Question for all of you lead miners out there

[robpete]

I have the opportunity to go clean up at a shut down pistol range. I'm planning on using a sifter and a shovel. What is the best technique for maximum lead recovery, while minimizing the dirt and crud take home? Thanks!

[Wag]

I've never done it but I have to believe you don't have to dig too deep.

--Wag--

[bayjoe]

Lowe's has some screen, I think it is for outside stucco. Comes in sheets of approximately 30" X 60". It works great for sifting

[Trelan]

You want to try to have the soil as dry as possible so that it will crumble to dust and fall through the sifter easy. The other hint I can give you is to build a stand for your sifter so that you can shake it back and forth without having to hold onto the weight.

[btroj]

Depends on soil type. Sand and loam will sift well, clay won't.

I have clay so I pick by hand. My daughter and I can get 25 pounds in around 10 minutes. We shoot some, pick some. Best day was 400 rounds of handgun fired, 160 pounds of lead gathered. All that in around 3 hours. Good day.

[Bullshop Junior]

I always used a sifter make from small expanded metal, built on a rocker stand It worked really well.

[robpete]

Depends on soil type. Sand and loam will sift well, clay won't.

I have clay so I pick by hand. My daughter and I can get 25 pounds in around 10 minutes. We shoot some, pick some. Best day was 400 rounds of handgun fired, 160 pounds of lead gathered. All that in around 3 hours. Good day.

Did you guys have to dig much or was it all hands? those are impressive figures.

[btroj]

I find that shooting moves stuff to the surface. I don't ever dig. I move stuff around not he surface with my foot at most. A 44 mag shovel does an excellent job of digging when needed.

I figure that I am gathering mostly bullets fired years ago. Time, frost heave, and shooting bring them to the surface. Dry conditions make it easier. Our berms at times are almost like dust on the surface, those conditions are best.

Pick low use days and times and have at it. I got 1400 pounds this year, all by hand. Think about it this way, always bring home more than you take. Runs 10 pound surplus each range trip and in 20 trips to the range you are 200 pounds ahead. After a few years you have a nice stash.

I don't want it to become like work. I have fun with it. I do weigh each bucket when I get home and keep track for the year. Goal was 1 k pounds this year blew that away.

[robpete]

beautiful. I'd be happy if I'm half as successful. Definitely encouraged!

[AlaskanGuy]

I built a rocker this year... Kinda the same like they use for gold.... I would take a pic, but it is burried for the winter.... Our soil is very wet due to rain, so i use a gloved hand to spread the gravel against the screen once i drop a shovel full in....

AG

[kungfustyle]

If you get a bunch remember your brothers here :-P

[30CAL-TEXAN]

In the berms I have mined, most of the good stuff is in the top 3 inches of the surface of the berm. I have an old galvanized pail about 3 or 4 gallon size with the bottom cut out and expanded metal welded in place. I scoop the surface of the berm with a flat shovel and chunk it in the bucket. after a couple of shakes and spins I dump the goods in a 5 gallon bucket. Repeat....

after I have filled a couple of buckets I scoop and chunk the fine dirt that was sifted out back to the top of the berm to reface it. It doesn't take long to fill several buckets with scrap.

If you choose to go this route I will give you these hints:

*The welded construction was an upgrade from my first attempt with a plastic bucket - the plastic bucket worked but it didn't last long.
*Make a large and comfortable handle for the bucket, the wire handle will tear your hand up in a hurry.
*Be aware that there will likely be a need for hand sorting or other processing before you can smelt, but hey - it's free right?

That's about it - have fun.

[btroj]

I take a large plastic cup down range. Mine hold 13 pounds when full. This is then dumped into small bucket kept at firing line. This bucket will hold around 60 pounds. If it gets full it gets dumped into a larger bucket in bed of truck. I have never filled that one.

