Thinking of casting my own round balls

[Loja man]

Hey all,
Looking for a little bit of feedback. Looking into casting my own round balls. I can get scrap lead from my local scrapyard for $.75 a pound. I can buy as much or as little as I like. I’ve been looking into trying to find it for free, but hasn’t panned out.
They had lead roofing boots and other miscellaneous scrap lead. They also had some ingots. Most of it when dropped on concrete had just a dull thunk with no ring. At $.75 for scrap lead is that reasonable?

 

[Kansas Jake]

$.75 is a good price. A steel sauce pan, Coleman camp stove, spoon or small ladle and you’re ready to go except for a mold. Lots of threads here on casting with more information.

 

[springfield art]

Hey all,
Looking for a little bit of feedback. Looking into casting my own round balls. I can get scrap lead from my local scrapyard for $.75 a pound. I can buy as much or as little as I like. I’ve been looking into trying to find it for free, but hasn’t panned out.
They had lead roofing boots and other miscellaneous scrap lead. They also had some ingots. Most of it when dropped on concrete had just a dull thunk with no ring. At $.75 for scrap lead is that reasonable?

Normally goes for about Two Bucks.

 

[Loja man]

I pretty much have everything but the lead and mold…

 

[64Springer]

If you're cast only balls, get free wheel weights from tire shops.

Dead soft lead is not required for balls for target shooting.

Will these balls be used for hunting? Soft lead will go SPLAT and expand.

 

[Loja man]

Normally goes for about Two Bucks.

For recycle lead or pure led bars?

 

[springfield art]

I got into muzzle loading as a young lad doing just that; casting round balls. Felt really cool!

 

[Loja man]

If you're cast only balls, get free wheel weights from tire shops.

Dead soft lead is not required for balls for target shooting.

Will these balls be used for hunting? Soft lead will go SPLAT and expand.

I would like to hunt with them. But it would cut costs for target shooting!

 

[Kansas Jake]

A caution on wheel weighs is they may be too hard for use in cap and ball revolvers because they put extra strain on the loading levers.

 

[Mulebrain]

Buy all the lead you can for that price, melt it and cast it!

 

[11th corps]

A caution on wheel weighs is they may be too hard for use in cap and ball revolvers because they put extra strain on the loading levers.

Lots of wheel weights these days are not lead. I got a bucket from a friend of mine-RIP Mike B-and about half of them are not lead. You can tell if they are by using a pair of pliers and squeezing the weight. If it dents, you should be good to go. If it doesn't, well------

 

[Loja man]

I guess I will have to go back to buy some tomorrow or Friday! I even have some scrap copper pipe and wire I could turn in to cover my cost!

 

[TFoley]

Unlike a patched ball, that uses the patch to grip the rifling, a handgun/pistol ball actually goes through the forcing cone and into the rifling - so soft lead is a must. Plus you might find that the antimony content in wheel weights makes getting the ball into the chamber VERY hard in the first place. Makes no sense to try and force something that just won't go.

Here in Yoorup wheel weights have not been made of lead for many many years...

 

[64Springer]

Lots of wheel weights these days are not lead. I got a bucket from a friend of mine-RIP Mike B-and about half of them are not lead. You can tell if they are by using a pair of pliers and squeezing the weight. If it dents, you should be good to go. If it doesn't, well------

Stick them all in a pot and keep the temperature at 650 degrees.

Everything that's not lead will float to the surface and can be skimmed off.

No need to try and put dents in the weights.


P.S. Why are people talking about pistols? The OP said nothing about pistols.

 

[Loja man]

I only shoot long guns at this piont…I take that back I have a KY 50 cal pistol I need to finish! No revolvers.

 

[necchi]

Looking into casting my own round balls.

Do it! Jump in with both feet!
There is a learning curve, but it's short if you apply yourself and pay attention to advise given here.
When I started casting my only regret was not doing it sooner

 

[Scota@4570]

Today many wheel weights are zinc. Any trace of zinc in your melt will poison the pot and anything with any residue on it. The lead will cast like grits cereal. Avoid zinc like a social disease.

$0.75 for pure lead is a steal. Stock up now. Here in California lead is now considered hasmat. It can not be bought from a metal recycler for any price. Expect such nonsense to spread everywhere.

 

[64Springer]

Today many wheel weights are zinc. Any trace of zinc in your melt will poison the pot and anything with any residue on it. The lead will cast like grits cereal. Avoid zinc like a social disease.

$0.75 for pure lead is a steal. Stock up now. Here in California lead is now considered hasmat. It can not be bought from a metal recycler for any price. Expect such nonsense to spread everywhere.

Keep the zinc below the zinc melting temperature and the zinc won't be a problem.

650 degrees melts lead and nothing else.

Then the zinc and the steel and the clips all float to the surface to be skimmed off.

This is not a difficult concept to understand.

 

[tenngun]

Anything can be a bore or a chore. Anything it seems related to our sport is a PIA from shooting to cleaning to making stuff on the side.
However I find it an enjoyable activity. I get a kick out of casting wether it’s from a pot at home or beside a camp fire.
Running ball is almost as much fun as shooting the ball

 

[BillyC]

I bought a bag mold and my grandson and I cast a half dozen with it in about 15 minutes. He was thrilled. I picked up the lead at the backstop at my shooting club.