Melting wheel weights for casting bullets

So I have a supply for lead wheel weights and melted down enough the other day to produce 6+ pounds of lead and I figure I can get at least enough to make 50 pounds of lead.

Not sure how pure it is, I did this on an outdoor propane burner and yes I wore a mask rated for lead (probably only the 5th time I have worked safe getting to old to take chances anymore :))

I melted until it was liquid and scraped off what looked like crap poured it in to a pop can, so I have this big chunk of lead.

I was thinking of casting some bullets, is my lead OK is there more I can do to make sure it's pure?

What you described is what I remember my father doing…..does the lead NEED to be any more pure ?

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Originally Posted by 73hunter

What you described is what I remember my father doing…..does the lead NEED to be any more pure ?

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I made cast bullets for .44 mag in high school. Just used wheel weights.

https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/gu...weight-bullets

Greatwhite, the wheel weights have "antimony" mixed with lead and therefore are much harder than pure lead. You might take this into account when casting your bullets. Pure lead is not that expensive to buy and I think your barrel would be happy to have it. Just my opinion and good luck with your casting...........................Daniel

Just a side note - the federal government is banning the manufacture and import of lead wheel weights in 2024.

https://www.canada.ca/en/environment...gulations.html

I can probably get another 100 pounds

I have been casting bullets with wheel weights (WW) in every caliber you can imagine for over 40 years with no problems.

Other than muzzleloaders you generally never cast bullets out of pure lead. WW work great in all your 30 cals. If I recall any load over about a 1000 fps, you should put a gas check on your bullet to prevent leading in the barrel.

I would suggest when you melt your WW that you flux the mixture by mixing in a small chunk of wax and then stir the mixture. All the dirt and crap on the WWs will float to the top. Just scrape it off and your are good to go. I use a small piece of a birthday candle as flux. Just warn you, it will smoke pretty good so make sure you have good ventilation.

Make sure you wear PPE protection when melting lead i.e. glasses, gloves and possibly some sort of mask to prevent inhalation of any smoke.

If you have any questions feel free to send me a pm.

Cheers,

Those wheel weights are great for making duck and goose decoy weights. Make sure you do what I did and let a bit of the hot lead drip onto your knee when you’re pouring the moulds. It’s good clean entertainment for your buddies as they piss themselves watching you do the Holy $&@ Dance. Hard to put a dollar value on it and it never gets old.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by greatwhite

So I have a supply for lead wheel weights and melted down enough the other day to produce 6+ pounds of lead and I figure I can get at least enough to make 50 pounds of lead.

Not sure how pure it is, I did this on an outdoor propane burner and yes I wore a mask rated for lead (probably only the 5th time I have worked safe getting to old to take chances anymore :))

I melted until it was liquid and scraped off what looked like crap poured it in to a pop can, so I have this big chunk of lead.

I was thinking of casting some bullets, is my lead OK is there more I can do to make sure it's pure?

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For what are you casting bullets that you want pure lead? I usually begin with ww lead which is lead and antimony and look to harden it with lead/tin solder so I can push the bullet velocity up. The only reason you might wish pure lead is for shotgun slugs and I read somewhere bullets for the 43 Mauser. With ww lead you probably have enough hardness for bullets in a velocity range up to 1500 fps. Beyond that velocity you are most likely looking at harder lead mixtures, gas check bullet and I usually use Cream Of Wheat (COW) filler, which helps to seal off the gases that can escape around the bullet base, resulting in bore leading problems. I hope that is helpful.

You don't stop hunting because you grow old. You grow old because you stop hunting.
- Gun Nut