Gather bullet metal while you can...

[Dale53]

My local Gun Club "Home Range" just cleaned our indoor range backstop of bullet metal. We have nine positions at fifty feet. It had not been cleaned for some time.

2500 lbs of bullet metal was removed. A metals dealer gave us $3500.00 for the scrap (we did NOT smelt it). Also, we had about 1/3rd of a forty gallon barrel of cartridge brass. That returned $360.00 additional.

What this means is that w/w's or ANY OTHER source of lead is going to be VERY expensive in the near term (can't speak for the future). If a metals dealer is willing to pay this much for scrap lead, think what it will cost you on the other end...:(

Dale53

[MT Gianni]

Dale, what is your range policy? Cast only, or mixed low vel J-word also? Gianni

[Dale53]

Mt Gianni;
Our policy is firmly in the "Lead Only" catagory. However, there are always those who choose to violate it. Our backstop is mild steel and we, from the beginning, prohibited ANY jacketed loads. Most people follow that protocol but some....

Dale53

[500bfrman]

2500 lbs for 3500 dollars? That is 1.40 a pound. As I write this lead is at .98 per pound. I can get virgin 92/6/2 for 1.58 and that was lead at 1.20 on the market. So it may be lower now. I don't understand what how the metals dealer is making much money, but hey whatever.

[Dale53]

500bfrman;
It kind of blew my socks off, also! Let's hope that the check doesn't bounce[smilie=1:.

At any rate, like most of us have been "talking" for the past few months, STOCK UP WHEN YOU HAVE A CHANCE.

Dale53

[KYCaster]

I just got back from the local scrap dealer. They offered $.20/lb. for my range lead.(75% lead, 25%brass)

Dale: Where exactly is the dealer who pays $1.20/lb.? It would be well worth my three hour trip to Cincinnati for the difference in price.

Jerry

[Dale53]

Jerry;
I'll follow up with you with contact information when I return from the ASSRA matches, May 25th).

Dale53

[mooman76]

I do have some good news although it may be awhile. I read an artical in the newspaper that they are going to reopen the mine in Leadville. I probubly won't open until 2010 though but it will help bring down the lead prices in the future. I guess China is running out of lead for their toys!

[jhalcott]

mooman. I think you meant OUR toys!!

[mtgrs737]

I just checked the spot lead prices on the net for WW's and misc. lead in less than truckload qty's and it was .30 lb. for WW's and .45 lb. for misc. lead. Sounds like that scrap dealer is going to be out of business real soon, better hurry up and sell him some more if he has the money to buy it!

[warf73]

I've been calling going to the scrap dealers around here and the going rate for lead is .45lbs if there buying. If your buying its $1.25lbs and out of the 4 yards I went to only 1 had any that he would sell. It didn't matter what alloy(as they didn't care) you were selling or buying that was the prices here.

Warf

[Boerrancher]

I have a 5 gal bucket sitting at our local farm and home store. Until I showed up they was paying some scrap dealer $0.60 a pound to remove their WW from the tire shop as he said it was the hazardous material fee. Needless to say, they was more than happy to give them to me. My name and Ph# is on the bucket and it says WW only on it as well. When it gets half full I get a phone call to pick it up. These hazmat fees are a big scam but that is for another thread at another time.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

P.S.

"mooman. I think you meant OUR toys!!" I know I am not old enough to have purchased these, but my step father had a set. Does anyone remember the little toy soldier molds, that you poured led into and then once the soldiers were cool, you got to paint them ? I have no clue as to how old this thing of my step father's is, but he can make about 20 different soldiers. Funny how we use to give our nations children lead to play with and now a small amount of lead in the paint sends people into a panic.

[Boz330]

Had a bunch of those when I was a kid, but we got them at the five and dime. I think they are collectors items now.

Bob

[miestro_jerry]

Dale,

I live in eastern Ohio and really need to scrounge some lead, not sure how much I can pay, but we could discuss that when the time comes.

Jerry

[LeadThrower]

I'm with Mtgrs737: spot prices are in a downtrend with lower highs and lower lows chasing each other for the last month. Highs are in a downtrend since mid-January. All these observations come from Kitco (http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/lead_historical_large.html#1year).

That scrap buyer that's paying over $1/lb is either prescient (or lucky) or nuts. Time will reveal the truth... :)

[monadnock#5]

The only way that price makes sense is if the scrapper bought it on a presold basis. Maybe he knows a sail boat builder who needs large quantities, and is prepared to pay enough to hold the battery and cast boolit folks at arms length.

[bandit7.5]

Our local scrap yard is closed for their seasonal clean out.But the gate was open and I walk in and ask to buy some lead bars ,the dealer said they were closed but go on and look and see if there was any left. Half a 55gal drum of every kind from Ww to big cast bars, doesen't matter--.60 a pound. i tossed two bars on the scale 37lb all I had was a twenty he said sold
This guy is a buisnessman not a bean counter.
I'll be back again next time with cold drinks.
bandit

[Firebird]

The Climax mine by Leadville is being re-opened, but it isn't to produce lead, it is mined for molybdenum. This is a large open pit mine that has removed several thousand feet from the top of one of our Colorado mountains.
Leadville got it's name from it's silver mines, which did produce a lot more lead than silver by weight, but not by value. My understanding is that most of the U.S. lead mines are around the Missouri, Kansas, Arkansaw, and Oklahoma border area.

[TAWILDCATT]

The molds were made by Gilbert and they had a 3lb electric furnace to cast with.
I have the furnace and molds,the furnace works.there is also a company that makes all kinds of figures.soldiers.
Miller modified the caster and sold it for bullet moulds.Picture in Phil Sharps book.
for freedom those were the days.pre WW2
model airplanes,toy soldiers and model trains.now its dope ,drinking and sex.BA HUMBUG.:coffee:[smilie=1::Fire:

[Dale53]

KyCaster and others:
I have some good news and some bad news. We did get $3300.00 for our scrap lead and cartridge brass. The bad news is my information was a "bit" incorrect. We did not have 2500 lbs of scrap lead but actually 4900 lbs of scrap lead. We were paid $.60 a lb ($2960 + .$1.75 a lb for the brass - for a total of $3300.00).

So, I am a bit red faced at the error (my information was not quite correct). I believe we got a fair price (the lead had some sand in it and we did NOT have to smelt it) that also makes sense considering spot prices, etc. Sorry if I dashed anyone's hopes. Incidentally, it was bought by a local, rather large, scrap dealer.

Dale53

[Boerrancher]

model airplanes,toy soldiers and model trains.now its dope ,drinking and sex.BA HUMBUG.:coffee:[smilie=1::Fire:

That is the reason my wife and I home school 3 of our 5 children. If I could convince my ex wife that home schooling was better then public school it would be 5 out of 5, but my ex is a bit naive and believes that the Government knows more about educating children than my wife and I do.

Before I digress into a rant, Thanks for the information in your post Wildcat. I didn't know the history behind these toy soldiers, but found them very interesting to look at. I only wish I would have had something like that to play with when I was a kid.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe