Lead for casting balls

[kswan]

Hello.

Just curious as to what kind of lead you use to cast balls. Im looking at buying an ingot of 99% pure lead. Should I be looking at something with bit of other metal to harden them up? Ive got some old lead laying around the garage but Im not sure its content and and have read where lead with an added content may shrink a bit when cast.

Thanks

 

[Billnpatti]

Pure lead is vital for conical bullets or mini balls. It is less vital, but still desirable, for casting round balls that will be patched. I wouldn't mix anything with it. Use it as it is and be thankful that you have happened onto some nice pure lead. As for shrinking, all metal will shrink as it cools. It is jut the nature of things to expand when heated and shrink when cooled. The thing is that different alloys have different thermal expansion coefficients and will result in slightly different size balls cast from the exact same mold. These differences are in thousandths of an inch but even that can make a difference in how they shoot. When a manufacturer states the size of the ball that their mold will cast, they are talking about a ball made from pure lead.

 

[oldude]

Pure lead is best with nothing added for muzzle loaders. Your old lead was used for?

 

[coloradoclyde]

The guys who use other than pure lead are the guys that have trouble getting pure lead...

Pure lead is best if you can get it. you can always make it harder if needed.

 

[bubba.50]

Hello.

Just curious as to what kind of lead you use to cast balls. Im looking at buying an ingot of 99% pure lead. Should I be looking at something with bit of other metal to harden them up? Ive got some old lead laying around the garage but Im not sure its content and and have read where lead with an added content may shrink a bit when cast.

Thanks

quite the opposite actually. lead with additives shrinks less makin' it likely you'd need a thinner patch for roundballs and a mallet & metal rod to load conicals.

 

[Kansas Jake]

If the lead you have laying around is from old plumbing pipes or maybe thin sheet lead for roofing, then it is probably close to pure lead. If it is wheel weights or unknown sources it may be harder. If it scratches pretty easily with a finger nail it is probably fairly close to pure lead. If it requires more finger nail pressure to make a mark, then it may have other metals in it such as tin or linotype.

The finger nail test is very subjective, but a useful place to start.

 

[kswan]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Coot]

In addition to using pure lead for casting Minnies (to ensure proper skirt expansion into the groves), pure lead should be used for balls or conicals to be shot from a cap & ball revolver. Harder (alloyed) lead can over stress the loading lever when shearing a lead ring when loading. Glad you have some good lead - it works for any BP application.

 

[Toomuch51]

I as many have a preference for pure lead for round balls or minnies, and tend to save my wheel weight lead for my cartridge bullets.

This being said though, there are many who do use wheel weight lead with no problems as long as you don't mix batches with any that have been cast from pure lead. Just be sure to keep them separate from those that you have cast from pure lead, as the weight difference will effect the impact point.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I use the flashings/seals from around old black iron pipe in demolished houses and roofing lead.

My source dried up but I still have two five gallon buckets full and I also use a metal detector to recapture some of my spent balls.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Back in the day when you had shake roofs and copper gutters and valleys....soil pipes were 99% pure plumbers lead...
Best round ball material there is...

 

[fleener]

my local scrap yard gets pure lead in quite often.

A couple of weeks ago I bought what appears to be pure lead, that was used for shielding wires and it was very clean. Cost me around .73 cents a pound.

I picked up 250 pounds.

Fleener

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I picked up 250 pounds.

:shocked2:

I would have needed them to load it into my car for me.....

:haha:


LD

 

[fleener]

I am a big strapping guy!

The lead was in several pieces, just threw it in the back of my pickup.

fleener

 

[fleener]

I am a big strapping guy!

The lead was in several pieces, just threw it in the back of my pickup.

fleener

 

[pwbsmokey]

The fingernail test is a good place to start. Also drop it on a cement floor and if it makes a dull thud, it is probably close to pure lead. If the sound has a slight "ring" to it, it is harder lead. It might be soft to use, but I would keep it separate from the soft lead.