Need lead

Don't forget the local ranges have a lot of it in their backstop dirt. Ask if they'll let you excavate a little when the range is closed as long as you put the dirt back. They might if you'll volunteer to put any target trash you find into a trash bag.

Also, don't forget to look down. I've picked up a lot of them off parking lots and at curbs, where some bounced their tire against it an lost one. My dad used to collect them while bicycling for exercise.
 
Backstops salvaged lead

Backstops salvaged lead: Of late we have been salvaging lead from the pistol range at our club. Checked with another range scrap shooter on what is happening. There are a large number of store bought cast bullets in the mix. Testing the best we can it turns out, coming out of ground, this range scrape is nearly as hard as Lyman #2. That's fine if you want Lyman #2. For some applications that on the hard side. Local scrap yards are becoming more reluctant to sell to individuals. I'm studying on going to salvage lead shot from Roto Metals. This does not answer needs for the less hard alloys.
 
Correct. And it's not just because of cast bullets. Few swaged bullets, like. 22 rimfire bullets, are pure lead. A couple of percent antimony is common. Some swaged bullets have as much as 4%, and don't forget shot with antimony and arsenic for water-drop hardening. Even the lead in jacketed bullet cores normally has some antimony. To get pure lead, you would have to select out patched round balls to melt down.
 
I'm just waiting for Wendy to come clean and post pics of cast 20mm rounds or maybe a trebuchette count-weight of epic proportions.......
 
Lucked out recently

I was doing some salvage on a neighbors property being sold by the children after many years of leasing the land for farming. I found some bunker hill lead ingots and a huge 10 inch plug of lead my elderly neighbor who passed away in about 92 must have used for something or other. I found an old roof vent in the grass. Flashing was pure lead. If you shoot at a commercial range you are out of luck but if you have access to property that you shoot at regularly, recycling the range scrap after many years back into lead bullets is not very difficult. Just make sure you mix in some tin solder to harden the mix. Recycling lead is time consuming and does generate some slag that is toxic so be careful to dispose of it safely. Lead was also common in the joints of cast iron drain pipes. If you find some, look at the joints. I haven't cast in years, but I plan to for my 454 and 327. 32 bullets are particularly hard to find and the 300 grain gas checked bullets for the 45 get pretty expensive. Plain jane 38s are fairly cheap and much less hassle to buy locally. rc
 
Grey Lion. Lol. I would cast anything that feeds right now if Noe would supply a bunch of free molds. The 45-70s are coming out nice. I've cast about 1500 45 colt for the rifle. Going to take a while to shoot them up. I had so many loaded I got tired of the 45 for once in a lifetime at the range Saturday. Next up a mold for 35 Remington and my 44 rifle. This was supposed to be cheaper right. !!!!
 
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