How do you ask for lead?

[olafhardt]

Whenever I take a car or truck in for maintenance or to buy tires I take some kind of bucket and ask the service writer if I can have used WW'S. I have never been turned down.

[GunStuff]

Whenever I take a car or truck in for maintenance or to buy tires I take some kind of bucket and ask the service writer if I can have used WW'S. I have never been turned down.

EXACTLY! Don't you guys ever buy tires? Make a bucket of WW part of the deal.

[WILCO]

I realize that. But i am never in the area when these places are open.

Phone calls are easy and cheaper than gas, paper and ink.
I actually stopped asking for WW's because it's too much of a hassle and I've grown tired of combative store folks. Put the word out amongst friends and family that you need WW's and lead in general. Try buying right from the scrap dealer.
Get yourself a LEE Lead hardness tester, you'll be surprised as to how hard "scrap" lead can be and won't bother with WW's.

[higgins]

Try to ask the guys changing tires or the shop foreman, never the people at the desk unless maybe he remembers selling you tires. Ask for a coffee can full to cast leadheads or sinkers; by doing that I've gotten weights from shops that aren't supposed to give any away. I don't like to tell strangers that I cast bullets-leads to discussions of what guns you own, where you shoot, etc. I would never leave my name or phone number with strangers either. It's different If you know the people that run the shop or work there. My best score in recent years was stopping in at a car dealership that was moving. The guy that ran the shop was glad to have someone else handle the bucket of used weights. Wouldn't hurt to ask the salesman that's sold you a couple of cars either or someone in dealership management who knows you. Car dealers sell a lot of tires these days.

[mdi]

"Got Lead?" But really, if you don't go by them when they're open, how ya gonn pick up/pay for them?

[Ohio Rusty]

I tell them I make them into fishing lures in case they are an anti gun/anti hunting/anti anything type person. I'm not lying as I do melt some of the WW's to make jig heads for fishing and some sinkers. The rest get turned into boolit of course. They usually don't have an issue giving me a coffee can full or two. I carry metal coffee cans in all the cars just in case I come across available WW's.
Ohio Rusty ><>

[bydand]

A story about lead. The forest service (under Klintoon) closed our range because of lead pollution. they hired an UNQUALIFIED idiot to write a report on it (they couldn't get any professionals to do it)
Turns out that you would have to EAT the dirt in the berms to get any ill effects.
"Range said we will get someone into clean up the lead." NO you can't do that.
"The berms are not high enough", so we said we would raise the berms. NO you can't do that
Ashphalt pollution from the trap range when right next door the Forest service dumped TONS of it from a road widening project.
Turns out the original complaint was filed from the office of a real estate developer who had property BEHIND the range that he couldn't sell.
Bullets are hitting signs behind the range! Apparently they were radio controlled bullets that made two right angle turns to hit those signs.
Real story: Klintoon wanted to close all ranges on gubmint land. in this case forest service land)

Oh they did give us an option. We could have built a COMPLETLY ENCLOSED range ad a cost of MILLIONS

[Chapped Lips]

Ya just never can tell..........at a real small mom&pop balancing shop the wife of the owner asked mr rather harshly what was i gonna do with the ww's.
Told her i cast my own boolits.
She asked - again rather harshly - what was i gonna shoot with the boolts.
Told her i shoot paper and the dirt behind.
She said "good answer" "cause i don't like hunting"......then smiled nicely and asked if i wanted a cup of coffee. I accepted.

Now i didn't lie to her......i am such a poor shot with a handgun that any shooting of critters would have to be a close finishing shot so i shoot paper and steel.
Now i am a fair rifle shot but i don't cast for my hunting rifles.

I believe that most town people have a better opinion of muzzleloaders than they do handguns.
Daniel Boone image versus gun violence on tv,at the movies or the 10 o'clock news.
Your locale may be different.
So,i've decided i'm gonna say "i cast for my muzzleloader" from now on. If an anti-hunting ques pops up,i can say paper shooting and just plinking fun (i do have an inline).

[Hopalong]

Getting someone to sell/give you wheelweights is a bit of an art. Here are some guidelines that work for me: 1) Don't try to ask for wheelweights when the establishment is busy. 2) Don't go in wearing spats & a tie--dress clean but a bit ragged. 3) Carry along a small sturdy cardboard box--not an empty 5-gallon pail. 4) Many workers will ask what you want 'em for--I usually say that I want to cast fishing sinkers & jigs or downrigger weights. Some are interested in bullet casting, some might be offended by the idea. 4) Since I got gray/white hair, I get more wheelweights more easily--dunno why. 5) Trading small talk is OK if they have the time, but it's often better to be up front and ask, "You guys got any scrap wheelweights? 6) Even if their discard bucket contains stuff that probably won't cast well (zinc weights, etc.), take everything they offer--you can do the culling later. 7) If they ask (or imply) what you're willing to pay, offer a price that's a good bit less than you might expect to pay--haggle a bit. Good Luck!

[The Double D]

EXACTLY! Don't you guys ever buy tires? Make a bucket of WW part of the deal.

Did that last time I bought tires for the wife's car. When she took her car in to get the tires, they loaded the bucket in the trunk...we got a good laugh when she got home...I kinda forgot to tell her about the lead part of the deal.