Posted on 01/20/2013 7:50:05 AM PST by stevie_d_64
SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - In tracking down illegal weapons, the smoking gun may not be a gun at all.
Bullets are one thing Sacramento Police Detective Greg Halstead can count on to root out weapons that otherwise would be impossible to find. They are also largely missing from the gun control debate in Washington.
Since 2008, California's capital has required ammunition dealers to take names and thumbprints of bullet buyers. They send the information electronically to police computers, which compare the names to an FBI criminal database.
Halstead begins his day looking at a list of buyers, picking out the ones who aren't supposed to own ammunition - or guns. The thumbprint left by each prohibited buyer is nearly perfect evidence of crime.
"The ammunition case is a slam-dunk solid," said Halstead, who regularly turns up illegal guns at homes he otherwise would have no reason to search. Some 154 felony convictions and 92 misdemeanor convictions have resulted so far.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I've shot straight wheel weight cast bullets from a .41mag with little to no leading problems.
Spending $500 bucks now if better than giving the govt your fingerprint later.
After centuries of trying, the alchemist’s dream may come true: lead will be the new gold.
I think wheel weights are now being made with zinc and lead.
Probably for epa/lead problems.
Sure messes up a pot of lead.
Yes, for state and federal. C/LEO for 28 yrs and that phrase has worked on many a young person, compliance in and out.
Do you remember how many rounds and what caliber the feds bought up last year. Apparently they got all surplus on hand and is probably the reason .223 is over 100% more expensive if you can find it.
I haven’t done any casting myself for several years now. Still have my molds and getting ready to buy some more for different cal.
As far as I know, here in Texas the WW haven’t changed since a lot of people still use straight WW for cast bullets.
Wheel weights too. I still have a big can of them from when I worked at gas stations in high school.
The herd in the Republic of California needs to be thinned. Apparently AIDS didn’t do its job on all the queers living there. The patriots in CA need to ban together and start fighting this evil.
Private citizens have been stockpiling, and not just .223 but everything, because they knew the day was coming.
Us “gun nuts” have been proved right and it's just a matter of time before us “SHTF nuts” are also proved right.
The day is coming.
Those of us with the beans and bullets will soon be laughing at those without.
When we were applying for our FFL license last summer, the feds found a 39 year old felony on my husband. This drug felony was to be purged from his records upon completion of his sentencing, community service and probation). The state legislature, Washington state, 9 years later overturned all purged felonies for rapists, murderers and drug convictions, needless to say they made my husband a felon 9 years after he was cleared.
It obviously came up in the FFL background check. The ATF agent working on our license said that until we got this cleared up with the state, if the feds were to come to our home and we had any guns, collectors or otherwise, any ammunition or spent shells anywhere on our land, 80 acres, they would throw my husband in jail.
.40cal HP was the predominant caliber, but there were others, too:
Lots of articles, here:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php
Registration in city of Sacramento only.
Pure lead "smears" and solder has tin in it to promote adhesion of the solder to other metals (it "wets" the surface). However some tin is desirable in a bullet alloy, just avoid using solder as the only alloy in your bullets.
You can add antimony to lead and increase its hardness which will prevent undo smearing. The good news is that wheel weights (used to balance auto/truck tires) are an alloy of lead and antimony and are usually replaced with new when re-balancing your tires. The result is garages tend to wind up with bucket loads of them which aren't easy to get rid of because of the toxic lead. Look around and you'll probably find someone who will give you all you'll ever need.
You'll need to melt the wheel weights down in a cast iron pot to separate the alloy from the steel mounting clips which sink to the bottom. Before pouring off the alloy, skim off the dross which is the crud floating on the molten alloy, then pour the alloy into an ingot mold. You can make a mold from a short piece of angle iron with flat steel caps welded on the open ends of the angle iron. The end caps should be long enough to act as feet to hold the mold facing upward.
You should check reloading manuals for a good bullet alloy recipe. The basic ingredients being pure lead, wheel weights, and soft bar solider (typically 60/40 lead to tin ratio). The manual should give you information on the percentage of antimony to lead in the weights so you can calculate the proper amount of the ingot you made to add to the pure lead and bar solder to make bullet casting alloy.
Regards,
GtG
I failed English. I meant ONLY rifles and shotguns could now be bought across state lines. Not handguns.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.