I think I'm set for lead for a while!

[The_Eric]

I've been collecting lead to cast and reload for some time. A couple of years ago I went around and bought some wheel weights and melted them into ingots. Since then my plumber friend has been dropping off old pipe and bits of sheet. More recently I scored a really big chunk (150+ lbs) from a friend who used it as weight on his lawn tractor.

I was out in the garage yesterday cleaning and got bitten by the bug, so I fired up the two place outdoor stove and went to melting... The really big piece came in a steel box, so I melted it in that- it took about 1 1/2 hours to get the darn thing hot enough! Probably took 4 hours to cast everything...

There is approximately 240lbs of lead that is of unknown alloy and approximately 75lbs of pure lead.

Add to that, this- which is my first batch at around 200lbs which means that I'm somewhere north of 500lbs of lead ready to be made into bullets. That's a lot of bullets!

 

[53' Stude]

If you google "backyard metal casting" there is a man that casts and melts all kinds of metal. I was intrigued. My fathers friend uses a waste oil fired burner to melt his lead for sinkers and muzzleloader balls also

 

[Bluestream]

You are all ready for the zombie apocalypse!

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
You are all ready for the zombie apocalypse!


I think so!

Some math on that:

1lb = 7000 grains

That means if I cast 230grn .45 ACP, then I'll have 15,217 rounds.

If I cast 115grn 9mm, then I'll have 30,434 rounds.

If I cast 9mm in 124grn rounds, then I'll have 28,225 rounds.

If I split the lead 50/50 between 230grn .45ACP and 115grn 9mm, then I'll have 7608 and 15,217 respectively.

Any way you slice it, that's a lot of zombies!

 

[CarbonSteel]

Better start stocking up on powder, primers, and brass. In my 20+ of reloading, the trick is to have all 4 components at the same time and in the current state of affairs, that condition is a rare thing!

 

[The_Eric]

You're right about that... And the rest of the components are next on my list.

 

[wwillson]

Eric,

Did you skim the zinc weights off the molten lead before they melted? Hopefully, otherwise you'll find that the lead/zinc alloy has a very high surface tension and is almost impossible to cast.

Wayne

 

[The_Eric]

Wayne- I sorted the lead/zinc wheel weights as best as possible. I did miss a few when melting, but they didn't melt near as quickly as the pure lead weights did so I was able to sift them out... I hope. The latest batch shouldn't be an issue but since I know nothing about where it came from, I could be wrong.

 

[eljefino]

Cool!

Am I the only guy who I'm walking down the street and I find a lead weight by the curb, I pick it up and pocket it?

 

[jcwit]

I'm a board member of an indoor range and used to get buckets of lead when we cleaned the backstop out. I now have a couple/few tons of lead in ingots, yes tones. I also have 8 to 10 buckets to smelt yet, might get to it some day.

I've also switched from lubing bullets to powder coating, eliments leading completly & much cleaner.

 

[The_Eric]

Ummm.... WOW! Guess I don't have near as much as I thought!

As to powder coating- how do you go about it?