How to Cast Lead Bullets

Cast your own bullets to make low-cost ammunition.

Casting your own lead bullets can be a cost-effective way to support your shooting needs. Reproduce plain lead (not jacketed) bullets with commercially available molds. Produce both black powder and modern smokeless powder bullets at home with the proper molds and techniques. Used wheel weights with the metal clips make cost-effective bullets. The lead has a small tin content that hardens the lead and helps it to flow when melted.

Things You'll Need

• Burner (electric or gas)
• Long-sleeved shirt
• Leather gloves
• Pot
• Lead
• Metal spoon
• Bullet mold
• Bullet-mold manufacturer's instructions
• Cotton cloth or bucket of water

Instructions

1. Set up the burner in an open, well-ventilated area. Remove any children or pets from the area. Put on a long-sleeved shirt and leather gloves.

2. Place the lead (wheel weights, lead ingots) into the pot. Turn the burner setting to "high." Allow about 20 minutes for the lead to melt. Avoid breathing the fumes from the lead.

3. Skim any impurities or wheel weight clips off the top of the lead with a metal spoon. Remove as much of the blackish-colored impurities on top of the lead as possible with the spoon while leaving the silvery metal.

4. Add a few wax shavings from a candle to the pot to flux the lead and remove the remaining impurities. Scrape the pot's bottom and sides with the metal spoon and stir the lead well. Allow the lead to simmer and the impurities to collect as a crusty substance on the surface. Skim the substance off the lead with the metal spoon.

5. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for preheating, smoking or lubricating the mold. Close the mold and rotate the sprue plate into position over the bullet cavity.

6. Spoon the molten lead into the mold until the lead puddles above the sprue. Let the lead cool for about five seconds, then rotate the sprue plate away from the bullets by tapping on it with a wooden dowel.

7. Open the mold and tap it gently with a wooden dowel to remove the bullets. Drop the bullets onto a thick cotton cloth for soft air-cooled bullets, or drop them into a bucket of water for harder quenched bullets.

8. Prepare the mold again and repeat until the lead is used up.

Tips & Warnings

• The bullets are soft and easily deformed when they come out of the mold. Use caution and do not drop them from a significant height when removing the bullets from the mold.

• Do not cook with or use any lead-handling utensils for food preparation once they have been exposed to lead.

• Wear long sleeves and leather gloves to protect yourself from potential burns. Molten lead is at 625 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit and can cause serious burns.

• Do not breathe the fumes while melting the lead. Do not have any sources of water close to the lead when it is melting. Wash your hands frequently while handling lead, especially before eating. Do not touch your face or any mucous membranes while handling lead.

References

• ZJS Technology: How To Cast Your Own Bullets

Resources

• University of Southern Indiana: Making Multi-Cavity Bullet Molds (DOC)
• Michigan State University: Lead Hazards from Casting and Reloading (PDF)
• National Institute of Justice, Firearm Examiner Training: Casting