In the January 2014 issue of The Trace, Brother Gerry Messmer mentioned the possibility of a future lead shortage in US. He advised to consider stocking up on lead and provided a great chart on round ball per pound of lead.
Regardless of whether you want to heed his warning, the chart is a great way to think of any lead you have on hand in terms of how much ball you can cast.
Here is a rough chart on balls per pound based on caliber to help you plan your lead requirements for round ball.
32 caliber: (.310) 048g—approx 146 balls/pound
36 caliber: (.360) 071g—-approx 98 balls/pound
40 caliber: (.395) 092g—-approx 76 balls/pound
45 caliber: (.445) 133g—-approx 52 balls/pound
50 caliber: (.498) 180g—-approx 38 balls/pound
54 caliber: (.535) 220g—-approx 32 balls/pound
58 caliber: (.560) 280g—-approx 25 balls/pound
62 caliber: (.610) 341g—-approx 20 balls/pound
69 caliber: (.678) 468g—-approx 15 balls/pound
75 caliber: (.715) 545g—-approx 13 balls/pound
Watch yer top knot!
– Many Rifles