Sources of tin for bullet casting?

[Paul101]

I'm going to start casting 45-70 bullets over the winter and I'm looking for reasonable priced sources of tin for additives.
Thank you

[HarrisK]

I'm going to start casting 45-70 bullets over the winter and I'm looking for reasonable priced sources of tin for additives.
Thank you

Tin ingots or Lead/Tin solder on not cheap but available, you can use old Type Set letters they contain Lead / Tin and Antimony both will harden Lead, getting hard to find these days, be careful Antimony will make very hard if to much added, lots of mix ratios on the net.
If you get a chance and your range will let you retrieve some old bullets, probably at the right hardness, melt and recast, best and cheapest if you can get permission, if just starting casting one word of caution make sure everything you melt is bone DRY 1 rain drop size drop of water in the melting pan will explode in a spectacular manor and it's Bl**dy hot. hope this helps

[Black Beard]

The range scrap from my local range is about BHN 10 so pretty good up to about 1500fps with most calibres. I expect most ranges where people shoot cast will be similar.

I've bought tin and antimony from Carn Metals. I'm not sure anyone else is selling antimony. Melting pure antimony into an alloy is really slow. https://www.carnmetals.co.uk/

Modern pewter is mostly tin, so is lead free solder. If you can find any old tin-lead solder alloy, it has a lot of tin in it.

BB

[Paul101]

I’m looking on my local fb selling pages and found lots of old pewter tankards at dirt cheap prices.👍

[andrew375]

Lead free solder is about 90% tin. But your best bet is to mine the backstop where they shoot pistol calibers, commercially cast bullets are cast of type metal alloys that are high in tin and antimony. Unhardened bullets cast out at 15 to 20 bhn, suitable for loads in the 20k-30k psi range. Water quenching can take the hardness to 25+bhn.

[thibben]

If you are shooting smokeless then harder bullets with Antimony should work, but watch the ratio of Tin to Antimony as funny things can happen over time re hardness, the Lyman cast bullet book is a good read on this.

If you are planning on using BP or equivalent then stick to lead and tin (around 20:1 ratios by weight).

Look on flea bay , had luck there in the past for tin or known high tin alloys. Buying commercially pure tin can be a bit £££

T

[HarrisK]

I’m looking on my local fb selling pages and found lots of old pewter tankards at dirt cheap prices.👍

Pewter will have about 2% to 10% Copper and possibly some Bismuth you will have no practical means of testing this???????

[mickwin]

I bought some 99% pure tin off the bay last year, came as small pieces cut from extruded rod, easy to weigh and melt, can't remember the cost, but would have been reasonable as I can be a tight git at times.
I'm picking up a 45 - 120 this weekend so will also be casting bullets in the near future.

[GS747]

I have also used Carnmetals in the past,will ask a mate about some spent rounds for you Paul.
Cheers GS

[Solvo]

I buy Tin & Antimony from Carn Metals. Been a while since the last order but Geoff over there was very helpful when I was starting out.
Range scrap is obviously cheaper but if you do want to go all in and control the alloy yourself then the prices at Carn are certainly competitive & the service is top notch.

[Paul101]

I buy Tin & Antimony from Carn Metals. Been a while since the last order but Geoff over there was very helpful when I was starting out.
Range scrap is obviously cheaper but if you do want to go all in and control the alloy yourself then the prices at Carn are certainly competitive & the service is top notch.

Thank you