Casting lead

[norton]

I have been watching video, and getting interested in trying to cast my own bullets.
Question-How many of you scavenge range lead? Do the clubs or ranges you frequent allow shooters to dig around in the backstop for spent bullets?
-I have not tried asking local tire dealers if I can have their spare wheel weights. Are most dealers now selling the scrap? If so how much should I expect to pay for it?

-Of course I found out a friend of mine had sheets of lead his contractor father salvaged from a Dr's office remodel. I understand this would have made great round balls for my muzzleloader.
If he hadn't give it all away cause he had no use for it. :crying:

[Glockin26]

I have been watching video, and getting interested in trying to cast my own bullets.
Question-How many of you scavenge range lead? Do the clubs or ranges you frequent allow shooters to dig around in the backstop for spent bullets?
-I have not tried asking local tire dealers if I can have their spare wheel weights. Are most dealers now selling the scrap? If so how much should I expect to pay for it?

-Of course I found out a friend of mine had sheets of lead his contractor father salvaged from a Dr's office remodel. I understand this would have made great round balls for my muzzleloader.
If he hadn't give it all away cause he had no use for it. :crying:


I was interested in doing it but the wheel weights are drying up, all of the dealers i know sell their scrap or trade it in for fresh wheel weights made of zinc.

[shotgunred]

Lead is a comity, It has a price. Last Friday it was 80 cents a pound. A month ago it was 60 cents a pound. I buy it from the local scrap yard. It is still a lot cheaper than buying bullets.

My local tire dealer charges $20 a gallon of wheel weights.

[oneofthose]

I've been saving lead for for a couple of years now, periodically melting it into ingots. Someday,..... I start casting.

Wheel weights are getting hard to come by. Some small shops will give them to you, most say they "can't", for various reasons. Most of my lead was retreived from the bullet trap at the indoor range.

[GioaJack]

I have been watching video, and getting interested in trying to cast my own bullets.
Question-How many of you scavenge range lead? Do the clubs or ranges you frequent allow shooters to dig around in the backstop for spent bullets?
-I have not tried asking local tire dealers if I can have their spare wheel weights. Are most dealers now selling the scrap? If so how much should I expect to pay for it?

-Of course I found out a friend of mine had sheets of lead his contractor father salvaged from a Dr's office remodel. I understand this would have made great round balls for my muzzleloader.
If he hadn't give it all away cause he had no use for it. :crying:


Great, just what the world needs, another wheel weight thief. Don't you have a wife you can play with. :fist:


Jack

[fredj338]

Lead ww will be gone in 2-3yrs as manuf switch over to zinc & steel. With Kalif dropping lead ww Jan2010 & other states soon to follow, no reason to make two or three kinds. SO get what you can while you can. As notes, 60c-80c/# is the going rate, a 5gal bucket is about 140# full, but there is bound to be quite a bit of zinc & steel in there, as much as 40%. So pay accordingly. Any soft lead product can be smelted for bullet alloy. Pure lead can be hardened w/ tin, ww or commercial alloys.
I berm mine a bit at my club. They don't allow it, but I do it late & don't tear the berm up, just scoop off the top 4-6", sift & throw it back on top.

[TheGrimReaper]

Just started casting here. Bought another 2 5 gallon buckets of wheelweights today for 25.00 a bucket.


Buy it cheap and stack it deep!!!

[chris in va]

Reminds me I need to go check out my source to see if he has any. We'll have to come up with another metal pretty soon.

[shotgunred]

I am lucky because even though I am just getting around to casting I have a small stash of lead from my diving days. But I am trying to buy how ever much I use right now instead of wearing down my stash. But my local scrap yard has a lot to sell. Call around. While the scrap yard sells by the pound you are not driving all over town spending time and gas trying to get wheel weights. Heck they have some chunks in their pile that are big enough that they need to be picked up with a fork lift. I imagine they will be there until I figure out how to cut them up into manageable chunks.

[jmorris]

I just make it a habbit to always have cold beer when I stop by the tire stores, the kids (at least 21) always seem to have some for me. I guess recycling company must bring the shop workers hot beer...

[norton]

Great, just what the world needs, another wheel weight thief. Don't you have a wife you can play with. :fist:


Jack

Who do you think is gonna stand guard while I steal the wheel weights?

[m2hmghb]

Lead ww will be gone in 2-3yrs as manuf switch over to zinc & steel. With Kalif dropping lead ww Jan2010 & other states soon to follow, no reason to make two or three kinds. SO get what you can while you can. As notes, 60c-80c/# is the going rate, a 5gal bucket is about 140# full, but there is bound to be quite a bit of zinc & steel in there, as much as 40%. So pay accordingly. Any soft lead product can be smelted for bullet alloy. Pure lead can be hardened w/ tin, ww or commercial alloys.
I berm mine a bit at my club. They don't allow it, but I do it late & don't tear the berm up, just scoop off the top 4-6", sift & throw it back on top.

I hope you wear a respirator while you do that, thats a quick way to get lead poisoning due to the accumulation of lead styphanate.

[fredj338]

I hope you wear a respirator while you do that, thats a quick way to get lead poisoning due to the accumulation of lead styphanate.

Dust mask is all. The berm gets quite a bit of rain up there. I stay upwind, yeah, well aware of lead dust. Thanks for having my back.:wavey: