Canadian Airgun Forum

If i were to pick up a .308 cal, and cast bullets for it. Would i use the same lead and molds as i would
If i were pouring bullets for an air rifle .308? I heard someone say they used pure lead for air
And not with powder burning.

Thanks a bunch

If you were only driving your .308 bullets at 900fps, then yes, you might - might, get away with pure lead, or very soft lead.

If you use enough powder to get 1,300fsp to 1,600fps, you will likely get "away with" an allow of 20:1 or maybe 30:1 - pure lead to tin, or 50/50 pure lead to crimp-on WW.

If you are shooting 1,600fps to 1,m800fps, you will likely need something on the order of "crimp-on" wheel weights. Where pure lead is brinel 5, these WW are about 12 on the scale.

If you google lead alloys for CF rifle ctgs, you will get most likely, more information than I will give here in one post.

Most guys who shoot 1,800fps to 2,000fps with cast bullets, use straight Linotype alloy, which is getting hard to find. That is brinel 22 for new alloy and usually 21 for older alloy.

You can harden crimp-on WW alloy to brinel 33, using an oven (until just a hair less than slumping temp) and quenching them in water. In 12 hours they will reach maximum hardness.

With a good lube like LBT Blue, you can drive these to around or just over 3,000fps (not from a .308 unless very lightweight) - these will likely be inaccurate any way.

The hardened bullets will then slowly soften over time, and perhaps in a year 1 1/2 or two, soften back to brinel 12.

Re-read your question - moulds. The Lyman #311291, is one of the most accurate bullets for a .308 CF rifle. The bullet should be shot, as-cast, not sized smaller, but lubed with a good

alox/beeswax lube. Lyman makes one. If shooting only to low speeds in the 1,200fps to 1,500fps range, Honda chain lube may be found easier and work fine. The chain lube I am referring to, dries

to a thin finish that does not wipe off.

Stick-on WW with a sticky backing for alloyed wheels, are usually pure lead - or zinc. There are also zinc crimp on weights. For somewhat experienced casters, zinc WW are easily spotted.

If you accidentally mix ZINC WW in your pot with lead WW, the zinc will ruin the entire melt- and likely the pot as well, as it enters the steel pores and exudes them them into the next batch of

lead you melt and ruin that one too.

_________________
Best Wishes
Daryl

If you can find Linotype, Its a BN of 18 or so.

I just started to smelt and been picking up range scrap. We figure the BN is around 8. I need to bump it around 10-12 for my 1100 FPS 9mm loads. With the intentions of casting. Only because I shoot over 500 rds a month. Spending 112$ per 1000 is my biggest cost reloading.

I went with range scrap ( back stop of a indoor range ) only because I know there shouldn't be any zinc in it.

Daryl, have you thought about powder casting? It should seal the lead and prevent it from reverting. Because no air should be able to get in. Bullets I use has this Hitec coating and actually I need to lower the powder down because it shoot faster.

Powder Coating - yes - I have thought about it - read a few articles and watched a few videos. I have 2 bags of powder I bought from Prismatic Powders from White City Oregon. It says Cerakote on the box - I thought it was paint powder. Cerakote is a ceramic coating - so I'm not sure what I have - perhaps I should coat some bullets and cook them to find out if it is paint or ceramic. I have Silver (for vampires) and Gold, just for show.
I don't think I want to shoot ceramic coated bullets from any of my rifles or handguns.

or

are you talking about putting some sort of powder on top of the lead in the pot to prevent oxidation? I only dip, I do not use bottom pour pots. I've had 3 or 4 over the years and prefer to dip - better, more consistent bullets - especially when casting larger 450gr. through 525's in alloys and up to 750gr. in pure lead.

_________________
Best Wishes
Daryl

No powder coating. Like powder paint. After you make your bullets, you don't lube or size. Bath them in acetone, let them dry. You dump them in a container with powder paint and give them a shake, and than take them out and put them on a tray and bake them for like 15-20mins. Than dunk in water again, and comes out with this shiny painted surface.

Hitek coated 9mm bullet. Now you can take a hammer to them and flatten them, and should still be powder coated. Helps keep the leading down and the smoke. Cheaper than plated or jacketed.

762x51 nato is $$$ so I thought about reloading and casting bullets for 100m range rounds. Maybe 2000 FPS.

Sure hope you were not looking for a "yes or no" answer. LOL

The powdered paint is what I was talking about - I've seen several videos and in a Handloader book- they all called it powder coating.
I am not sure the stuff I bought is powdered paint, or the powdered Cerakote.

If I experiment by coating and bake some bullets, I should be able to tell the difference between paint and ceramic.
Just checked another video on powder coating cast bullets and the author noted 185 degrees for 15 minutes after the powder starts melting. Another says 400 degrees for 20 minutes then notes
that different pain powders take different temperatures.

_________________
Best Wishes
Daryl

LOL - as far as I'm am concerned, there is no yes or no, however, no pure lead for CF rifles, unless you are planning on using something like Trail Boss and shooting sub-sonic - but then you will need
to simply try them with 70% loading using THAT powder & 'see' what happens.
I guess that is more than yes or no as well.

_________________
Best Wishes
Daryl