I figure a 30 pound day is poor, 50 isn't bad, over 70 is good. Have broken 100 on three occasions, they were awesome days. I still have almost 4 full 5 gal buckets to smelt down.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Don't overlook the modest garden hose which (in warm weather) can flush away a lot of soil, sand. etc and leave you with generous piles of lead pieces that are easy to gather up. If you happen to have access to a creek/stream you can "pan" the stuff easily. Make sure that what you wind up with gets a chance to dry well before you attempt to smelt. A good shovel and a garden trowel helps makes things go easier. LLS

[Gtek]

Took me a while to focus where most of the bullets are in the trajectory line from firing line elevation to hill, I get side tracked real easy with a fat one laying behind me. I made a 2x4 frame that sat on wheel barrel with 1/4" mesh on top. Throw a couple shovels on top and bang away frame to cart, when you are close take GLOVED (Trust Me) hands and finish off. Also had large enough plastic tray to dump on, then pick up tray and dump in bucket. Little dirt in the mix does not bother me, to be dealt with at home base. I sort and throw back on mesh frame at house, rinse a couple times to reduce pot mess. Store dry place for a while and when the day comes, get to melting. Gtek

[Jal5]

I do the same as btroj here with our clay soil just a smaller total than he does! My old back can't take that much bending for that long. But I never see anyone else doing mining/gathering at our range so I am happy.

[btroj]

It backers an obsession after a while.

My suggestion is to keep it fun. As load as you are running a net surplus then all is good.

Best goal is to always bring home a bit more lead than you took with you.

[375RUGER]

How much are you planning on harvesting? A lifetime supply/enough to make some money also? A few hundred pounds? If the answer is a life time supply-think motorized. 2 guys can harvest 250# and hour with my homemade sifter bucket (manual). It's a 5 gallon bucket with a screen in the bottom.

[varmint243]

I use expanded metal lathe from Lowes for the screen.
I have a U shaped box with only three sides framed so I can scrape the lead in and pour it out easily of the side with no wood.
It sound like it wouldn't work properly but it does.
A full drywall bucket of range scrap gets me about 90-100lbs of lead
It is a fair amount of physical work.
Sadly, 100lbs of lead does go as far as you think if you are a pistol shooter.

IMO kids shouldn't be exposed to the lead hazard without proper safety precautions.
Lead is bad for everyone, but worse for the younger ones.

[robpete]

I have an old concrete sifter of my grandfather's. It will easily harvest 25+ pounds at a time. Unfortunately, this is not going to be a day of pleasure. I have one shot at this before the weather changes again and freezes me out. Excavation is set for the beginning of the year. My goal is 10 full five gallon buckets. There's more there, but I'll be toast after the ten.

[robpete]

Deleted a duplicate. Sorry. Smart phone not so smart.

[dikman]

I've got a couple of handheld sieves, one I made with a timber frame and heavy plastic gutterguard. A shovel at a time is enough, shake it, empty it and re-fill, as after a while the old back starts complaining! Now I use a "kittylitter scooper" that I made out of metal. A lot slower, obviously, but I end up with very little in the way of stones etc. If I can get 30+ lbs. a session I'm happy, and it's not as tiring as the shovel/sieve setup. (Still needs washing when I get home, as it appears that the berms are a mixture of sand and fine clay).

[wv109323]

Google range lead recovery. There is a name for a contraption that separates the bullets from the dirt. It uses a drum or barrel shaped screen that rotates. The drum is angled so that one end is higher than the other. The dirt and lead is shoveled internally into the high end of the barrel. As the barrel is rotated the dirt falls through the screen and the lead works it way down the inside of the barrel into a collection bucket. The ones I saw were home made and would be worth a look if there is a lot of lead to recover.

[dbosman]

Trommel.

[btroj]

I prefer to keep it simple. A plastic cup and a few buckets are simple. A motorized device like a trommel, not so simple.

Now if the club gave the go ahead to really go after lead a trommel and shovel would make quick work of it. I have no doubt that on the right pistol berm I could get 1000 pounds in a day.

[robpete]

I prefer to keep it simple.

I'm a huge subscriber to the KISS method as well. I recruited my father-in-law and his one ton diesel. We're going to run wheel barrels back and forth. We're going to put in 8 hours and I'm hoping for the mother load! I'll follow up with some pictures this weekend. Thanks again for all of the ideas.

