Roofing lead

[points]

Hi guys and girls
I acquired about 60 lb of roofing lead recently. I cast my own bullets for my bp guns and have never used anything so soft. Would this stuff work without hardening it up?

 

[Valiant]

Hi guys and girls
I acquired about 60 lb of roofing lead recently. I cast my own bullets for my bp guns and have never used anything so soft. Would this stuff work without hardening it up?

Keep the velocities down and it works.

 

[Blastattack]

Powdercoat and never worry about hardness again (for slow rounds at least).

 

[mckutzy]

For muzzle loaders, use as is. Cartridge guns, need to be typically harder. But depends on velocities.

 

[Goex]

If you're casting Minnies, that is the best lead you can use. You need a soft lead to allow the bullet skirt to expand into the rifling.

 

[Snider shooter]

For my BP cartridge guns I use a 50/50 mix of sheet and wheel weights. For mini and balls I use it as is.

 

[10x]

With roofing lead (Pure lead) you may want to add between 2% to 5% tin to the lead pot to make the bullets cast nicer at a lower temperature. With muzzle loaders the softer the lead the better. You will have to have the pot at a higher temperature to cast good bullets. Add 2 to 5% tin and that temperature lowers.
If you are casting for pistol cartridges (velocities under 1500 fps) Pure lead with 2% to 5% tin is ideal.
If you are casting for muzzle loaders pure lead is great, You just have to run a higher pot temperature and a higher mold temperature.
For rifles the speed limit for pure lead and alox (grease) based lubes are about 1500 fps so for velocities over 1500 fps you may bet better accuracy by adding lead with some antimony in it.

Powder coat will increase the velocity you can shoot a soft lead bullet at without leading the barrel
Pure lead cast bullets with powder coat accuracy tends to fall off at about 1500 fps to 1600 FPS in 22 hornet and 223 (My experience with 37 grain 0.225" powder coated bullets. )
A gas check and a harder alloy with powder coating will increase the velocity where accuracy drops off. This is true of my 22 hornet and my 30/30 (lee 150 grain gas check powder coated and Lyman 312465 120grain Loverin bullets)

I shoot 200 grain (Accurate molds) Cast powder coated wheel weight Gas check bullets in my 9.3X57 . I have found that accuracy drops off
at 2350 fps , Alox bullets accuracy drops off at about 2000 fps.

 

[points]

Thanks for all the info. Most of my BP bullets are for Martini 577/450 and 577 Snider Enfield. I load them quite light as I usually only shoot paper at max 200 yards. Easier on my shoulder and easier on the brass.

 

[antiqueguy]

Thanks for all the info. Most of my BP bullets are for Martini 577/450 and 577 Snider Enfield. I load them quite light as I usually only shoot paper at max 200 yards. Easier on my shoulder and easier on the brass.

Martini bullets were 20/1 lead/tin. Snider can be pretty soft and work just fine.

 

[points]

The lead I have been using and still have about 30 lb is of unknown mix. I got it off someone who had cast it into ingots but had no clue what it was. It's hard enough that I cast my .357 for my revolvers and it's been fine. I might mix some of that to harden up the roofing stuff if need be.

 

[bearhunter]

If you're casting for antique firearms, that SOFT LEAD, combined with black powder, may be exactly what you need to make them shoot well.

Modern and replica firearms seem to prefer harder bullets as mentioned above.

Powder coating, rather than lubing makes for little if any leading issues.

 

[antiqueguy]

I don’t know how powder coat and black powder would get along in the back of my mind it be like plastic wads and black powder in shotshell.

 

[Snider shooter]

I don’t know how powder coat and black powder would get along in the back of my mind it be like plastic wads and black powder in shotshell.

Only way I can see using PC and black powder would be using lube cookies. My BP LOADS use lubed lead bullets. Never had good accuracy when I tried cookies.