Page 220 - The Lost Ways

manufacturers will list the weight of the bullet (typically in grains) and the profile of the
bullet as well as the composition.

With the exception of specialty bullets, most will be sold at a similar price point. The major
cost will usually be the shipping charges (bullets in bulk can be heavy). An alternative to
ordering from manufacturers, distributors, or Internet retailers that require shipping to
the customer can be in the form of finding a local bullet manufacturer, where the bullets
can be picked up locally. If this does not seem to be an option, the enterprising hand
loader can always make bullets at home.

The Cast Lead Bullet

The easiest type of bullet to make is
the cast lead bullet. Lead bullets work
best in handgun calibers (particularly
revolvers) and rifle rounds loaded less
than 1,000 feet per second. Any bullet
traveling faster than this will cause
excessive leading in the barrel. This

can be alleviated in certain calibers to
a degree by using a gas check, which
is a cup or disc made of a harder metal
that is situated at the rear of the projectile.

Lead can be bought in lead ingots of the proper alloy for shooting, or it can be found by
digging up the berms of shooting areas; sourced from rivers, lakes, and streams in the
form of old fishing sinkers or dive belts; and obtained from tire shops in the form of old

wheel weights. Most tire shops will be happy to give it away as they typically pay for
disposal.

When lead known as bullet alloy is acquired, it is actually a mixture of lead, tin, and
antimony. These additional elements aid in making the bullet harder than lead by itself in
order to reduce leaving lead deposits in the rifling of the barrel when a bullet is fired at a
velocity greater than 1,000 feet per second. Recycled lead will not often have these
properties.

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