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 Casting zinc 
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Real Name: Randall Knapp
I searched but did not find anyone posting if they are casting bullets using zinc. Yes I know Elvis Ammo has done it and I messaged him as to my question.

I am wondering if anyone is casting zinc and then using the zinc bullets to load standard velocity ammunition. Zinc has been used for a bullet coating so why not use a gas checked zinc bullet to load for 5.56 standard velocity. Elvis loaded zinc for reduced loads for 5.56 and they worked fine. I could even powdercoat them before gas checking instead of using lee allox on the lube bands.

As of 2/15 Elvis Ammo has not got back to me yet. I would not hesitate casting zinc pistol bullets. My lead hardcasts are good to 2600fps and not giving leading but 5.56 is just enough faster that I think I would have problems. I watched Elvis' videos he is gaschecking so the sizing argument at the other site is not valid. Hell I size jacketed bullets .357 down to .355 and have no problems. I do not see problems with the weight either because I am planning on my cast zincs to weigh 55 grains so yes it will be a longer bullet which means a slightly compressed load but I am already doing that with copper projectiles and having the same POA/POI.

Here is his link https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... +ammo+zinc


Last edited by hartcreek on Fri Feb 15, 2019 6:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.



Fri Feb 15, 2019 2:50 am
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Please post their reply or any information you come across here. I bought a pile of cast ingots that were supposed to be lead, but are zinc. It would be nice to be able to put them to use. I wonder if zinc can be used as an alloy ingredient for lead ?

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Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:27 am
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Zinc ruins lead for general bullet casting, although I have heard the suggestion of casting straight zinc bullets.
Zinc is significantly lighter and harder than lead.

Here's a link that might help figure out if zinc bullets are a good idea for you.

https://www.shootandreload.com/2014/03/ ... d-of-lead/


Fri Feb 15, 2019 11:23 am
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RENCORP wrote:
I wonder if zinc can be used as an alloy ingredient for lead ?


NO!

Zinc will ruin your lead alloy if mixed in, as stated above. Keep them separate and far away.


I've cast a few bullets with zinc. The first thing to understand is that they're very hard - much harder than a "hard cast" lead bullet, and the through hardness is greater than most jacketed bullets as well. Sizing to match jacketed bullet diameter or very close to it is difficult, but also much more important than a lead bullet which can be quite a bit oversize and still work fine.

Zinc is also self lubricating - you don't need other lubes or powder coating, and I suspect powder coating wouldn't work well on zinc bullets anyway because of their hardness; I think surface pressure against the bore during initial engraving could be high enough to wipe the powder coating off. If you want to shoot zinc bullets, just leave them bare.

Zinc bullets are also pretty light weight for their size; they take up a lot more case capacity than a typical lead or jacketed bullet.

One final note is that zinc dissolves aluminum, so don't cast it in your aluminum bullet molds. It does cast OK in iron molds, just keep the temperature up a bit hotter than you would with lead. If it cools too much, it's very hard to cut the sprue.


Fri Feb 15, 2019 6:27 pm
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Yondering wrote:
One final note is that zinc dissolves aluminum, so don't cast it in your aluminum bullet molds. It does cast OK in iron molds, just keep the temperature up a bit hotter than you would with lead. If it cools too much, it's very hard to cut the sprue.


:bow: You are a fountain of excellent knowledge. Thank you very much!


Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:22 am
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Thank you for the compliment, I'm just glad to help.


Sun Feb 17, 2019 4:31 pm
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I just picked up my AR pistol on Thursday so I am proceeding with the zinc casting. I found one company that sells a 5.56 mold that may work but they want $170 for their five cavity mold so I am proceeding a different way. I found a company that I can buy a blank Lee mold from and I am going to have my nephew duplicate the Lee aluminum mold block out of steel with enough added material to drill the bores deeper as needed. The company that has the mold told me that it casts 1 inch long bullets. My nephew can either get me a cobalt fractional drill bit or turn one down to the needed diameter to drill the cavities. In the meantime I will cast a couple zinc bullets using my RCBS mold that I use for 25-35 so I can get a ratio to work with so I have an idea of how deep to drill. My first casts with my new mold will be using lead since it is much easier to deal with and I can use the ratio to determine when I have drilled deep enough. If I do this right I will not even need a sizer.


Sat Mar 02, 2019 4:19 am
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Sounds good, except for your method of creating the cavities. I'm afraid you're not going to have much success trying to create a bullet shape with a drill bit. There's a lot more to bullet design than that. Maybe consider something like Accurate Molds or Mountain Molds, and buy an appropriate design in brass or iron blocks.

I'd suggest a design that would drop around 75-80 gr in lead, and expect it to be around 50-60 gr in zinc. Make sure your barrel is twisted fast enough for whatever bullet length you end up with.

Edit - I'd forgotten that both Accurate and Mountain molds require a meplat of at least .180" diameter, which doesn't work well for a 223 mold. A better option might be to go with something like this mold: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/505796/rcbs-2-cavity-bullet-mold-22-055-sp-22-caliber-225-diameter-55-grain-semi-point-gas-check

If you wanted it heavier, a machinist could duplicate the nose shape and body diameter in a D-reamer, then plunge into the mold blocks with it to cut a longer bullet cavity. I've done a number of bullet designs with D-reamers; there's a bit of an art to it but it works well for one-off designs. Note- that method gives you a bullet with no lube grooves. For powder coating, and I presume same for a zinc bullet, this works really well.


Last edited by Yondering on Sun Mar 03, 2019 8:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.



Sun Mar 03, 2019 1:42 pm
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One more thing to add that I missed earlier - if you're going to try to duplicate Lee mold blocks (or any bullet mold blocks), use cast iron, not steel. Cast iron is specifically chosen for it's dimensional stability during heating and cooling cycles. In other words, it won't warp as you heat it up and cool it down. Steel will, sooner or later, so you'll have spent a bunch of time and $$ on what ends up as a worthless mold when it warps too much. Cast iron also machines nicer for a good finish on the mold cavity, but that's a secondary concern compared to warping.

The other primary option is brass, for the same reason as cast iron, but I'm not sure which brass alloy is commonly used. You could probably find out with some research.


Sun Mar 03, 2019 8:47 pm
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Yondering I made a bunch of phone calls about a week ago chasing down custom mold makers. I found only one company NOE that had a mold that might work and they want $170 for it. I got to thinking....copper bullets are not lubricated so why lube zinc? The blank mold will be here by Friday. Once I cast a zinc 25-35 projectile I will know more. Joe would be able to put the reamer in a lathe to notch it as needed for lube grooves and gascheck. I am thinking that I may have to do the drill bit route first with the aluminum block to see the weight it actually casts and how a few fly and then have him cut the reamer to do the cast iron block halves for the final mold.


Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:15 am
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hartcreek wrote:
Yondering I made a bunch of phone calls about a week ago chasing down custom mold makers. I found only one company NOE that had a mold that might work and they want $170 for it. I got to thinking....copper bullets are not lubricated so why lube zinc? The blank mold will be here by Friday. Once I cast a zinc 25-35 projectile I will know more. Joe would be able to put the reamer in a lathe to notch it as needed for lube grooves and gascheck. I am thinking that I may have to do the drill bit route first with the aluminum block to see the weight it actually casts and how a few fly and then have him cut the reamer to do the cast iron block halves for the final mold.


Sounds like you are doing this with some good thought. :bow:

I am surely looking forward to the results Mr Hartcreek.


Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:17 am
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You don't need lube grooves or gas checks.

I'm not clear what you're really trying to do. You mention a reamer, but then mention a drill bit. Which is it? A drill bit will just leave an uneven drill bit shaped hole, which isn't going to work for what you want. It doesn't tell you what the bullet will weigh, because that's not a viable bullet shape; it'd be basically like trying to shoot wadcutters in your 5.56, except with a very shallow point on them.

If you're trying to cut mold cavities with lube grooves, you do not use a reamer. Reamers don't cut sideways, they cut in plunging like a drill bit; cutting grooves in it won't leave you with lube grooves in the mold.

If you're just trying to figure out a conversion to estimate weight of a zinc bullet compared to lead, that's easy without actually drilling anything. Just look up the density of wheelweight lead and the density of zinc. You can use the ratio of those two numbers to calculate weight of a zinc bullet cast in a given weight lead bullet mold.

And yes, NOE molds are expensive. Something like the RCBS or Saeco iron block molds (like the example linked above) will work for you right out of the box and save you a lot of frustration.


Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:21 pm
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Yondering No they wont........My first call was to RCBS and I could not even get a blank mold which is why I went with Lee and then changing the block. My nephew has access to numeric drill bits so he might not even have to cut it down. I may have him use a lathe of I may just use my drill press with my adjustable vise square up and bolted through the table. Yes I can run the ratio but since I own a couple RCBS molds I can use them too to crunch the numbers. I have uses reamers in routers sideways plenty of times working with wood. I should be able to get it close using the bits and then just use the Cherry to finish the cast iron block off. Yes I could not use a gas check but I might as well. The hop equipment shop where my nephew works is getting all new equipment. I am not so worried about the bullet tip because 5.56 is so danged small but I do have a couple profiles to choose from and if I leave it with just a bit of a flat tip I will not have to fight the ogive fitting mt seating stems. I loaded up a bunch of copper hollow points for coyote hunting and they had just enough of a flat that I could easily push on them without deforming.


Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:34 am
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You're missing the point of what I'm trying to tell you, but carry on. You'll figure it out the first time you try to chamber your new zinc bullets with full diameter noses.

I'm not sure why you think it'd be easier to make new Lee mold blocks than to just use an RCBS or Saeco iron mold right out of the box, or modify them, but OK? I'm not saying to buy blank mold blocks from RCBS, I'm saying to just buy a complete mold, like the one in my link above on March 3, and just cast zinc bullets with it. If you want it to cast heavier, have your nephew make a D-reamer and bore the cavities deeper. I was hoping to help you out since I've made a number of my own custom molds, but we apparently are not talking on the same wavelength, so I'll leave you to it. Good luck.


Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:59 pm
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Yondering

The blasted RCBS site did not show that mold being so blasted deep. NOE told me the bullet their mold casts is one inch long. My nephew can make the cast iron blocks deeper to cut the same way.


Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:23 am
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