[dikman]

Funnily enough, wv, there's one of those things at the pistol range. It had me puzzled when I first saw it, but it didn't take long to figure out what it was for. It looks like it hasn't been used in a loooong time.

[Sasquatch-1]

Are you expected to clean out almost all of the lead or were you just given permission to mine what you want? If you have to clean up the whole thing you may be biting off more then you can chew. If you are just mining as much as you want and then leaving the methods previously stated will work.

I use a small 2 ft by 2ft frame with 1/4" hardware cloth to sift. A good hard steel rake and a short shovel I picked up at Lowe's to dig with. Volume wise (not weight) I end up with about 50% lead 45% jackets and 5% dirt and rock. Make sure you are careful, I have found live round in the scrap from time to time.

Also, be warned, a full five gallon bucket will weigh between 125 and 150 lbs.


I have the opportunity to go clean up at a shut down pistol range. I'm planning on using a sifter and a shovel. What is the best technique for maximum lead recovery, while minimizing the dirt and crud take home? Thanks!

[WRideout]

Lowe's has some screen, I think it is for outside stucco. Comes in sheets of approximately 30" X 60". It works great for sifting
This might be what I have known as expanded metal lath. It is the stuff you put on walls to hold plaster.
Wayne

[dragon813gt]

I prefer to keep it simple.

Same here. This is why I use my fingers, a bucket and a knife. I use the knife to pry bullets out of the posts. You'd be amazed at how much I get out of them. Apparently guys are really bad shots at the ranges I frequent. The rest I pick up off the ground. They tend to all be in the same area. And going in the summer after a downpour makes things easier because it uncovers them. Just follow the drainage lines for even more lead. If I come away w/ a gallon I'm ahead of the game.

[dragon813gt]

I prefer to keep it simple.

Same here. This is why I use my fingers, a bucket and a knife. I use the knife to pry bullets out of the posts. You'd be amazed at how much I get out of them. Apparently guys are really bad shots at the ranges I frequent. The rest I pick up off the ground. They tend to all be in the same area. And going in the summer after a downpour makes things easier because it uncovers them. Just follow the drainage lines for even more lead. If I come away w/ a gallon I'm ahead of the game.

[dragon813gt]

I prefer to keep it simple.

Same here. This is why I use my fingers, a bucket and a knife. I use the knife to pry bullets out of the posts. You'd be amazed at how much I get out of them. Apparently guys are really bad shots at the ranges I frequent. The rest I pick up off the ground. They tend to all be in the same area. And going in the summer after a downpour makes things easier because it uncovers them. Just follow the drainage lines for even more lead. If I come away w/ a gallon I'm ahead of the game.

[cummins05]

i belive its called hardware cloth tractor supply here has a good sized roll of this hardware cloth

[alamogunr]

I'm a huge subscriber to the KISS method as well. I recruited my father-in-law and his one ton diesel. We're going to run wheel barrels back and forth. We're going to put in 8 hours and I'm hoping for the mother load! I'll follow up with some pictures this weekend. Thanks again for all of the ideas.

What is a "wheel barrel"?

[Bullshop Junior]

What is a "wheel barrel"?

Never thought I would have to explain what a wheelbarrow was...

And if you are just getting on the guys case for spelling, we dont need grammar nazis on a information thread. Everyone should know what he was talking about.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelbarrow

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/20/6a9ugemu.jpg

[alamogunr]

I should have added a smiley.:smile:

I apologize!! It was not meant as a slur.

I really thought that it was a local thing. We have them here too.

[robpete]

It's all good. It really is a local thing. We Pittsburghers have our own language....like pop vs. soda. I usually catch myself, but whatever. Like Bullshop said, everybody knew what was meant.

[Bullshop Junior]

Lol. I har always spelt it wheel barral myself. Didnt know there was another was till this morning actually when I was googling the pic.

[btroj]

Heck, a guy could use a barrel with wheels.....

