Range scrap

[Orland]

100420

Last week I joined a local public range. Today after work I stopped by to sight in a new 22 hornet and to my surprise the berm behind the 25 yard target was littered with lead laying on top of the ground. As I was the only one there I felt a strong need to rescue the poor homeless lead and give it a loving home. In only ten minutes I picked up fifteen pounds of lead from the top of the ground. Next trip to the range I will have a screen and bucket.

This is the first public range I have belonged to as I have a 100 yard range set up on my property.

I may need to find a lead anonymous meeting to attend, I think I am addicted.

[xs11jack]

You are already in a LA meeting by posting here.
Ole Jack

[Beagle333]

Members: "Hi Orland! And welcome to the group. Would you like to be first to read from the handbook today?" ;)

[Orland]

Hi, my name is Orland, I am a lead addict, I confess my addiction. I will read from the handbook after I get over the shame of my addiction.

[missionary5155]

Howdy Orland and Welcome to the place.
Range scrap is a good source of base metal to work with. I shoot RS up to 1300 fps for plinking or low powered hunting ammo. Add a GC for a bit more FPS. From there start adding WW. Your particular barrel condition, powder, lube and caliber will let you know when you reach the pressure limit and it needs to be harder. And do not overlook making the boolits fat enough. Soft lead does not perform well too small.
When you smelt, if you can do in about 50 pound batches you will find little variance in the hardness batch to batch. I have an old thick stainless 5 guart pot (yardsale) that easily does the job. Just give them a good swirl with water to clean off the excess dirt, lay them in a sunny place to dry and your ready to start cooking.
Been using RS from the first time I went shooting after the "Pickle Suit" Brigade turned me loose. Hard to pass up free brass or lead any time I come across it. The range I shoot at when up north there I usually have all to myself on Monday morning so I arrive plenty early to scout for brass or screen lead from the berns. Does not take long to get several gallon buckets full of free melters.
Have fun.. the habit just gets better and more deaply rooted.
Mike in Peru

[KYCaster]

Shame???? :confused:

Jerry

[DCM]

Welcome to the meeting Orland.

[Sgtonory]

This is a gateway drug i started just getting 20# at a time. Now a year latter i am buying 1000# a week. Start to dream of smelting lead and before you know it you have a huge pile of lead in you garage. Just the sight of 2000# of lead makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside but you still want more. Grats on you range scrap as others have said it works well in just about anything below rifle fps.

[btroj]

You aren't really addicted until you keep a log of range lead picked up by date. I weigh mine when I get home then log it.

[wv109323]

Orland- Glad to have you. I am a fellow WVian. I grew up near Gauley Bridge but live in Mingo County now. Where is that lead source?

[BNE]

My name is BNE and I still like lead.....

Welcome to the addiction. Just remember, It ain't hoarding until you have more than a lifetime supply. (Plus some for your children and grandchildren to inherit...)

[bob208]

best time to go is right after a heavy rain. it seams to bring the lead to the top or washes it out.

[btroj]

I prefer to go when it is dry. I like rain to wash away some dirt but dry makes my picking easier. Lots of shooting into wet berms does bring lots of bullets to the surface, that is a good thing.

[Bzcraig]

You aren't really addicted until you keep a log of range lead picked up by date. I weigh mine when I get home then log it.

Addiction issue AND OCD I'm thinking. :bigsmyl2:

[SSGOldfart]

Hummmm now you must box that lead up in a flat rate box and mail it in to this group
Just PM for the address:bigsmyl2:

[John Allen]

Scrap lead pickup is an addiction. I am always looking.

[zidave]

Welcome to the addiction. I do it every time I go to the range. The fun part is hauling it when I move this summer

[btroj]

A good goal is to always bring home more than you took with you. Running a constant surplus means you never run out!

[AlaskanGuy]

Welcome to the group.... I cant wait for the snow to melt so I can go pick all them purty bullets from the berm... I went out here yesterday to see if there was any exposed ground at all... None... But i did scrounge around and get a bunch of once fired bullets.... I been contemplating shooting some of the better ones....lol

100463

I bet the good ones would fire just fine....

[William Yanda]

Multi step program.....Let's see,
Step 1 Admit your problem
Step 2 Collect
Step 3 Smelt
Step 4 Flux
Step 5 Ingotize
Step 6.......

