What alloy do you shoot for pistol

C

canoetrpr

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Location
Just North of Toronto
Curious to know what alloy you folks use for pistol cast boolits such as 45ACP. I do not (yet) have access to WW and I seem to be getting started at a time where WW sources seem to be drying up or ending up with a lot of junk (zinc, steel etc.) so I will probably be starting with pure lead from a scrap yard and adding things like antimony and tin in appropriate quantities.

So what mix do you do?

One youtube video I saw the guy recommended buying the linotype alloy of 12% antimony, 4% tin and rest lead from rotometals (American outlet) and mixing with range lead in a 1 in 6 ratio.
 
Yomomma, I've been reading your older posts here. I must say I am inspired by your scrounging abilities! That said, it seems like clip on lead ww are going to be harder and harder (no pun intended) to find with the shift to zinc and steel.
 
Just keep looking and you will find the elusive WW. I got it good now, I get 100-200lbs of WW a year delivered to my house for almost nothing. There are several posts on how to find them but you need to be creative as no one will give up their source :) The true secret is you never stop looking...
 
Gents, I feel like I've been mining for gold in the Yukon and found my first nugget! Called my own mechanic today - an independent shop. He said he has some WW that I can have but from time to time gets lots which he will collect for me and I will pick up when I go to him for maintenance!

Will ask the local tire shop I have been giving business to for the last 15 years when I go to get my tires changed over in the fall. Figure I will have better chances when they see me in person and remember that I've been taking my business to them for a LONG time. Hopefully they will try to help me out.
 
If you can get permission, range recovery lead is good for most applications. When it is cleaned properly it seems to be just a little below wheel weight in hardness.

If you lived closer I could give you some to test.
 
canoetrpr said:
Curious; where do you guys get range recovery lead? Treat me like a fool but I suspect you don't walk around the target picking it up right ?
Click to expand...

That's done yes, I was target sports would sell they lead in their traps. In the states from my reading on cast boolits they pick up boolits siting on top during target changes. By the end of the range trip they leave with 30lbs or so.
 
Wow. Any idea what target sports sells range lead for? I mean, now it is a new disease for me to try to find lead as free or cheap as I can even though I can afford it easily enough, but I figure it is worth knowing.
 
that was a typo, i blame my phone :)

i meant to say i WISH target sports sold the lead to the public, but they sell it to a scraper i suspect. i asked when i joined, but i should ask again.
 
At the shotgun club I'm a member of, Uxbridge Shooting Sports, one year we had a company come up and harvest all the lead from a decade or more of shooting. I think the club had a windfall that year from the revenue from the lead reclamation.
 
I used good old WW when I was shooting lots of handgun. I still use WW for light rifle loads, such as 5-10 gr of 700X under 150 gr FN Lee. I tumble lube them with Lee Alox, push them through a Lee sizer to gas check, tumble lube again, then shoot 'em.

I've fired off lots of linotype in faster rifle and some .44 mag loads. Water dropped WW are good. Lube for the faster rifle loads is a combination of Lee Alox and the blue waxy stuff (name escapes me). The blue stuff I put on with my fingers, just filling the lube rings.
 
I tried to add powdered antimony to lead alloy without success. I believe antimony needs to be melted in tin first, then mixed with lead. Linotype(when available) is great to harden lead.
 
I've read that you need a part of a percent of arsenic for lead and antimony to alloy well. I've also read that arsenic is only used to harden lead-antimony alloys. I haven't seen a scientific type paper supporting either side.

If you want to cast hollow points and actually have them expand you need a soft alloy. I hear about 20:1 (20 parts lead to 1 part tin) used a lot for hollow point pistol bullets and low velocity rifle bullets. If you aren't worried about hollow points, pretty much any alloy will work at pistol velocities. If you go too hard you can have leading though so I'd avoid the super hard alloys normally used for rifle.

Only pistol cartridge I reload for is 44 mag and I only shoot them through a rifle. For what it's worth I use pure WW's, water dropped, and powder coated.
 
Last edited:
I found an easy way to get lead....

I volunteer at the range clean up days. When the berms are raked and sorted or then the bullet trap is emptied at the indoor range, volunteers are givin first crack at the range lead!

Usually good for 5-10 gallons of lead a year ( approx 150-200lbs).

The range lead I've tested all comes out at a BN of 10(ish), great for light pistol loads. If heavier pistol loads or rifle bullets are desired I add 50-50 solder to the pot. 10# of range lead and 1# of 50-50 tests out at BH of 18.... With a gas check I've pushed them to 2000fps....

YMMV
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom