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Wheel Weights

skyhawkpilotskyhawkpilot Member Posts: 10 ✭✭
edited February 2003 in Ask the Experts
I have a number of black powder revolvers that I shoot with store bought lead round balls.I am going to start makeing my own and I would like to know if wheel weights would be good to melt down to make bullets out of ?
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    kingjoeykingjoey Member Posts: 8,636
    edited November -1
    I've heard of people using wheel weights, but I imagine the hardness of the various lead alloys will be a big factor. E-mail Powdersmoke, he'd probably have plenty of info for you.
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    skyhawkpilotskyhawkpilot Member Posts: 10 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Do you know powdersmokes e-mail address ? Thanks
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    bambihunterbambihunter Member Posts: 10,694 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Years ago, when I used to melt my own, I had a hard time getting a consistent melt using wheel weights. I did use them on occasion, but when I did, I made a lot of them and mixed the different batches together the best I could because they weren't consistent. I would then shoot some before hunting with them to make sure they flew similar...

    It doesn't matter what you shoot, just shoot it well...
    Fanatic collector of the 10mm auto.
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    woodsrunnerwoodsrunner Member Posts: 5,378 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Wheel weights won't hurt your gun, but they have antimony in them which makes them too hard. Because of the hardness accuracy often suffers. For my cap& ball guns and muzzleloading rifles I get scrap lead by calling around to the older plumbing shops around town. Old lead pipe is nearly pure lead. Also if you see a dentists office being remodeled, the lead sheet they lined the x-ray room walls with is almost pure lead. Sometimes you can buy scrap lead pipe from the smaller scrap metal places. Save the wheel weights for cartridge handguns.

    Hope this helps.

    Woods
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    kingjoeykingjoey Member Posts: 8,636
    edited November -1
    His e-mail is powdersmoke@direcway.com
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    jjmitchell60jjmitchell60 Member Posts: 3,887
    edited November -1
    I shoot a lot of black powder and the only thing that I use wheel weights in is smooth bores. In rifled guns including revolvers it is to hard and most will recomend against using them. I have been shooting smoke poles for 20+ yrs so this is just my 2 cents worth.[8D]
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    nam barneynam barney Member Posts: 143 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    An amusing tale. My son worked with a construction company that was renovating an x-ray room in a large hospital. The lead sheets that were removed were put aside and marked "DANGEROUS, RADIOACTIVE" He tried to reason with the intellect that ordered this saying the lead is a shield not an absorbent. But to no avail. There was tons of that stuff laying there long after the project was completed. Whatever became of it is unknown but I sure wish I could have spirited several sheets of it away. My son said it was about 1/4 inch thick and 2 foot square per sheet. Alas; missdirected intelligence was my loss!!
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    Myra-LouMyra-Lou Member Posts: 641 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sir I had the same problem....a butt load of wheelweights and no pure lead.....if you live near a city of any size go check with a recycle or salvage yard or an metal recycle outfit, look for plumbing or roofing lead, expect to pay 40cent and up per lb.....or maybe buy a bag of shotgun shot (Soft shot or drop shot)..."Soft shot is made of pure , nearly pure lead", Ref: Lyman shotshell reloading handbook, 4th Ed, pg 67....this equates to about $1.00 per lb.....when you cast use 2, two cavity moulds....you can throw twice as fast with out smearing lead on the top of the blocks....I wish you the BEST OF LUCK....JOHN......bobbike@vvm.com
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    101AIRBORNE101AIRBORNE Member Posts: 1,252 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I will never use salvaged materials again. Spend the x-tra money and purchase the correct metal. Once was melting wheel weights plus unknown and had a "flare". If not wearing eye protection, would maybe blind. Just forget salvaged alloys, not worth loosing your sight, etc.
    Purchase from a knowledgable source. 101
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    Der GebirgsjagerDer Gebirgsjager Member Posts: 1,673 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'll give a "ditto" to what Woodsrunner said. You'll probably have trouble even getting wheelweight projectiles down a rifled barrel. The more pure and softer lead you are able to use the better, as it is not only easier to load, but it upsets to fill the bore when fired. Wheelweights are hard to beat for cartridge guns. Carefully flux and skim the alloy several times to remove the impurities that will float to the top.
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