Using nickel in the alloy?

[Kart29]

I met a guy at the tire store who was telling me he casts his own bullets. He told me he uses so many pounds of lead and a roll of nickels and casts his bullets from that. I forget how many pounds of lead per roll of nickels he said he uses.

I told him I was surprised nickel would melt at bullet casting temps but he says it sure does.

I've never heard of this before. Have you?

[80hp]

Thats beer talk.
Most nickels are made of copper and nickel alloy.
Some had silver in them during the war years. Those are worth about $2 each, it would be stupid to melt them.
Ref: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/me...als-d_860.html
The melting point of cupro-nickel is about 2140-2260 degF.
He'd need a foundry or a acetylene torch to melt them.
Also, around 1890's the U.S. tried cupro-nickel jacketed bullets in the Krag RIFLE. They caused terrible fouling.
BAD IDEA!
M.

[imashooter2]

See for yourself. Put a nickel on top of your pot and plug it in. Report back.

[RIF]

I don't know about Jefferson nickels but nickel babbit works to harden bullets very well. But its cost will probably hinder your excitement.

[Ridgerunner665]

Both nickel and copper can serve to "improve" cast bullets...maybe it was beer talk, but there is some truth to it.

I haven't read anything on nickel...but a lil copper in the mix makes for some darn good bullets...IIRC, its hard for most casters to get copper and lead to mix properly (most pots don't get hot enough)

If you get something such as certain kinds of babbit though (already alloyed) and mix it in...I hear it does great things.

[VTDW]

I had a wife that did 'great things' ... that is until we got married.