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Posted: 11/19/2015 8:33:50 PM EDT
I have an old .50 caliber rifle that I used to hunt with but casting balls and making powder will be new to me...

I know that I need to use pure lead for the pistols and I was wondering how many balls I can get out of each pound of lead, and where the best place is to purchase the lead bars..

Thanks.

Link Posted: 11/19/2015 9:18:01 PM EDT
[#1]
About 87.9 per pound
Link Posted: 11/19/2015 9:22:07 PM EDT
[#2]
Know any plumbers?
Link Posted: 11/19/2015 9:41:34 PM EDT
[#3]
4/3 X Pi X r cubed.  Soooo...

Pb has a density of 11.3g/cc.

A .36 inch ball has a diameter of 9mm.

(4 x Pi x .45cc cubed) / 3 =  .382

The volume of that ball would be .382ccs.

1cc/.382ccs/ ball =  2.6 balls per cc.

453g/lb.

453g/lb / 11.3g/cc = 40ccs/ lb.  40ccs/lb / 2.6balls/cc = 15.39 balls per pound.
Link Posted: 11/19/2015 9:42:51 PM EDT
[#4]
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Know any plumbers?
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Link Posted: 11/19/2015 9:50:09 PM EDT
[#5]
You'll have a better chance of finding lead at a tire change shop. Plumbers use PVC and polybutyl these days.
Link Posted: 11/19/2015 9:54:41 PM EDT
[#6]
My calculations put a .36" diameter pure lead ball at 67.96 grains each.

You should have 103 balls per pound of pure lead.
Link Posted: 11/19/2015 10:11:15 PM EDT
[#7]
Link Posted: 11/19/2015 10:34:49 PM EDT
[#8]
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You'll have a better chance of finding lead at a tire change shop. Plumbers use PVC and polybutyl these days.
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I don't think old wheel weights are pure lead, not sure,   . . and the AlGore environmentalist robots have converted most to zinc

zinc melts at higher temps, so when you smelt, the zinc wheel weights will float on top of the lead.

Hornady makes really nice lead balls

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165132904/hornady-muzzleloading-bullets-round-ball
Link Posted: 11/20/2015 10:18:55 PM EDT
[#9]
Link Posted: 11/21/2015 2:32:26 PM EDT
[#10]
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Quoted:


when they do replacements and upgrades, they take out the old lead.  Other sources are old roof flashing.  It's out there, you just have to look and check the scrap yards.  You want pure soft lead.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Know any plumbers?






when they do replacements and upgrades, they take out the old lead.  Other sources are old roof flashing.  It's out there, you just have to look and check the scrap yards.  You want pure soft lead.



Roger that!

Link Posted: 11/21/2015 5:45:10 PM EDT
[#11]
If it's a modern 36 cal Navy reproduction the ball size will be .375.  .375 diameter balls are 80 grains a piece.  7000/80 = 87.5/lb.
Link Posted: 11/21/2015 7:09:22 PM EDT
[#12]
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Quoted:
You'll have a better chance of finding lead at a tire change shop. Plumbers use PVC and polybutyl these days.
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What do you think we're ripping out and replacing?  Lead, in many cases.  Soft as can be, most of the time.  Dirty as hell though, the smelting is best done outdoors.
Link Posted: 11/24/2015 11:21:33 AM EDT
[#13]
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Quoted:


You are WAY off on this.
It is almost exactly 100 balls to the pound.
They're just around 70-80grs each.

ETA:
Assuming the balls sold for .36 revolvers that are .375" or so.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
4/3 X Pi X r cubed.  Soooo...

Pb has a density of 11.3g/cc.

A .36 inch ball has a diameter of 9mm.

(4 x Pi x .45cc cubed) / 3 =  .382

The volume of that ball would be .382ccs.

1cc/.382ccs/ ball =  2.6 balls per cc.

453g/lb.

453g/lb / 11.3g/cc = 40ccs/ lb.  40ccs/lb / 2.6balls/cc = 15.39 balls per pound.


You are WAY off on this.
It is almost exactly 100 balls to the pound.
They're just around 70-80grs each.

ETA:
Assuming the balls sold for .36 revolvers that are .375" or so.


I think everyone thought Big Tom was being funny with the standard answer of 87.  Fact is Big Tom is exactly correct.  The answer in this case is, in fact, 87.
Link Posted: 12/2/2015 12:40:56 AM EDT
[#14]
If you REALLY want to put a lot of effort in you can sift the beams at your local gun range.
Link Posted: 12/2/2015 1:19:20 AM EDT
[#15]
Pure lead = 709 lbs/c.f. = .410 lbs /c.i. = > 2.439 cubic in /lb.

This is pure lead which is what you want for roundball.  Wheel weights have antimony for hardness (about 2%), and tin for flow (about .5%) So wheel weight lead is slightly less dense than pure lead.

Any how .375 in dia lead balls are .0276 cubic in.

2.439 ci/lb / 0.0276 ci = 88.33/lb

Using wheel weights it works out to 89.26/lb.
Link Posted: 12/3/2015 1:40:42 PM EDT
[#16]

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Quoted:


If it's a modern 36 cal Navy reproduction the ball size will be .375.  .375 diameter balls are 80 grains a piece.  7000/80 = 87.5/lb.
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FWIW, .375s will work but I get better accuracy in my .36 revolvers with .380 balls.
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