Lead purchase, should I or shouldn't I?

[383]

I have the opportunity to purchase some more 96/3/1 isotope cores for $.60/lb. I guess that's not a bad price, especially when the local scrap yard wants $.89/lb for WW. So far my search for cheaper lead has come up empty. The tire shops either don't, won't, or want too much.

No lead "scores" have come my way. I have enough lead already to keep me busy for some time, but who knows what the future holds or how long I'll be able to purchase the iso cores? Should I be more persistent/patient in finding another source of cheaper lead, or is this a "bird in the hand..." thing?

Thx

[imashooter2]

It's relatively clean alloy at lower price than your other available sources. If you have the disposable funds, buy it.

Always be on the lookout for cheap lead, but it is a lot easier to be patient when you are sitting on a 20 year supply.

[nwellons]

Lots of people have to pay .50/lb for ww and there is a lot of waste. Personally, I would jump on the isotope cores at that price.

[sljacob]

having a known alloy content is worth something to me. I would buy all I could afford and store what I didn't need at the moment.

[Boolseye]

Free is better, but $.60/lb. isn't bad.

[Bzcraig]

If I had cash burning a hole in my pocket I would buy it.

[dbosman]

Invest as much as you can, but nothing you can't afford to sit on. Possibly for a while.
Fortunately Ohio isn't a really awful drive if you end up with a couple of tons and simply want to resell if for what you paid, to keep the supply available.

[383]

Thanks for the opinions everyone. I plan to pick up about 200lbs next week. I'll keep buying it as funds allow until I either find a cheaper source, or get to the point where I feel I can't make use of any more.

I definitely don't want to be kicking myself later if I don't buy any and this source dries up.

[220swiftfn]

There will be kicking involved if you don't....... Rare are the days that you can find a bucket of wheelweights for under $30, when not too long ago you could fill your garage to the rafters with them for the price of beer and donuts...... Buy all you can, it's a good alloy as it sits, and if your supply outruns your needs, remember us when you post your surplus for reasonable price in swapping and selling!!!

Edit.....BTW, that alloy is what you'd get if you cut Hardball 1:1 with pure..... Like I said, it's good stuff as it sits....


Dan

[GARCIA]

I would be buying all that I could afford. Nothing like having a good known alloy that is clean. You have got to look at it in another way. When you buy a 5 gal bucket of WW's what are you really getting for the price? How much of it is no usable? Time sorting and segregating to ensure the bad stuff is not in it. All the hassle of sucking in noxious fumes when you smelt. The list goes on. Like I said earlier buy all that you can afford. I know I would. Always can use it for trade material if need be.

Tom

[kens]

rotometals has recovered birdshot about 1$ pound. I think that a easy way to get decent lead that you don't have to scrape WW clips and junk off of

[383]

Did pick some up a few days ago. They will continue to hold some back for me regularly in the future.

[Iowa Fox]

In todays world some of the buckets of WW will have up to 40% iron & zinc weights. Plus the weight of the clips in the lead WW after smelting. Any more its a lot of work sorting and smelting WW.

[Pmc]

I'd buy what I could at that price.

[Springfield]

If you haven't got 1000 lbs of lead right now I would buy cores until you do. Kinda depends on how old you are and how much shooting you do. Figure out how much you use now and add up the years of shooting you have left, then add 50%. That is how much you really need. For me, my kids are just starting to go Cowboy Action shooting with us. If figured it up, if both of them and my wife and I shoot 2 matches a month for the next 10 years, it comes to 4000 lbs of lead. Do the math, you might be surprised.

[383]

If you haven't got 1000 lbs of lead right now I would buy cores until you do. Kinda depends on how old you are and how much shooting you do. Figure out how much you use now and add up the years of shooting you have left, then add 50%. That is how much you really need. For me, my kids are just starting to go Cowboy Action shooting with us. If figured it up, if both of them and my wife and I shoot 2 matches a month for the next 10 years, it comes to 4000 lbs of lead. Do the math, you might be surprised.

Sadly, I wasn't into casting, or even reloading for that matter, 10-12 years ago. At that time I worked at a hospital that had an in-house nuclear pharmacy. Anytime they received isotope shipments and no longer needed the lead shielding, they just stacked it in the basement.

Eventually, it started to get in the way so they had someone haul off nearly 2 1/2 tons of what was a mix of pure lead and 96/3/1. What's sad is that the pharmacist would have paid me to haul it off! Of course I was like, "What would I do with it?".

[TenTea]

2000 ea 38's + 2000 ea 45's per year as I cast them = ~97 lb alloy per year, so in order to keep practicing...

I'll need 971 lb for 10 years and 1943 lb for 20 years...might as well say a ton.

Then I'll retire (gods willing) and want to shoot another 10 years, so let's say 3000 lbs.

I better keep saving and stacking!

[leadladen]

please enlighten me as to what an isotope core is

[383]

please enlighten me as to what an isotope core is

Go here: http://fellingfamily.net/isolead/

[fredj338]

I would buy 1000# @ that price. That Is about 5yrs of shooting for me right now.