Casting bullets for BP firearms and finding the best lead for it

I get mine from a place called roto metal I believe, it was the best price I could find online, 5 pound ingot for like $120 but I’ve been told you can get good lead from marinas.
 
Look for old Sailboats as they have lead in their keels for ballast. Scrape metal buyers often have lead and you may be able to buy if allowed to in your region. I prefer lead pipe from dealers. Also check your local roofers for old lead jack roof vents. The demolition of medical clinics/hospitals have tons of lead in xray depts.
 
Tire shops for wheel weights - watch out for the zinc ones, they'll ruin your batch. castboolits.com has articles on separating them out.
If you know anyone that deals with underground communication lines - older installations have underground vaults every so often for splicing, maintenance etc. Splices used to be done in a lead casing (big ones), pure lead - no longer allowed (worker's compensation regs). Any of the older ones now, if they need work, the lead is cut out and replaced with some kind of plastic. Lead gets thrown in "the bin". I got a few hundred pounds from an acquaintance doing this kind of work - best (cleanest) I've ever had.
Be very wary of lead cable that's been used for under water transmission lines - I bought ~250 lbs of this stuff and it was terribly dirty - lots of green / yellow powder separated when I smelted it - someone said it was cadmium - kinda scared me!
 
Most I ever paid was about 0.75/lb for X-ray lead out of a dentists office. Linotype I have paid $2/lb from a scrapyard. Everyone above has nailed all the sources I use to get lead. A lot I have given to me or traded for. $25 a lb is ouch. Melting birdshot would be cheaper and I consider that a waste.
 
gab said:
I use range scrap for my smoothbore muzzleloaders that I get for free.
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Yes, range lead can be cheap when available. It will vary in hardness due to the variety of other metals and additives in commercial bullets as well as the inconsistency on how they are in the berm. I will melt at least 100# of range lead and get a good mix to get better consistency in hardness. You want consistent hardness for BPCR. I have used range lead for handguns. I use pure lead and add tin to it for BPCR. I used to use dive weights and down rigger balls but now they generally have zinc in them these days.
 
chasseur said:
Do not use lead from car batteries as they are very toxic
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battery lead contains cadmium hence the toxic vapours

what has not been said so far is what you intend to cast with the lead. For patched roundball shot at targets, most any scrap lead is suitable. Linotype is not a single alloy; the ratio of components can vary tremendously. I tried using some that appeared to be about 30 % antimony, which floated on the surface of the lead and was generally a pain in the bum. Alloys will separate at a temperature above a certain limit. I have forgotten the term of that temperature. If you are shooting black powder cartridges, many people feel around 5% alloy gives the best accuracy. I think the purpose of a small amount of alloy is to reduce the melting temperature and alloy the lead to fill the mold more completely while at the same time being a small enough amount that allows the slug to obturate in the bore

cheers mooncoon
 
I used to buy lead bird shot at gun shows in number 2 and 4 sizes. Very cheap cuz it was unusable for migratory birds due to steel regulations. Don't know if it's still in circulation or not.
 
Welp, Id love to blame that decision on a combination of seasonal allergy meds, beer and being lazy but I feel like I ought to just own my mistake. My lesson here is - if you don’t know, ask.

At least I’ll get a sore laugh out of every casting session? Probably the most expensive round balls I’ll ever cast.
 
In Vancouver I have dealt with Metalex in Richmond for pure pigs of lead [60 lb. +/- ingots 99.98 % pure].Can be a little challenging rendering down such a large chunk .Other than that I have been fortunate and was gifted/horse traded for some underground cable wrap which proved out very pure and useable for my BPCR but like mentioned by " cuslog "took some work to salvage and clean. Also through some shooting pals got some salvaged lead from laboratory , x ray room remodeling .This again took some cleaning but they let it go very reasonably. Tin, I did a group purchase with some pals ,this we got from Purity Metals in Surrey .Always on the lookout for more lead as my stock seems to dwindle quickly at 13 bullets per pound . Plumbers can be a source but any I know prefer to keep it for their slush fund /happy hours v/s cash. Anything else I scrounge like down rigger balls and such that I call "mystery lead " I will squirrel away for future smooth bore shooting.
 
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