Advice for a new reloader in MN?

[WGD118]

Having recently picked up a Marlin 1895 in good old 45-70 due to a clearance sale at the local Walmart. I have finally decided to stop wavering for years on reloading and step into this arena head long. I would love to be able to shoot the 1895 without concern for the ammo price and with factory rounds costing $1.5 or more a round and funds a little tight. I plan on starting with 45-70 and hopefully expanding into the more calibers as time goes on.

So while I still have a lot of sticky's left to read on this forum and I am working my way through the 180 pages of cast bullet guide for handgunners just to gain some additional knowledge. My first goal is to obtain a good stock of scrap lead before summer. My plan is to pickup a cast iron pot and propane stove during the summer garage sale season along with a toaster oven for powder coating. So I looking for any advice members in the MN area may have for me.

I know no one wants to give up there source or supply of lead but this is my first roadblock. My original plan was to hit up local tire shops for WW like the forums and many different videos talk about but upon doing further research I saw that MN had banned the use of lead in WW at the beginning of 2016 this leads me to believe that I will most likely find iron and zinc instead of lead provided any shops would even give/sell to me. Is that my only option other then buying ingots straight out or do recycling centers in the Twin Cities have cheap scrap lead? Hoping you guys have some wisdom on places I can start hunting for lead.

Thank you

P.S. Sorry if this is the wrong forum I couldn't find any section broken down by state.

[Kosh75287]

I'm in Texas and know almost nothing about MN, but there are metallurgical firms in numerous places that will ship Lead:Tin:Antimony alloys expressly FOR bullet casting to you, in almost any mix you wish. Starting out, this may be the way to go, until you get the finer points of casting fully mastered. Older houses being torn down may have flashings around the toilet (where the toilet's "exit" makes contact with outgoing pipe. A ventilation pipe, which breaks the "vacuum" built up whenever the toilet is flushed, is often plumbed upward, so it will open up just above the roof line. This is another place where I have found such flashings. They are almost pure lead, so expect to add a little extra tin for proper "fill out" in the mould, when casting. You might also ask some plumbers where they take their found lead to sell it. Wherever it is, they'd probably be happy to turn around and sell it to you.

[Oily]

Check with your metal recycling places they might have isotope lead that is used to shield radioactive isotopes for hospitals and cancer centers. Super clean lead and is 96/3/1 mix perfect for casting.Only problem is it is in 31# canister type form but great lead alloy.

[Bama]

A good source for about any alloy you need is Rotometals at top of page. They often have sales and free shipping

[Greg S]

Or right here in our own Buy, Sell & Trade Section.

[.455 Webley]

Lots and lots of lead WW still available in MN. Ask around at smaller tire shops and they will be happy to work with you. Don't hold out much hope for the larger chain type places. Where about in MN are you?

[Kskybroom]

Where are you in MN....

[William Yanda]

Don't give up on wheel weights. Since the ban began Jan '16, it's effects are minimal. The earlier ban in other jurisdictions will have more effect. That is, the industry as a whole switching away from lead. Lead is where you find it. Good luck on your search. I found a turkey fryer, burner and stand, for $8, to replace a side burner I had modified. Venders here are also a good source and you can check their feedback.

[GhostHawk]

I am across the river in North Dakota. I did have a small stash of wheel weights but I used them up long ago. I have been using almost exclusively range scrap bought here. 65 lbs for 70 to 75$.

Hang in there, keep looking, but get ready to buy a box so you have something to work with.
I would suggest plumbing companys as they are still pulling lead pipe from the ground. Offer a bit more than their scrap dealer pays.

[Loudy13]

I am in central MN and there are still wheelweights available, you may get more and more Zinc/steel but I think it is still worth it to hit up the small tire/garage shops. I had a full bucket last month and it was about 60% useable WW's. Range lead is another option, I have a deal with a range that's on my way to work, I mine it and keep half free of charge the owner gets the other half.

[OS OK]

You could prolly use a free library that explains everything under the sun about our hobby...

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

Do you have any old junkyards where they have spread the old cars out on acres of land...those old cars have wheel weights on them and an afternoon in a place like that might give you a big supply and cheap. Down in Texas where I grew up those junkyards were everywhere.

