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Wheel weights from the tire shop contain fewer and fewer lead weights. I've started casting the zinc into bp stuff for plinking and for sling shot ammo ( I've got enough sl shot projectiles cast to last me until August, 2034).
I realize .54 zinc rb is not period correct, but then neither is shooting glass marbles. Good quality, soft, lead is almost impossible to find.
Anybody else doing this?
Hard lead would only work for smoothbore muskets that don't require patching or engraving on the rifling. Only soft lead will work for patched round balls, maxie balls and minine balls in rifles. You also need soft lead for revolvers as you have to squeeze the oversized ball into each chamber. Hard lead won't work for that.
Also if you get any zinc in you alloy you will not get proper "fill-out" in you molds. Avoid anything with zinc in it for ANY bullet.
For muzzleloaders stick with soft lead. There is still plenty out there.
Surely they have roofs where you live? The best source of really soft lead is lead flashing as used for roofing work - it has to be soft so it can be formed. Wheelweights are unpredictable scrap metal. OK for boat ballast but not much else.
Patrick
I had a couple salvage yards where old lead plumbing was the most common source. You have to melt the solder off for the for the softest lead. I haven't had to look for 5 years. I scored about 250 pounds of x-ray shielding from a hospital demolition. It's out there but you have to scrounge around. Check the yellow pages for scrap metal buyers - they also sell.