEWTER on the bottom of the piece. If it doesn't say pewter, don't buy it. It's not worth the risk.
Sailboat ballast is another great source of lead. Get a big piece of that and have a small test piece sent to Roto Metals. The'll test it and tell you exactly what's in it. Sometimes you'll get a high antimony content.
Good luck.
Melt the wheel weights at a temperature that melts lead and nothing else. The steel clips will float to the surface. The rock hard zinc weights will float to the surface. Skim them off and you have really good lead for bullets and balls. No need for additional antimony. Toss in 4% tin for mold fill out and you'll be fine.
To save a lot of money on tin, go to your local Good Will store. Buy up all the old pewter laying around. Melt it down and you'll have high quality tin. Most pewter will say PEWTER on the bottom of the piece. If it doesn't say pewter, don't buy it. It's not worth the risk.
Sailboat ballast is another great source of lead. Get a big piece of that and have a small test piece sent to Roto Metals. The'll test it and tell you exactly what's in it. Sometimes you'll get a high antimony content.
Good luck.
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Why hard? Soft lead balls kill 'em ded very well.
Johnny Tremain
Silversmith in training
Wheel weights are the next step up.
Sure glad I got 300lbs when the gettin was good
Sure glad I got 300lbs when the gettin was good
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Last deer that I shot was with a roundball. The ball went straight through. Never found the ball. Did find the deer.
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Getting wheel weight lead from a tires shop has become the holygrail where I live. Between the zinc wheel weights and the guys that cast their own fishing tackle good luck. The owner of the tire shop where I go can't even get enough for himself
