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Recently I went to shoot my flintlock. I found that I was out of bullets. Unfortunately I was also out lead to cast new ones. I started out by calling a few gun shops in Salt Lake that carry supplies for casting bullets. Alas none of them had any pure lead. Pure lead must be used for muzzleloaders, otherwise the bullet is too hard to go down the barrel of the gun.

I tried this once with bullets that I made from used wheelweights from an auto tire dealership. The bullet went in about 4" and stuck. I had to pound the bullet the rest
of the way down the barrel with a brass rod and a hammer. If the bullet is not right on top of the powder and the gun is fired it can blow the barrel up.

I tried to find lead from some other sources. I called a plumbing supply store and asked if they had any lead. From the response that I got you would have thought that I was asking them if they had Aides. I was also unable to find any lead at the recycling businesses that I Called. I was desperate. I wasn't about to pay $9.00 for 20 bullets at the sporting goods store.

I was able to find some old car batteries. I first emptied the acid out of them. I then ran water through them to dilute any remaining acid.


I then cut the battery open with my dremel tool.



I then put the lead cells from the battery in this pot. I then melted it. I did not get that much lead out of the batteries. I will have to find another source.


Here are some of the bullets that I cast.

2 Comments:

• Dave you are strange man. Where did you dump the acid from the batteries? Where did you put the water that you ran through them? Only you Dave only you.

By  Anonymous, at 9:36 AM  

• Have you tried silver? Just melt down some silverware and cast that as a bullet. And afterwards, you'll always be able to say, "Yeah, I've used silver bullets."

By  Anonymous, at 11:31 AM  

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