How to Use Tire Weights for Reloading
Reloaders use lead to cast bullets. Alloyed with other metals, lead is the primary metal used to cast bullets and lead tire (wheel) weights make great bullets. Alloy composition--the elements other than lead within the alloy--determines the hardness of the lead and it's suitability for casting bullets. High velocity bullets require a harder alloy than low velocity bullets and adding small amounts of tin or antimony to molten lead will harden it while arsenic serves as a catalyst in treating lead/antimony alloys. Tin and antimony are both found in clip-on and stick-on wheel weights. Arsenic is found in clip-on wheel weights only.
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Things You'll Need
- Lead casting furnace
- Bullet molds
- Wooden mold mallet
- Lead hardness tester
Instructions
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Collect several pounds of tire weights and place the recommended amount into a casting furnace. The recommended amount will depend upon the size of the casting furnace. Turn the furnace on and allow the metal to completely melt.
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2
Pour the molten lead into several bullet molds and allow the cast bullets to solidify. Use a wooden mold mallet to knock the hot bullets out of the mold.
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3
Test the hardness of the bullets once they have cooled completely using a lead hardness tester. Each make and model of tester will operate in a slightly different manner but they all use a dial indicator to measure hardness of a lead sample--a cast bullet.
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Determine the hardness needed for your bullets based on the velocity predictions for your loads. Fire your cast bullets at a shooting range and check for leading within the bore, accuracy consistency and terminal ballistic performance--does your bullet do what you want it to do when it hits the target? This is critical for hunters.
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Increase the amount of tin and/or antimony to increase bullet hardness until you get the bullet performance you desire. Add pure lead to decrease the tin/antimony percentage.
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Tips & Warnings
Casting bullets requires experimentation to eventually develop the proper alloy for your shooting requirements. You will need to cast, then test shoot several lots of bullets before you obtain the desired results.
Clip-on wheel weight composition: 0.5 percent tin, two percent antimony, 97.5 percent lead, and there are trace quantities of arsenic.
Stick-on wheel weight composition: tin and antimony--not standard, 99.5 percent lead, with no traces of arsenic.
Wear eye protection when melting and pouring lead.
Do not drop solid lead pieces into molten lead within the melting pot.
Do not alloy elemental arsenic into any lead because it will sublimate at the molten temperature of lead and emit toxic smoke.
References
- Photo Credit cast lead bullet image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com
