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Thread: Hull Lead

  1. #1
    Boolit Master at heavens range
    smokemjoe's Avatar
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    Hull Lead

    Somewhere last year someone mention about the lead in boat hulls, I went from the Texas coast to Fa. on the back roads along the coasts and there were big shrimp boats and others piled up in wrecks that blowed away. There is a source of lead if you could get the rights to savage. Anyone ever looked into it down there.

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy STP's Avatar
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    smokemjoe,

    I remember that... There were warnings that not all ballast "lead" was in fact useable lead for our pursuits.
    "I know what your thinking, did he fire six shots, or only five..."

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Morgan Astorbilt's Avatar
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    The "marine" lead used for bullets is the lead used for keels on sailboats. It can contain any amount of contaminates, the only requirement for keels is the weight. The metal blocks on power boats, attached to the hulls, rudders and propeller shafts, is ZINC. They're used to prevent electrolysis damage to the hull and running gear. Didn't know power boats used lead as ballast, and I'm from Long Island, and spent many hours working in boat yards.
    Morgan

  4. #4
    Boolit Master



    Springfield's Avatar
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    I bought a 1600 pound sailboat keel weight a few years ago. the owner had cut it up into 12 x12 x10 chunks. Melted down like pure lead, made some great bullets. It was an older boat, things may be different now.

  5. #5
    Boolit Mold
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    Mar 2008
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    Hull lead

    Worked in engineering in the Navy and they had tons of lead ballast. I think they were like 10# bars. Covered the bottom of the ship, several layers thick.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy




    bullshot's Avatar
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    Morgan is right. Sailboats use the weight in the keel. It is only for weight but thats not saying the weight is not pure lead. Always investigate, boat builders get their materials like we do ,anywhere they can.
    Bullshot
    Bob
    You make your own reputation. No one makes it for you.
    NRA Benefactor

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check