Alchemy Extrusions
- Thread starter darkman
- Start date
There comes a point when buying mixed lead can be cost prohibitive. Not only than but time prohibitive.
I have reached the point in life where it is far more expedient to go to a gun show, where a commercial cast bullet supplier attends and just purchase the bullets I need from them. When everything is factored in, the cost is about the same as casting them myself.
For some rifles, especially old Martini, Sharps, Enfields and muzzle loaders, the only way to get them to shoot well is to cast/size/lube your own. The other way around it is to resize commercial lead bullets so that they can be paper patched.
Handgun bullets are a world of their own. Most of the modern handgun barrels produced since the sixties are very consistent from barrel to barrel. Some manufacturers barrels may be a thou or two different but usually not enough to worry about.
Don't think for one second that I am trying to dissuade you from casting and prepping your own bullets. I am only pointing out the obvious, expense wise.
Often, the preferred bullet shape and weight isn't commercially available. Especially hollow based designs, which some firearms are designed to use. In this case, if you can obtain the molds, making them yourself is the only way to make life easier and your firearm perform to its abilities.
I have reached the point in life where it is far more expedient to go to a gun show, where a commercial cast bullet supplier attends and just purchase the bullets I need from them. When everything is factored in, the cost is about the same as casting them myself.
For some rifles, especially old Martini, Sharps, Enfields and muzzle loaders, the only way to get them to shoot well is to cast/size/lube your own. The other way around it is to resize commercial lead bullets so that they can be paper patched.
Handgun bullets are a world of their own. Most of the modern handgun barrels produced since the sixties are very consistent from barrel to barrel. Some manufacturers barrels may be a thou or two different but usually not enough to worry about.
Don't think for one second that I am trying to dissuade you from casting and prepping your own bullets. I am only pointing out the obvious, expense wise.
Often, the preferred bullet shape and weight isn't commercially available. Especially hollow based designs, which some firearms are designed to use. In this case, if you can obtain the molds, making them yourself is the only way to make life easier and your firearm perform to its abilities.
Do you know if they will ship it? I know it wont be free but it saves me having to arrange a third party to do it.
eaglesnester
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Make your own. Go to the scrap metal yard and buy your materials for cheap. Last time I looked lead was selling for around 60 cents a pound. Get yourself a lead hardness tester and a good scale to weigh out your alloys. Casting your own is fun and all part of the shooting thing at least it is for me. I get a great deal of satisfaction out of putting a bullet exactly where I want it to go especially when I have made that bullet.
Last I checked it's hard to get antimony or arsenic at a scrap yard. Tin helps with mould fill out and slightly increases hardness but for real hardness you need antimony and a touch of arsenic.
Alloying WW's with pure lead adds some antimony but not that much. You can never exceed the amount of antimony in the WW's to start with. I was looking at playing around with some really hard bullets (pure linotype) which is 12% antimony which can't be reached with alloying WW's.
Alloying WW's with pure lead adds some antimony but not that much. You can never exceed the amount of antimony in the WW's to start with. I was looking at playing around with some really hard bullets (pure linotype) which is 12% antimony which can't be reached with alloying WW's.
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fair enough, but for some people casting is it's own fun hobby, as is reloading and shooting.
where are you located? the local scrap yards i've talked don't sell lead to the public, i have a bad feeling it's a stupid ontario thing.
What size piece is the 100 pounds you ordered ?
dinsdale
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Just outside the Ottawa City Limits!
They used to be the guys who did AIM projectiles.
They still are.
They were sold this past fall to a new guy, I talked with him in December and he was hoping to have everything up and running by January but I have heard since that he was having problems with the old equipment so he is starting from scratch.
He wants to keep his prices just below Berry's with the quality of Zero's. You can check his web site out at http:// www. aimprojectiles. com/
He wants to keep his prices just below Berry's with the quality of Zero's. You can check his web site out at http:// www. aimprojectiles. com/
Aim is a completely new company. New owners, new location, new philosophy. The entire production process has been re-designed with the goal of producing very high quality projectiles at competitive prices. Extensive new product testing is currently underway and the first production runs are very immanent.
The stuff I'm currently testing looks and performs like jacketed bullets.
5% tin, 5% antimony , 90% lead
