Any way to soften wheel weights?

72chevelle

I've got 50 lbs of wheel weights and need to cast muzzleloader bullets. The wheel weights are too hard by themselves,is there any easy way to remove the other alloys and end up with pure lead? Any suggestions?

robsguns

In general, according to Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook, wheel weights are 95.5% Lead, .5% Tin, and 4% Antimony, with a hardness of 9 BHN, as compared to pure lead which has a BHN of 5. The additional metals in the wheel weights are quite appropriate to get a decent fill on your casting, the hardness, and some will disagree, isnt enough different from pure lead to matter. I know 9 vs. 5 is still almost double, but I wouldnt sweat it, its still a very soft bullet. You shouldnt have a problem with bullet performance, if you do then take it from there, but check and see before you discard your wheel weights, cause as far as I know there is know way to get the Antimony out of your wheel weights, and I would not take the tin out no matter what, its just enough to be a good thing.

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SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

paul1231

There is no easy way for a hobbyest to seperate metals from wheelweights. Set it aside for other things than BP shooting. You can find scrap lead in junk yards that salvage metals. That's their business. I get mine at such a place for 25 cents /lb. Plumbers lead runs more than $1/lb. The difference between BN 5 and BN 9 is enough to crack swaging dies. That can be expensive. Mini balls also seem to work better with BN 5-6 lead than with harder alloys.

jonk

I've found round balls even of very hard lead work fine, as they don't grip the rifling anyhow, that is the job of the patch. Unless of course you are using them in a revolver, where they have to be soft enough to crush into the cylinder. Minie balls work best with soft lead, but I've made some of hard lead and while not quite as accurate, they still hit a notebook size paper at 100 yards. I recommend you go ahead and use the wheel weights.

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

Xracer

Look for a salvage yard that specializes in materials from demolished houses. Ask if they have any old window sashweights....they were made from either cast iron, or pure lead. If you can make a small furrow in it with your thumbnail, you've got pure lead.

woodsrunner

I've had no problem shooting either round balls or mini's cast from wheel weights. groups do open up a little bit with mini type bullets. but not enough to be significant. I've also found old lead pipe to be a fairly pure lead. If it really bothers you, you could always mix WW's & pipe lead half & half..WOODS

72chevelle

Thanks for the information. I've tried casting bullets with the wheel weights and the trouble I have run into is that wheel weight material does not shrink as much as pure lead as it comes from my mold. I am using a Lee 250 grain real mold. With pure lead my bullets are .508 in diameter,with wheel weights they end up between .511 and.514. I can load the wheel weight bullets about 4 times and the fouling makes it too difficult to load. Both types lubricated alike. With pure lead I can shoot as long as I want to. Would a different mold cast a smaller bullet with the wheel weights? Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks.

paul1231

It is a fact that pure lead casts smaller than most of its alloys. Lyman "sizes" their molds using #2 alloy (aprox 9 lbs wheelweights and 1 lb lead). ((as roundballs and BP slugs are 'suppose to be' lead, they probably are sized using lead)). A 311xxx mold will cast bullets only measuring .311" with #2 alloy. With lead it casts a few thousandths smaller. That's why lymand USED TO make over- and under-sized molds in some calibers. That's also why you can buy "50 caliber" RB moulds as .498, .499, .450, .451 (etc) sizes. Not only do the bores and lands vary from barrel to barrel, but the bullet metal differs too. You just have to find a mold that works with the combination of factors you have.

bsebast

Muzzleloading barrels are made of soft metal. You can cut them with a pocket knife. Barrels for smokeless powder guns are made of carbon steel and heat treated to be hard. You can really see the difference when trying to stamp letters and numbers on them.It is recommended to use pure lead for muzzleloading guns--soft enough to be able to cut it with your thumb nail--so as not to damage the rifling in your barrel.

jonk

You could order a sizing die from Lee for $25 custom, or about $12 off the shelf if they have the size you need. This would resize your slightly oversize bullets to the size you need. If you have 50lb. of free wheelweights, it might- I say might- still be cheaper than buying that much soft lead, depending on where near you soft lead is for sale.

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

aby80

Wish you lived close to me in Northern AZ as I would trade you straight across 50 lbs. of pure lead for your 50 lbs. of wheel weights as long as they aren't tape weights which are pure lead.