Scrounging Lead Questions

[Punisher422]

I am new to casting and have successfully cast a couple of hundred 12 gauge slugs. I have a source for wheel-weights but can only get them by about 10-15 pounds a week until they run out eventually. I thought every one on this forum was over-reacting about not being able to find lead but I have since been educated and went into a general state of panic about what I'm going to do when my source runs out.

So I went to the local range and was able to pick up about a gallon of bullets laying on the berm. I took them home and cleaned them and came up with a lot of questions in the process.

Which berm at the range is the most productive one in your experience to search for bullets? 25, 50, or 100? I got most of my lead from the 50 yard berm but I also spent the most time there.

What is the best way to clean the bullets? I cleaned them by hand in a bucket at home but it was slow and tedious work.

Also, when you go to melt down the bullets how do you crack the jacket on full metal jackets that completely enclose the lead?

All suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'm trying to learn as much as possible and really appreciate more experienced people helping me out.

[*Paladin*]

I shoot on public land, but having been a rangemaster at a few USAF ranges, I can tell you the closer berm will have the greatest concentration of bullets in a small area, because the groups are going to be tighter and impacting in one area, rather than being spread over a bigger area as the ranges get further.

For cleaning, I put the bullets on my sifter screen, hose it and shake and rinse again, then let it dry. As far as the TMJ bullets, I use a hammer and small chisel to cut a hole in the jacket for the lead to run out.

[Tom Herman]

Congrats on starting down the road to boolit success!
I haven't been able to harvest lead at an established range in ages, but pick up scrap at pits when I can.
Keep in mind that jacketed bullets will probably be close to pure lead, while cast bullets found may be anything from nearly dead soft to super hard alloys.
I would either quickly scratch test cast bullets and segregate them out into soft and hard, or just melt them all and test for hardness of the finished lot.
For jacketed bullets, I cut corners or edges of the bullet with tin snips or other tools that can quickly breach the integrity of the jacket.
You do want to break it, as a hot fully jacketed bullet with no holes can suddenly squirt hot lead! It can ruin your day in a hurry....
As far as cleaning goes, some people just render the bullets as-is. For me, I wash the major dirt off, and that's good enough.
I will either let the bullets dry in the sun for several days, or put the bullets onto a dedicated cookie sheet, and pop them into the oven at 225 degrees for a half hour or more.
You can melt questionably dry bullets from the beginning as they will get warm and dry out before melting, but once you have a liquid melt, you want to be absolutely sure that anything you add to the pot is 110% dry... Visits from the Tinsel Fairy are to be avoided at all costs!
Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[targetshootr]

That brings back memories of when I thought I'd never have enough. The ones I picked up at the range were left outside in a milk crate lined with wire mesh so the rain could wash em off. And then about a year ago a scrap yard made me an offer on 1400 lbs I couldn't refuse... and I already had that much in the garage!

[Punisher422]

Thanks for the tips guys. When I melt down all of the bullets will the copper jackets float to the top? Also will dirt or very small rocks float to the top?

[Jim]

Thanks for the tips guys. When I melt down all of the bullets will the copper jackets float to the top? Also will dirt or very small rocks float to the top?

Yup. Anything that's not lead will float. Skim the junk off the top, flux the lead and pour it into ingot molds.

[Punisher422]

Is there any issues with small rocks with air bubbles getting hot and popping? I have seen larger rocks explode from that in burn piles but don't know if it will be an issue with very small rocks in my melting pot.

[Mustangpalmer1911]

That brings back memories of when I thought I'd never have enough. The ones I picked up at the range were left outside in a milk crate lined with wire mesh so the rain could wash em off. And then about a year ago a scrap yard made me an offer on 1400 lbs I couldn't refuse... and I already had that much in the garage!

I got a quote the other day for 1 ton for 650 I think I might take that I did the math and it would be like .005 cents a round.

[Jal5]

I don't separate any of them except what are FMJ, those I hit with a hammer to crack. Now I put a lid on my smelting pot after one of those FMJ ones popped off scaring the %#$ out of me! Melt them all down, skim off the junk, flux, and pour into ingot molds. Works fine for me. You see them better after a light rain. Free is always good. I try to inspect the berms whenever possible and can usually pick up a half full large size plastic coffee can. No digging just picking them up! Just takes some time.

