Thread: Lead heads

Alright how many of you are avid pourers mines mainly fishing, but i also do bullets. Mainly black powder. Much rather prefer jacketed for reloading handgun or rifle.

Something I'd like to get into. Any need for ventilating during the melting process? I know someone who casts his own and he was concerned about bain dramage so he hooked up some sort of hood and fan that exhausted to the outside.

ChrisL

Used to cast lots of wadcutters and Fishing wgts out of wheel wgts and Linotype metel
YES you need ventilation and beeswax to clarify the lead.

I've used candle wax for years with better results. Ive got bullets that i poured 8-10 years ago that look as to been poured last night. Lead fumes are dense and will sink quickly compared to the contaminants burning off the Lead which could be paint adhesion use grease oil all kinds of things that's where your problem lies but the main reason for LED poisoning is handling the raw product you should always wear gloves the molten metal is roughly 700 to 800 degrees a little splatter burns like hell add water and it will explode and you'll be covered with it. Melt all dirty lead outside. And never melt battery LED the fumes are poisonous

Used to cast some bullets for a 54 Hawken percussion rifle but just bought 38 wadcutters for reloading. Most finicky pistol I had to load the wadcutters for was a Model 52 S&W with BoMar rib. The cartridges had to be just right to load consistently into the breach from the mag. If you broke your wrist just slightly on firing you got a stovepipe jam on ejection every time. Revolvers were much more forgiving unless the cylinder timing was out.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Used to cast some bullets for a 54 Hawken percussion rifle but just bought 38 wadcutters for reloading. Most finicky pistol I had to load the wadcutters for was a Model 53 S&W with BoMar rib. The cartridges had to be just right to load consistently into the breach from the mag. If you broke your wrist just slightly on firing you got a stovepipe jam on ejection every time. Revolvers were much more forgiving unless the cylinder timing was out.

Bob

Wadcutters with gas checks may have helped. If they were mag or +p

I am a leadhead too! I just buy em up and shoot 'em!

Seriously, those who load and reload and esp those who neck and customize ammo are some fiends.
Must be fun and rewarding!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I am a leadhead too! I just buy em up and shoot 'em!

Seriously, those who load and reload and esp those who neck and customize ammo are some fiends.
Must be fun and rewarding!

As long as i dont get burned. Very cautious got to pay attention. Like using a str8[emoji16]

Originally Posted by outback

Wadcutters with gas checks may have helped. If they were mag or +p

Typo on the model now corrected, sorry. S&W Model 52 38 special target semi auto. I think +p loads behind a full wadcutter would have damaged the pistol. Mag would only accept full wadcutter loads.

Bob

You can still put gas checks on target loads. Helps sometimes. It did for my father and I when we were loading 158 gr. 357 mag. Keeps from shoving the bullet out the barrel before the rifleing took hold. What a pain cleaning the lead fouling. Now its my brother and I and its all FMJHP for the hand guns and ballistic tip for rifles ( varmints) coyotes. Ground hogs