[runfiverun]

I usually call the scrap yards [actually i have the wife call]
just ask if they sell lead and what they have.

[georgerc]

a note on the equipment, it may seem overwhelming when you look at what other people are doing, keep in mind they have been at it for a while and accumulated this stuff over time, you don't need all that stuff before you cast your first boolit, I'm no expert by any stretch, but here's my story:

at some point Cabelas had a 10% off, free shipping and the Lee 10 lbs bottom pour was on sale, so I added it to my order,

some time after that was out in the country, stopped at a tire shop, they only had a half bucket, $20 and it was mine, yelded about 40lbs WW

than I went nuts and ordered a bunch of molds, again an internet special.

I melted the ww right into the 10 lbs bottom pour lee, fluxed it one load at a time and cast right from it.

you can get by with a lot less

[OS OK]

[[georgerc...you can get by with a lot less]]

I am starting to think that I'm trying to coach a 'minimalist' here, (from your other thread)...what I tell you will not work in that frame of mind. You can't take instructions for a particular operation and continually trim them to suit your ideas and expect success, not to mention other procedures in methodology.

You need a new set of rules and operations to follow that other minimalist have worked out for you...this is outside of normal ways of doing things. What I'm trying to tell you is to help you try to manufacture the best ammo possible and tailored to each weapon you intend it for, full house loads.

For example if you reduce your raw lead trying to refine it in that 10 lb. pot, eventually you will get the bottom pour spout clogged up and have to start work on clearing and cleaning that. If that is a dip pot without bottom pour then it too is actually too small to do the job right and in a timely fashion especially if you intend to blend your Pb's and increase BHN or improve fill-out with precise portions of added Sn. I'm not saying that it's impossible, I'm just not thinking along those lines.

Like I said a minute ago, you need to start a new thread with your full intentions stated right up front.

[country gent]

Your plan is a good way to start out and some of us still cast like that. A bigger pot over a burner. Several hints or points. Buy a good ladle for casting, Lyman, and RCBS are good, Rowel is real nice but bigger than most want to handle for casting. Forget the Lee "spoon" as a skimmer or fluxing tool its fine as a ladle it dosnt hold enough and dosnt pour consistant. THe lyman and RCBS ladles hold about 3-4 ounces of alloy. The rowel #1 holds around 1 LB of alloy. I wish rowel made a #1/2. As to pots a cast iron bean pot or stew pot with the rounded bottom is easier to ladle out of than the flat bottomed dutch ovens. You do need to make a stand ring for these to be solid though. Tables can be made from wood or walmarts has aluminum folding camp tables cheap that work good To set beside the stand and pot. As to acyual moulds for your rifle something in the 400-450 grn range should do nicely. Look at NOE, Accurate, Lyman, RCBS, Buffalo arms, Old West, and Lee. Buffalo Arms sells cast steel lead pots in various sizes pretty reasonable also. Casting these bigger bullets a 10lb pot dosent go very far. Ive quit scavanging lead and just buy the alloy I need from roto metals or Buffalo Arms.

[WGD118]

Thanks for the advice so far everyone, for those of you asking I updated by bio with my location, as far as equipment I plan on starting with a lee 20lb bottom pour pot and a lee classic turret press, right now I am holding off on picking either up until I get some raw lead.

Do you guys get a better response calling tire shops to see if they will give you any WW or showing up in person with cash and a bucket?

OS_OK:

To add quickly I do not intend on melting scrap lead in the lee pot, only ingots which I have cast from refined scrap using the method in my first post.

[Yodogsandman]

Good start! I started with a Coleman gas stove and a #10 lb cast iron pot for smelting. Did a short stint with a 7" fry pan, man was that tippy with a lead load! Moved up to a #25 plumbers pot and a propane camp stove. I must have smelted a ton of lead in that plumbers pot! A SS cook pot will work, though. Just one ingot mold until recently too, a Lyman. A good ladle will be a good investment. Something that holds at least a pound of lead is great, a regular steel ladle can be used but beware of the riveted ones. Get a welded one. A long handled spoon will work for skimming off any dross or a Lee ladle.