Oh, by the way, many of us here will be glad to sponsor you, talk anything over that you desire.
Bill

[Orland]

Wv109323, that is kind of like asking a gold miner for directions to his claim, hard to tell where he will send you!

This came from a range near Hinton.

William, I think I see a pattern starting to develop in that multi-step plan of yours.

[camotruck]

You aren't really addicted until you keep a log of range lead picked up by date. I weigh mine when I get home then log it.

Poor poor man .... Poor poor sick man :kidding:


I'm forever picking up lead at the range. One day some one asked me what I had just picked up, I told him a silver dollar. I always carry one in my pocket, so I was able to show it to him. LOL

[Hickok]

Orland- Glad to have you. I am a fellow WVian. I grew up near Gauley Bridge but live in Mingo County now. Where is that lead source?Don't listen to him Orland, he going to jump your claim! I too am a fellow West Virginian,......soooo.... there is a public range near Rainelle.......:-P

[DCM]

Orland if it becomes too much to bear just PM me I will tell you where to send all that lead.
Or just tell me where to send the prepaid flat rate boxes.
Just tryin to help. :bigsmyl2: :bigsmyl2:

[wgr]

Multi step program.....Let's see,
Step 1 Admit your problem
Step 2 Collect
Step 3 Smelt
Step 4 Flux
Step 5 Ingotize
Step 6.......

Oh, by the way, many of us here will be glad to sponsor you, talk anything over that you desire.
Bill
No problem here.I can stop anytime i want.:cbpour:

[km101]

I don't have a range where I can scrounge lead, but I am always looking for it. I was walking across the parking lot at the grocery store yesterday and saw a WW. I stopped to pick it up! Always on the lookout.

[Harter66]

Hi I'm Harter.
I'm also a member of LJU (lead junkies unanimous).
I have a lead addiction. I've walked up to 100yd on both sides of driveways of truck stops in 8 states on 3 interstates and scored my single largest pick-up piece an 8oz truck weight while waiting for the Disneyland shuttle in Anihiem Ca. I got almost a pound at the US93/95 south drop in into Kingman Az right at the edge of town. I don't find many in parking lots, but it is really hard to go to Reno and not want to raid the mall lots w/my handy dandy ww pliers......

There's no shame in berm mining. If you sort that berm haul into hard ,sorta hard,and cores you'll end up w/almost lino,more or less ww, and at least by my measures stuff that will water drop to about the same as A/C WW and expand nicely in rifle boolit.

[Orland]

I plan on sorting them for softness, I have a 141 gr .454 round ball mould that is a hoot loaded in a 45 colt around 600 fps. It sounds like a 22 lr and is deadly accurate.

[a.squibload]

I made a steel target that hangs on chains. While other shooters
are fixing targets I am picking up spent boolits. Usually take home
6 or 8 pounds with little effort. Cut part of the top out of an antifreeze
bottle for a bucket.
Behind or on top of the berm is a good place to look, seems like they
get knocked out of the berm by incoming boolits.
I separate the jaxketed and ML balls for soft, the cast will mostly be harder.

[Ed1]

I been at the range for 3 days now picking it out of the berms. It's been rainy so no one has been there. I got 10 gallons already. I'm lovin life.

[kbstenberg]

Hello my name is Kevin (fake ID) I have a lead addiction also. I have stashes of lead spread throughout my house and barn so when I get the impulse to touch lead I don't have to go far.

[a.squibload]

I been at the range for 3 days now picking it out of the berms. It's been rainy so no one has been there. I got 10 gallons already. I'm lovin life.

Let's see, 10 gallons x 25lbs/gallon = ...
(sound of calculator keys)...
Hey, that's pretty good!

Anyway I'm guessing 300 lbs give or take, nice haul.

[btroj]

Let's see, 10 gallons x 25lbs/gallon = ...
(sound of calculator keys)...
Hey, that's pretty good!

Anyway I'm guessing 300 lbs give or take, nice haul.

Could be even more. A standard 5 gal bucket level to the top for me is about 200 pounds. I am working on number 5 right now and melted down about 5 last year.

[zidave]

I just got back from the range where I filled a 5 gallon bucket about halfway.

[mold maker]

I used to have a terrible addiction to scrounging lead. I still would if I could find any. I go down stairs and look at my hoard, and that warm fuzzy feeling warms my heart.