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I need help finding a reliable sorce of lead in the pnw... Im willimg to pay for it but im not paying more then scrap value. Im located in vancover wa. Is my best bet just sifting threw the rocks and dirt at the local shooting pits?
 
Once you try that a few times and realize the amount of labor to get a reasonable amount using that method, I'll bet you will be willing to pay far more than scrap price! :rolleyes:

Seriously now, I too would like to know of a source other than paying Rotometal for their very high quality but very expensive alloys.
 
Keep checking Reloading Materials ads here, Craigslist, and fishing sites too. Lead can be found, typically in the $1/lb range.
Lots of members here are also on Cast Boolits, and there's a lot of wisdom among those old timers (though I'm sure some are "young").
Lead is one of those things acquired in the hundreds of pounds, and when many retire from casting they have lots left.
 
Has anyone here seen lead wheel weights here on the west coast, in usable quantity, at a reasonable price, inside of the last decade? I know I haven't.

I get my lead from the range. We have numerous pistol bays with nice berms full of lead mixed in with the dirt and gravel. It's easy to have the place to yourself on a weekday. I never mine the berms, just pick the lead right off the top. After a rain it's easy, can get over a pound per minute. I'll bring home 10 to 30 pounds often after a range trip, and it really accumulates over the course of a year. Then comes the work of cleaning and refining it into ingots. I use a big turkey fryer and a pot made from an old propane cylinder. A guy's got to be careful handling it because it's usually covered in lead oxide, which is really not good for your health.

Is it worth it? That depends. Sometimes I want to get rid of all my molds and casting gear, but if I did that I couldn't afford to shoot things like 45/70 and 45 Colt. :)
 
I have a couple of old car batteries you can have, just pay the shipping.
Avoid car batteries when looking for lead. There is not much actual lead in one and the alloy is full of very toxic metals such as cadmium among others. These toxic metals easily outgas as you melt and refine the lead.

Unless you have a commercial grade zero loss exhaust hood steer clear!

And even if you do, turn it in for the core value and use that money to buy clean alloy. Battery recycling facilities capture these toxic fumes and strip the compounds out for reuse. They also have the equipment to recycle the acid.

I hope this helps.
 
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Find out what Johnson Creek Gun Club does with their lead and see if you can buy it from the person they sell to.
 
Has anyone here seen lead wheel weights here on the west coast, in usable quantity, at a reasonable price, inside of the last decade? I know I haven't.

So lead wheeles,weights in the pnw are band ... Sonce 2012 the goverment said no more lead wheele weights.... Every once in a while you'll find a bucket of them but they are few and far between
 
Check out a few of your local dive shops. I've gotten too old for SCUBA Diving, so I'm shooting up all
of my old diving weights 325gr. at a time. Face bigsmyl.gif
 
Care is advised in mining lead from gun ranges. If you do it when the medium (soil or whatever) is dry, there is apt to be lead airborne in the dust as you stir around in it. Doing it while the soil is damp from the rain is best if you're gonna do it at all. But then the lead under the surface is fouled with wet earth and difficult to separate.

Some of the metal recyclers will sell it back to you. They pay 47 cents a pound, sell it back for a dollar a pound or whatever.

A reliable source is eBay. You can find it there commonly for one dollar a pound, sometimes less. Shipping is relatively cheap considering the weight; sellers have discovered USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes. Shipping 50 pounds for say $15. To your home, you don't have to drive around looking for it, etc.

I used to cast more than I do now. By the time you buy equipment and now that cheap or free materials have just about dried up, it's not the bargain that it used to be. Now I only do it for specialty ammo. I own a couple of .38 revolver molds, never have used them. It doesn't make any sense to spend time and money casting bullets that can be bought cheaply. I'd say things it might be different if politics change the situation, but I have so many jacketed .38 and 9mm bullets that I'll never use them all.
 
I've been meaning to pay a visit to this outfit, in the SODO district of Seattle. I need about 40 lbs of pure lead, preferably in small ingots. From their web site, they appear to be just the ticket for lead and lead-tin alloys. - CW

 

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