Can I use really old lead?

[tayous1]

I just moved to a new state for a job I work now on an old military base. I was told by a fellow officer that if I go down to the bay there are thousands of old 45-70 lead rounds in the water this was area was a military base back in the 1800 when 45-70 was issued. My question is would this old lead be any good for casting? I'm looking at starting to cast 45ACP and thought this old 45-70 lead might be a good start?

[garbear]

if not send it to me.

[MtGun44]

All the lead that you will EVER use was formed about 5 billion years ago somewhere in the
heart of a star as uranium and then slowly decayed down to lead over the millenia. I'm
betting that a few decades or hundred extra years won't make much difference.



Bill

[tayous1]

Thanks since this is going to be my first time casting I wanted to ask.

[R.M.]

Make sure you don't put that wet lead into any melted lead.

[singleshot]

All the lead that you will EVER use was formed about 5 billion years ago somewhere in the
heart of a star as uranium and then slowly decayed down to lead over the millenia. I'm
betting that a few decades or hundred extra years won't make much difference.



Bill

Completely agree, the age of the lead matters not.

Not on topic though is in that time u238 has only gone through 1 half-life and u235 has only gone thru 7...I'm just sayin'

[singleshot]

Completely agree, the age of the lead matters not.

Not on topic though is in that time u238 has only gone through 1 half-life and u235 has only gone thru 7...I'm just sayin'

At the CURRENT speed of light, I should add...

[mooman76]

I totally disagree. It is hazardous when it gets that old so you should gather it all up and sent it to me for proper disposal!

[singleshot]

I totally disagree. It is hazardous when it gets that old so you should gather it all up and sent it to me for proper disposal!

I shoulda thought of that!

[Shiloh]

Been re-using lead a lot. I often find spent boolits in the berm. They are of the kind I cast. They get re-melted, fluxed, cast, lubed, loaded, repeat.

Shiloh

[gray wolf]

If I was as good as lead is good for as long as lead is good --
I would be good for a long time EH.

[CATS]

Go get as much of that free lead as you can with out getting anyone else interested in your soon to be stash. You can learn how to deal with it later.

[MtGun44]

The only issue is how much lead oxide it might have on it from being underwater for
a long time. It won't hurt anything but you may wind up with a bit more lead oxide dross
on the top of the melt than with newer lead. Also, that lead will be very soft, so you may
need to add some tin and maybe some antimony if you want to harden it up. For moderate
pistol loads, it should be fine with a good boolit design and lube. For any thing real hot loads
you may need a touch harder, but only up to maybe 12 BHN from the 8 or 9 BHN it is
likely to be. Try it out and see.

Actually the majority of lead started out as thorium, only about 1/5th of it started out as
uranium. But as a family friend once said - "Happened a long time ago".

Bill

[Firebricker]

Should also be a good alloy I thought I read it was 20-1 for the Gov rounds. Anybody know for sure ? FB

[gray wolf]

I want some

[Longwood]

I would like to know how he plans on recovering it from the bay.

[tayous1]

Go get as much of that free lead as you can with out getting anyone else interested in your soon to be stash. You can learn how to deal with it later.

I'm looking at do that this weekend. Not worried about other people finding out as it seems I'm the only one who reloads around here. At the range I picked up about 200 223, 500 40 S&W, 200 45acp and 150 308win brass. I'm told there is another range that has even more brass.

I would like to know how he plans on recovering it from the bay.

The "Bay" is just the name of this area. I was told most of the lead rounds are right on the shore. Kids use them to weigh down there lines when they go fishing around here.

[Tatume]

Seriously, get as much of that stuff as you can. Right now you might think 50 pounds is a lot, but a few years from now you could easily be casting 100 pounds per year. Be a rich man, get it while you can.

[lwknight]

Any and all lead will get you $1.00 per poind and it is a commodity so you cannot go wrong in this hyper-inflationary pending emminant dollar collapse time.

[gnoahhh]

Shucks, I know a guy who was a relic hunter around the Civil War battlefields and encampments of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. He accumulated wash tubs full of minie balls, literally. He melted about a half-ton of them down to make pistol bullets. Not what I would have done, but what the hell.

We relic hunters got so blase` about finding minie balls we stopped digging them up when we got that certain-pitched "bing" with the metal detector.