wheel weights

[Doc Contender]

Are wheel weights too hard to make round balls.

 

[LRB]

YES, use the softest lead you can find. Lead flashing and roof vents are as soft as it gets. 5 lb blocks of plumbers lead is good. a little dirty but this comes to the top to skimmed off. Wheel weights are much too hard and is lighter in weight by volume.

 

[tg]

I haven't tried it but a lot of people use balls made from wheel weights with a patch in their smoothbores.

 

[tommy b]

I don't think you can say they're too hard in all cases. It all depends on what you're doing. I can certainly see that when you're shooting maxi's or minies, you want the land or the flare to expand for a seal, then yes, they're too hard. And when you're hunting with a patched ball, you want the ball to flatten upon impact so you want the softness of pure lead. But if you're just target shooting with a patched ball, why would you need the softness? I thought that maybe the patch fibers grip the ball to impart a spin, but probably not, if you lube both sides of the patch. I would think if you could find a .490 diameter ball bearing, it would be just as accurate in this case.

 

[musketman]

The patch touches the riflings, not the r/b, so it could be made of depleated uranium for all that matter....

Lead is the stable state of uranium isotopes.

Wheel weights are of course, heavier because of the added tin. I used remelted #2 bullet alloy from the shooting range before. (I gathered up all spent bullets, jacketed and non-jacketed. remelted them and skimmed off the imputities along with the copper jackets.)

I agree with TOMMY B, it's not for minie-balls and the likes.

Bottom line, it you want to use wheel weights, then do so.

 

[djnye]

just an observation--the other day my dog so rudely interupted me while loading and(it's all his fault)i forgot the powder charge. usually i blow it out with air, but had just purchased a ball screw so used that to remove the ball. when it came out the patch fell into my hands and so i examined it. not only were the rifling flats quite noticeable on the ball, but so were the indentations of the weave of the patch quite visable also. i prelube linen patches with mink oil so they are uniformly lubed on both sides by the time i cut them at the barrel. looks like there must be some gripping going on in that soft lead--whether it is needed or not is another story.

daniel

 

[LRB]

Musketman, I believe if you will check, you will find tin is lighter than lead, and wheel weights make lighter balls or bullets than pure lead.

 

[musketman]

You're right, so the lead/tin round balls should shoot a tad higher than the pure lead r/b's.
A slight oversite on my part.

I can't be right all the time.... Once a decade seems to be my limit on being right.

 

[Randy]

Just another observation, I've pulled a ball made from wheel weights out after loading and noticed obvious thread marks from the patch. Patch was oxyoke .018 prelubed. I suppose the indentations would have been deeper with pure lead but what I saw looked like it would grip just fine. Wheel weights are great for targets but I hunt with pure lead.

Horse dr.

 

[musketman]

If you were hunting fox with a .36 caliber round ball, I think wheel weights lead might be the better choise.

You would not want the round ball to flatten out and expand (as much as a r/b will do), one hole in the hide is enough.

Wheel weights are: 95.5% Lead, .5% Tin, 4% Antimony.

Pure lead has a BHN (Brinell Hardness Number) of 5.3 @ 75

 

[Doc Contender]

So, would a rb made from wheel weights be more desireable for animals with heave bone structure such as elk, pig and bears?

 

[tg]

In theory there could be an advantage in useing a harder ball with tough skinned or large heavy boned animals, but range, caliber, shot placement are all factors that coule cansel out any such advantage... most deer I have shot the ball goes right through with soft lead, I have heard different stories about how much a soft lead ball "expands" on Elk, pigs, and bear there are probably to many variables to draw and concrete conclusions. I would suspect that the toughness of skin would be a factor that I would consider when making a choice as to soft or hard lead and pids are about the only critter on this continent that are at issue here.

 

[Randy]

Doc Contender'

I doubt there is any advantage using wheel weight lead for large game bullits and balls. After all it is lighter and therefore would slow down quicker as it hits an animal. At closer ranges I expect no one could tell the difference.

I noticed you are from southern IL also. Where do you shoot and hunt? My camp is about 60 miles S/E of Carbondale.

Horse Dr.

 

[Doc Contender]

Horse Doc
In Benton. Hunt Franklin, Jefferson, and Hamilton Co's mostly.

 

[Gray Beard]

quote:Originally posted by Doc Contender:
Are wheel weights too hard to make round balls.

 

[Gray Beard]

The muzzleloader police never told me that I couldn't, so I've been making my balls out of wheel weights for many years. Guess what? They shoot just fine. Go though your rag bin and find a patch that makes for a good fit, lube it up and start shooting. Oh heaven forbib, I also shot a deer with a wheel weight ball. Made a nice 1/2 inch hole going in, and going out. An animal won't live long with a hole though both lungs wheather it's made by an arrow, spear, rifle bullet or wheel weight ball. I was given two 5 gallon pails of wheel weights from the local service station, which has keep me in lead for lots of fun and cheap shooting. A mountain man wouldn't run from a source of free lead. You shouldn't either.

 

[Voyageur]

Do you flux the lead before you run the balls Gray Beard?

Voyageur

 

[Zonie]

Aha! Ve hav vays of findink you Graybeard!! You just vate until das snoismeltin und das iceisthawin und you vill see! Das vinterblowinundsnowen up in Minnesota vill not last!!!
Mine Gestopo vill do das thumbuntwistin und pullin!! Und das ramminroddinwhacken!! Und das buttbootinundkickin und make you give up all of your wheelenweightens! Ha Ha!!

Actually, I don't know that shooting harder lead is a bad thing but I think that the obturation of a sphere to help it grab the rifleing during the early stages of firing needs all the help it can get and hard lead cannot be conducive to this.

Vell, you have been varned. Give it up while you still can.

 

[TwoShadows]

'Zonie...u ol dog...I dist luv hit when u tawk kraut, and use wurds lak obfuscation, or obduration er whutever thet wuz....aint sure but I may be havin wun of them "Organisms" pappy warned me about!

 

[Zonie]

Well TwoShadows when ya say "aint sure but I may be havin wun of them "Organisms" pappy warned me about! " ye jus remember the 'portant thins like yur pappy warned ye about un ye'll be OK.
I kno my mammy's warnin bout doin soem thins will make ye go blind wer rite. I had ta have cataracs removed from both eyes!
Afore I had um chop on my eyes I cud see 3 front sites whan aimin. I sighted er in fer the top rite site on the X ring afore squeezen her off. (no joke).
Now that my eyes are fixed my shooten aint got much better than it wer then 'cept I can now shoot at tha 100 yard target that warnt even seeable then.