Joe

[Punisher422]

Does anyone know if there is any antimony or tin in the alloys used in jacketed bullets?

[targetshootr]

I got a quote the other day for 1 ton for 650 I think I might take that I did the math and it would be like .005 cents a round.

Sounds like a decent deal. A percentage of it will be clips n stuff. I gave 20 cents a lb which is off the charts. I plan to take them all my copper jackets one of these days and get a partial rebate.

[kamikaze1a]

My experience with berm lead has been that I just toss everything in my big pot and melt away, dirt and all... Just be sure that there are no loaded rounds or unfired primers for obvious reasons.

I usually start off with a cool pot, heap the pickups high in the pot and stand far away until completely melted, just in case. Don't use your casting pot as you don't want any of that contamination to end up in your mold. You will end up with less than half a pot once all the dirt, jackets and oxidation rises to the top. Then pour the melt into ingot molds. I find a good mix of hardcast and jacketed cores gives me alloy good enough to cast without any addition.

As for the full jacketed bullets, smack them with a heavy sledge and as long as the jacket ruptures, the lead will melt out. And as long as you start with no molten lead and a cool pot, moisture should not be a problem as it will evaporate long before it reaches melting point.

Lastly, I find hunting after a good rain the most productive.

[mooman76]

FMJ usually have a small void in the back that the lead will melt out of. Yes the lead usually has a small amount of antimony in them. It helps them to fill better. I haven't done it in awhile but it helps to start out with a pot with lead in it already. The melt will help get the gunk you put in extract lead out of it. If you have allot of garbage stir it good to make sure the lead gets to the melt and it will go quicker. I tried picking most the garbage out but it is long and boring so I don't think there is any really best way but I did pick out the easy stuff. If you wash the lead it gets some of the dirt out but you risk getting water in the melt and that is followed by a visit from the tinsel fairy. Bad Ju ju. Do it with caution becase you never know when you might find a live round in the junk.

[firefly1957]

I also put everything in large pot and heat from cool to safely rid mix of moisture I do not do this in a pot I cast from. As it melts sand and Jacket will float to be skimmed off. TMJ do need to be opened before you melt them. I use a old screen to get rid of most of the sand before heating.

A word on bullets that do not float both depleted uranium and Tungsten carbide are used in mostly military bullets and are heavier than lead. It is not likely you will come across depleted Uranium but it is toxic Tungsten carbide is not a problem unless you grind it and inhale it. if you run into them they can be disposed of the same place you send that skim which is all contaminated do not put it in the yard.

[HighHook]

Deep down inside, I think... We all can never have enough of that heavy metal stuff.

Also, I pick the j words that are not deformed and re-shoot them

[zxcvbob]

Which berm at the range is the most productive one in your experience to search for bullets? 25, 50, or 100? I got most of my lead from the 50 yard berm but I also spent the most time there.The pistol range. Especially right under the metal popper targets.

Does anyone know if there is any antimony or tin in the alloys used in jacketed bullets?
Yes, a little.

[XWrench3]

i use a pair of wire cutters to open up the totally enclsed bullets. all you have to do is get one corner opened up, and the soft lead will ooze out when melted. everything that is not lead, or a lead alloy, will come floating to the surface, scrape it off, flux it, scrape it again, and i always repeat just to be safe. as far as rocks, i have had a few, never had one break or pop during the smelting opperation. i am not saying they cant, i just have not experienced it yet. yes, finding lead is a p.i.t.a. lately. to many people wanting it for either more boolits, or to make fishing sinkers from it. without spending a lot of money, all i can find is wheel weights. and that is spotty at best. so wheel weights are what i shoot mostly. beware of fishing weights, if you find any to smelt. melt down what you know is good, (like your wheel weights) and THEN add the fishing stuff. a lot of that is zinc anymore, and you do not want that mixed in with your lead. zinc melts at a higher temp than lead/ lead alloys do. if you keep your temp down under the melting point of zinc, 787 degrees, it will simply float on top of the lead.

