First time casting advice

[80hp]

duplicate post

[80hp]

I purchased the Lee 309-230-5R molds, and have heard mixed reviews about them.

I just bought two of these and can't say I'm very impressed. They both cast oblong bullets, about .309 x .306.

If the minimum diameter of the bullet body is not at least .309, the bullet will not be accurate.Don't waste your time and lead.
Send them back!
I have owned two of these molds, both were undersized, and the bullets wouldn't shoot accurately. If you are lucky enough to get one
that casts oversize bullets, they shoot ok.
M.

[80hp]

$1 per pound is a fair price if it has been smelted into ingots. I will pay more for wheel weights or lino-type that has been smelted.
FYI- One of the best features of the Lee lead hardness tester is you can test the ingots you buy. I can test any lead that will fit through my loading press between the ram and tester.
M.

Thanks for the info. A couple of (hopefully quick) follow up questions;

A guy is selling "bricks" of lead from a sailboat - have you heard of this?
Have you heard of the lead from a sailboat being not suitable for casting?
A sailboat can have several thousand pounds of lead as ballast. It is used for its weight only, so it is generally pure lead.
It can be used, as is, for round balls for black powder. It will need to be hardened for smokeless powder use.
I have seen photos of people using chain saws to cut the ballast into usable chunks.
Have you used the Lee hardness tester with a hand-held press?
No, but it should work well if held vertically when making an impression in the lead sample.
Here are the instructions:
http://leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/90924.pdf
Thanks,

Two other methods of testing lead hardness:
-Soft lead can be scratched with a fingernail.
-If you drop a lead ingot on a concrete floor the sound it makes will indicate hardness. Soft lead will make a 'thud', hard lead will 'ring'.
With practice, you can sort soft lead from wheel weights easily.
M.

[AnotherMadHatter]

$1 per pound is a fair price if it has been smelted into ingots. I will pay more for wheel weights or lino-type that has been smelted.
FYI- One of the best features of the Lee lead hardness tester is you can test the ingots you buy. I can test any lead that will fit through my loading press between the ram and tester.
M.

Thanks for the info. A couple of (hopefully quick) follow up questions;

A guy is selling "bricks" of lead from a sailboat - have you heard of this?
Have you heard of the lead from a sailboat being not suitable for casting?
A sailboat can have several thousand pounds of lead as ballast. It is used for its weight only, so it is generally pure lead.
It can be used, as is, for round balls for black powder. It will need to be hardened for smokeless powder use.
I have seen photos of people using chain saws to cut the ballast into usable chunks.
Have you used the Lee hardness tester with a hand-held press?
No, but it should work well if held vertically when making an impression in the lead sample.
Here are the instructions:
http://leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/90924.pdf
Thanks,

Two other methods of testing lead hardness:
-Soft lead can be scratched with a fingernail.
-If you drop a lead ingot on a concrete floor the sound it makes will indicate hardness. Soft lead will make a 'thud', hard lead will 'ring'.
With practice, you can sort soft lead from wheel weights easily.
M.

Thanks for the info. It is good to know there is a way of testing the almost unending supply of lead in the area.