So...I may have an opportunity to get as much unprocessed indoor water trap range lead as I want. I'm looking at 45 cents per pound. Fair bit of copper in the mix that I assume I can skim and sell to the recyclers as scrap to recoup a bit of the cost. Am I crazy or is this a pretty good deal? Thinking I may go for 1,000 pounds or more.
Here's the skinny on the copper jacket materials: If you have a good scrap yard that's not run by an *******, you get "light copper" price for your jackets (you still need to remove ferrous metals with a magnet). Last time I sold some it was around $2/lb. Around here (south Florida) they stick a magnet in the bucket and if a SINGLE SLIVER of steel material sticks to the magnet they offer steel scrap price for everything (which means it just cost you more in gas to deliver it). I pay 20 cents a pound for indoor range scrap and my yield averages 65-70%. That still gives me good lead for pistol shooting at 30 cents plus the propane. YMMV.
Great info Bjornb. Thanks! I assume the waste is primarily sell-able stuff, more so than clip on wheel weight waste like zinc and steel? Sounds like the price is only so/so then? I've been paying $1.20/lb for clean clip on ingots shipped to my door, so 45 cents sounded like a decent deal (but more work) compared to what I'm getting currently.
I am luck to get .80 a pound for what they call dirty brass and .10 a pound for my dirty lead . Also .10 a pound is all they pay if I would take the range lead to them .MarvinOriginally Posted by tocsin
The waste after smelting COWWs will usually be accepted as scrap steel (which is generally the lowest metal recycling rate paid by a scrap yard). I usually drop it off along with the zinc weights i sorted out, if I'm going past the scrap yard anyway. Again, much depends on the individual yard operator. For example, in my area the scrap yards that sell to the public (most are contracted to Chinese buyers) will try to nail you for a dollar+ per pound for COWW.
Bullet jackets are technically red brass as they aren't pure copper. If the yard gives you any type of copper price you are making out.
All good info. Thanks guys!
Also, at the yard i used to go to they look in the bucket and if there is a few tiny droplets of lead mixed in youl get 25 cents a pound for soft lead. I took 30 pounds in to get my usual red brass prices and they found a few mall lead specks and gave me almost nothing. They were crooked and as soon as they weigh it they dump it in a barrel so you cant say no and go elsewhere. I dont go there anymore.
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| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
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