Think of it as a wheeled mode of transporting items

[dikman]

It's a sad fact of life that spelling and grammar have suffered at the hands of the "electronic age". And before anybody flames me, this isn't a shot at anyone in particular, simply an observation from being a member of many disparate forums.

It's a common problem.

[Gtek]

Big talk from you Yankee Doodlers here on "CASTBOOLITS". :kidding:Gtek

[armedmoose]

Thanks for the info.. I think I might get some access at my local clubs berm this year for some mining.

:)

[Teddy (punchie)]

I'm a huge subscriber to the KISS method as well. I recruited my father-in-law and his one ton diesel. We're going to run wheel barrels back and forth. We're going to put in 8 hours and I'm hoping for the mother load! I'll follow up with some pictures this weekend. Thanks again for all of the ideas.

So how did the Mining Go?

[kryogen]

will try to go clean the scrap next spring at my range.

[robpete]

So how did the Mining Go?

I got chased out(long story), but still did pretty well. All of the rain and snow melt was beneficial and a curse. There was a ton of splash scrap all around where the plate racks used to be. I scraped all of that up and brought it home. 13 2/3 full buckets worth(this is probably 50% or less lead). The mother load was the back stop. Unfortunately the mud made sifting very difficult an the clingy mud made it too hard to identify the slugs to just pick them up. I still ended up with two very nice buckets.

Once the miscommunication between the power trippers gets cleared up, I'll return for more riches. I'd love to spend a day on the backstop, when it's dry. If it's dry, I know I can easily dig and sift a dozen buckets worth out of there. I just hope I can get back in there before the excavation process for the new range starts.

[Rooster]

We've got plates at our range and I too see the splash collect where they are standing. How were you planning on processing the 50/50 mix Rob? There is so much dirt in the mix that I haven't even attempted to collect it up thinking that it would take a ton of heat (read propane $$$) in the system to render the lead out.

[robpete]

I'm going to process it like the indoor stuff......just toss it all it the dutch oven and cover it with the lid. I'll start out with some bigger stuff or some of the whole bullets. Once i get a nice pool in there, I'll start adding the splash mix. Hopefully it willl work!

[fcvan]

When I first started mining the berm at work I had a 1lb metal coffee can, a 3lb can, and a dollar store plastic vegetable colander. Scoop with the 1lb can into the colander, sift and fill the 3lb can. 5 minutes or less and I had about 30 lbs of lead. Back then, we shot hollow based wad cutters and so the boolits had dirt with possible moisture. After a few days in the can the moisture was pretty much gone but I was still mindful of the tinsel fairy. I still have the colander but haven't berm mined for years.

[Rooster]

That sounds logical to me. Start with a half a pot of liquid alloy and put a bit of the mix in. Should be quick to melt too. I'd be extra mindful of the TF visiting upon addition of new ore.

[dikman]

Rooster, if you've got that much dirt mixed in, I reckon it's worth washing the stuff first (even if it does mean more work!). Even though mine is sieved while dry, to remove nearly all of the crud, I soak it for a couple of days in buckets, then put a couple of shovels at a time in a sieve and hose it off. It gets rid of 99% of the dirt/sand/clay. Considering the crud that I still get when I smelt it, I'd hate to think what it would be like if I didn't clean it first!

As you say, it wouldn't do the propane use any good with all that dirt in there.

[Teddy (punchie)]

I'm going to process it like the indoor stuff......just toss it all it the dutch oven and cover it with the lid. I'll start out with some bigger stuff or some of the whole bullets. Once i get a nice pool in there, I'll start adding the splash mix. Hopefully it willl work!

We are going to make a 8 " C-canel about 7' long and use a long fire about 3'-4 ' block at one end and ground or make shift molds at other in wood frame on ground. No need to dry out or clean heat up and let the lead flow use a hoe to drag all of the waste back up to top and over into a bucket or tub. We had too much trouble cleaning the range lead. this way we can light and run and come back when cooling off. We had per bucket about 4-5 , 22lr and some 9mm and 45 that were not shot, duds but still had powder and primers. Just the thought of melted lead, fly makes me hurt.