[Punisher422]

Thanks guys. The range I raided doesn't have any metal targets, just a big rubber mat to put targets on right in front of the berm. A lot of the FMJ bullets I picked up had that void you were mentioning but some were fully enclosed. There are only three berms, a 25, 50, and 100. I'm pretty sure people use all of them for all types of guns because I found a lot of pistol rounds in the 50 yard berm and a few in the 100 yard berm.

Also I got bad news last night. My reliable source for wheel-weights is now out. Looks like I'm going to be doing this a lot more than I thought originally.

[Doby45]

The 25yd berm should be considered the honey hole, as MOST of your high volume pistol shooting will be done at that range.

[targetshootr]

The most fun is finding big shotgun slugs. I don't do anything to jacketed, the lead comes out by itself and then you scoop out all that copper that brings a nice price.

[Trapaddict]

Best time of the year to scrounge range lead is coming up fast . Three things. Frost heave, snow melt and spring rains are what gets the bullets to show themselves here in MI. I belong to a private gun club and we are not allowed to fire prior to 9:00 AM. Get there at 7:00 and you have 2 hours to harvest this years crop. Best place has always been on the pistol ranges. Getting into a bunch of 230 gr 45 ACP's or 240Gr 44 Cals adds up quick.

Jeff

[midnight]

The great lead harvest is about to begin although I have a slight advantage. My private range doesn't allow shooting before 10 am so I get an extra hour to mine. I agree the pistol range is best but all those soft 12 ga slugs from the rifle range are great too. I don't sort any of the bullets but I make 125 lb lots and they range from Saeco 4 to 7 With the majority either 4 or 5. Happy mining!

Bob

[Punisher422]

You guys have a major advantage over the range I'm raiding. It's a public range and is open a half hour before daylight to a half hour past daylight. The last time I went it was cold and raining so I didn't have much competition and didn't have to worry about anyone firing while I was down range.

[zxcvbob]

I keep a gallon ziplock freezer bag and a small trowel in my range bag whenever I go to the outdoor pistol range. If I'm the only one there, I can snag about 15 pounds of good lead in just a few minutes just scraping it up off the ground. Most days, I don't get a chance because other folks are shooting too; that's OK, there will be more next time.

[Jal5]

I keep a gallon ziplock freezer bag and a small trowel in my range bag whenever I go to the outdoor pistol range. If I'm the only one there, I can snag about 15 pounds of good lead in just a few minutes just scraping it up off the ground. Most days, I don't get a chance because other folks are shooting too; that's OK, there will be more next time.

Good idea on the trowel, that will stay in the truck from now on! I should have thought of that myself [smilie=l:

[Punisher422]

I had a trowel with me but it I didn't need it because there were so many on top of the ground. It didn't look like anyone had hit the berms I was on in a long time.

[Mustangpalmer1911]

Picked up abuot 20lbs of WW at firestone today. They recycle them like everone else but luckily its a huge fishing area so the kid understood and hooked me up. 20lb is 20lb the way WW are now.

[Jal5]

Picked up about half a large coffee container today after shooting some 38 spl and 357 mag rounds for load development. Had the range all to myself too!

Joe

[Punisher422]

I friend from church just gave me about 30 pounds of lead shielding from a hospital. Does anyone have any info about using lead shielding for casting? It is extremely pliable and can be manipulated into a roll with your bare hands. He said that he could get me more than I would ever use and I would like to have that much lead at my disposal. Any tips would be extremely helpful.

[Harter66]

Yes take it all trade it off for what you need

[Mustangpalmer1911]

Went to the range today to play with some loads and plink with the Ruger MKII. After a hour shooting I decided to try my luck at the berm. Grabed a 5 gallon bucket out of the truck and started picking it took me about 10 min to realize that almost EVERYTHING was lead so I grabed a shovel and filled the bucket. When I got home I was all the dirt away pick most of the rock out and weighed it I had almost 80lbs of RS still a few rock and **** in there but I am guessing I have 60+lbs for 15 min of shoveling and 30 min of cleaning.

[b money]

I cant wait to go to my club and pick up some bullets, I'v got probably 800-1000LBS of un-smelted WW's but Im probably going to cast mostly with range lead to start out because it will be for 38spl and 45acp.

[Jal5]

You can't beat harvesting those spent boolits...like picking fruit off the vine. Just takes a little work. Just don't tell everyone in my neck of the woods about the pickins!