I find all sorts of things at yard sales for casting. Pewter, roll solder, cast iron pots, a casting ladle, propane turkey fryer, a home made propane rocket furnace, cast iron corn bread pans for ingot molds, all for little money.

Found all sorts of kitchen stuff to cook my own lubes, too. Like spoons, ladles, measuring cups and spoons, double boilers, crock pot, cake pans, anything you need can be found at yard sales, garage sales or estate sales.

For heat treating or powder coating, a convection toaster oven (yard sale $5).

For pre heating molds or ingots, a solid top hot plate (yard sale $2).

You're better off going to the smaller mom and pop tire shops for wheel weights. More personal when making connections. We have a problem around here with scrappers and it makes it tough for us. The scrappers want the lead for free or small cost and then turn around and make money at the scrap yards or selling it to casters. That ticks off the shops! When you do make a contact, treat them good with donuts or hot/cold drinks.

You have a good plan....get lead first while looking around for other needed items.

[RogerDat]

Thanks for the advice so far everyone, for those of you asking I updated by bio with my location, as far as equipment I plan on starting with a lee 20lb pot and a lee classic turret press, right now I am holding off on picking either up until I get some raw lead.


Do you guys get a better response calling tire to see if they will give you any WW or showing up in person with cash and a bucket?

Showing up with a bucket! And a bathroom scale! Find out what the local scrap yard will PAY for pound of WW's add a nickel to that. Then when you offer to buy the WW's you can say I'll pay xx cents which is 5 cents more than the scrap dealer will. Some folks just need an excuse to sell to you, beating the price is a good excuse. Only going to cost you an additional $5 on a 100# bucket, and will still be cheaper than the scrap yard SELLS them to you for.

Just get started with the casting and reloading fun part. Worry about becoming a lead baron later.
Buy the lead from swapping and selling forum here, or post in wanted to buy. Keep looking for a local source but don't let that become a road block. Plus you skip the whole hassle of getting a good alloy from assorted scrap, and buying equipment to melt dirty, nasty scrap in, because you don't want that in your bullet casting pot that is for sure.

Really I would start with the electric melting pot, a mold, the Lee Turret press, set of Lee reloading dies, the Lee Quick trim (delux) and a 45/70 trim die. Sizing die appropriate to your bore size.

I use a ladle (Lyaman little dipper) to cast and like it, never drips, doesn't leak and I can fill a multi cavity mold without any problem. For more production get a bottom pour the Lee are inexpensive, some pricey ones are better - do some research or ask around, trust me folks will give you all the opinions you could want. Frankly I like the Lee 20# pot as a good value for ladle casting. A Lee bullet mold for $20 is hard to beat for one of their 45/70 molds. You will need something to prime with, I use a Lee safety prime on the press but there are a lot of options for seating primers, worthy of own thread. Again trust me you will get opinions in bunches on primer equipment.

You need a scale - I would ask in wanted to buy, lot of folks have extra, or older ones from before they upgraded to a better one. You can use Lee scoops set or the one in the die set to get started but eventually a scale is a must.

With that stuff to purchase to reload having to also acquire a big burner, heavy pot, skimmer, big ladle, some sort of ingot molds and then find the lead to feed into that seems like something you can skip and come back to. You might even consider buying your first batch of lead bullets, you will still save money on the ammo by loading yourself and benefit from starting with known good materials.

One of those solid top hot plates of 1000 watts (not 750) and a stainless steel pot will work for a casting pot, you probably will benefit from having a hot plate to pre-heat your mold on, a 750 watt will work for that but is too slow for melting and casting, makes a big difference in how easily you get good bullets if you can heat your mold on a hot plate.

[W.R.Buchanan]

My advice from CA is for you to bundle up and try to stay warm this winter. Melting lead will help keep you warm.

Isn't it snowing there today and about -20 degrees?

It got down to 60F here yesterday.

Randy

[Thumbcocker]

If you could hook up with a caster near you for an afternoon and watch them do it and maybe get some hands on experience it would be worth a lot of reading.