Hello.
I have not started casting yet, but have started collecting wheel weight lead (evil-bay) and tin ingots. I am a MarlinNut and plan to cast for my leverguns in 218Bee, 219 Zipper, 30-30, 32 Win Spl, 35Rem, 356 Win, 375 Win, 444 Marlin and 45-70. I currently buy h/c bullets (21 bhn) and they shoot great in my Marlins. I plan on using an alloy consisting of 10 # wheel weights/0.5 #tin and water quenched. I push my bullets hard and I would appreciate your thoughts on my planned alloy.....

Now for the dumb question. The lead and tin ingots are all different sizes and shapes. How do I "chop 'em up" so that I get exactly 10# wheel weight and 0.5# tin to melt down to the proper alloy? I am thinking about melting the lead and pouring it into molds to get exactly 1# ingots and doing the same with the tin in 0.5# ingots...and then taking taking ten lead ingots and one tin ingot and melting them together to get alloy ingots for making bullets. Is this the correct way to do this or is there a better way?

Many thanks,
Dan
P.S. I think that the Ranch Dog molds are going to produce super bullets for my Marlins....gotta get some some ordered. He oughta' give me the molds for free, since he inflicted me with Marlinitis a number of years ago.
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Depending on your definition of exact, you may need some scales. I use bolt cutters to cut thumb size bars of lead and weigh them on kitchen scales.

Too much tin! I would not add any to WW's because you don't need it unless you have a mold that doesn't fill out and then 2% would be the limit or you are wasting it.
I only add tin to WW's when I add antimony to make my harder alloy and even then it is only 6 oz for 20#.
Just melt the WW's and make boolits! :)

Clamp the ingot in a vise and try one of the handheld saws used for loping off small tree limbs. They have widely spaced teeth so the metal particles won't clog up the blade. Be sure to have something underneath your ingot to catch the metal particles and add them to your pot as well.

When alloying, "close enough" is almost as good as "exactly". If you want exactly you will need a good scale. I found an electronic digital postal scale on eBay a few years back for under $40. Measures up to 25 pounds in pounds and ounces. Even that is not "exact" but close enough.

As previously posted, WWs make excellent bullets "as is" but a bit of tin helps the bullets fill the mould better. A little tin goes a long way. I use less than 2 ounces in a 20 pound pot since WWs already come with a little tin in it. If you're going to "push" your bullets, you might consider quenching or adding some linotype to your alloy to harden them. Hope this helps and cast safely!

The best way I have found and the easiest is the use a hatchet...Lay the piece on a board
like on concrete and have at it..Your weights do not have to be that precise

Like above you really do not need the tin unless you are having trouble getting the mold to fill out..Your casting temp and mold have to be at the same temp and you should be alright..

Good luck,and remember no water around your casting bench..You should wear safety glasses as well...and of course shoes...

use only about 1.5% tin with your ww
if you want harder boolits, then you will want to water quench them
this will give you about 18 bhn after a week or so, so you will want to size tthem asap after
casting them.
if you do not want to quench you can learn to heat treat,or how to add a bit more tin/antimony
to your mix .
you will also learn about lube and how it works with your boolits.
as you try to get more velocity from your rifles

If cost is not prohibitive,add the tin.I have a good store of solder,so I always add tin to WW's. Always 2%,but never (anymore)more then 5%.
You will have a lot less rejects when you cast.
Frank

If cost is not prohibitive,add the tin.I have a good store of solder,so I always add tin to WW's. Always 2%,but never (anymore)more then 5%.
You will have a lot less rejects when you cast.
Frank


I agree with Frank. If I was shooting 500 rounds of pistol ammo at tin cans every weekend I wouldn't fool with the tin because straight wheel weights do make good bullets. The tin will make them a little better and I have a hunch that's what you are going for.