Cast Bullets?

Question

I am looking into reloading .45 ACP and want to save money by casting my own bullets. Will unjacketed lead jam a Rock Island Armory 1911A1?

Does anyone have any advice on cheap reloading? I am probably going to get a lead ladle and melt lead in it and pour it into a mold. I think I can get that equipment for under 35 dollars from Lee Precision.

Where is a good place to find free lead? Cheap lead?

Any other information I might need I don't even know enough to ask about?

Answer 1

You do not want to use pure lead to make bullets for a .45 ACP. The bullets will be so soft as to deform on the feed ramp.

Wheelweights make great hard cast bullets, especially if you drop the bullets from your mold directly into a five gallon bucket of water. The bullets I cast from wheelweights and water quench run from 19-22 on a SAECO Hardness Tester.

If you really want to go cheap on your casting set up, just use your Coleman Camp Stove, and buy a cheap cast iron pot from a resale shop to melt your lead. Use old candles to flux the alloy. No way to get around buying a lead ladle.

I like Lee presses, and lots of their dies, but I've had some problems with their .45 ACP dies and won't recommend them. I also have had problems with Lee bullet moulds. The aluminum blocks get too hot too fast, and also cool off too fast. I suggest you check out the RCBS line of bullet moulds, I've never had a problem with them.

As for your pistol, I foresee no serious problems. You might have to polish the feed ramp, or you might not. It largely depends on the bullet profile.

Unfortunately the likelihood of finding free lead is slim to non-existent. Check with the local tireshops and pay whatever they ask. It is a good idea to keep an eye on the price of lead, it is listed in the commodity market section of your stock market pages, so as not to be overcharged.

If you find yourself having to purchase alloy, call Sanders Lead Company in Troy, AL. They are the largest secondary lead smelter in the USA. They will sell in lots as small as a single 65-lb pig of lead in any alloy you might desire from dead soft to linotype hard. (I used to work for them nearly 20 years ago.) They will ship anywhere in the country.

One more thing, you will need a Lubri-sizer to size your bullets and apply lube to the grease grooves. I have an RCBS Lubri-Sizer and I've been very happy with it. You might want to contact Paco Kelly over at www.leverguns.com and ask about ordering some Apache Blue Lube. This is a great lube, especially good in high temperature shooting conditions.

Doc

Answer 2

You'll need a lead melting pot and a heat source. the kitchen stove isn't a good idea. Trust me on this. I tried it once and got lead all over the top of the stove. It took a lot of cleaning before my wife was satisfied with the results and then she swore to kill me if I ever used her stove for melting lead again. Get an electric lead pot. It is the easiest way to do it.

Lead that is too soft will tend tlo lead up your barrel. Be sure that it is hard enough and don't overload your ammo. Hot ammo is another cause of leading in the barrel. Normal loads and hard lead are the secret. Even so, you will need to examine your bore every time you clean it to be sure that you aren't getting lead fouling in it. If you do find lead fouling, you can gete a cleaner that will remove it from your bore. Just don't ignore it. Moisture can get under the lead in the bore and result in corrosion pitting of the bore.

As for sources of cheap or free lead......... Lean close and let me share a secret with you....... those days are gone!! I used to buiy wheel weights for about 10 cents a pound. A couple months ago I went t the tire store here in town and asked for any scrap wheel weights. "Sure" the owner said. "How many pounds do you want?" I said that maybe 25 pounds would do me for now. He weighed them out and then told me that my bill was $25. I went ahead and bought them but I was a bit startled by the price. He told me that $1 per pound was what the scrap metal man was paying for them. I checked a couple other places and found that he was right. So, if you find a source for free or cheap lead, buy LOTS 'cause you won't be getting it for long. The guy at the tire store told me that soon wheel wights were going to be made of a different metal alloy because of the danger of lead poisoning. Once that happens, lead for bullets is going to be really hard to find.

I was very lucky in finding some free soft lead for my muzzleloader several years ago and got about 300 pounds of it. I still have about 200 pounds in ingots and am hording it like gold.

Answer 3

most .45 pistols have to have the feed ramp polished, and ramped and throated to feed lead semi reliably. Pure lead still tends to hang up, adding an alloy to the melted lead helps make it harder and feed better. There is no such thing as cheap lead anymore. Some tire shops will sell or if you're really lucky, give you their used tired weights. I've also bought old lead sash weights at salvage yards (make sure it is pure lead) and sheet lead there as well.
Good luck, I found it cheaper to just buy copper jacketed ball ammo in bulk anymore, plus, it feeds very well.

Answer 4

Pure lead may not feed as well as alloys, with the soft lead deforming on occasion, but it should work fine. One good alloy that can be inexpensive is used wheelweights, so make friends with somebody at the local tire dealership!

Answer 5

I shoot at the local gun club range and police range, we have day when we clean the lead out of the traps and we all devide it up and we take it home to be remealted to make new bullets, their hardness it the right consisty of lead and tin, you might also check at you local recycling centers for wheel weights