Range Scrap Yield

[jsizemore]

My visits to my local scrapyard have been non-productive for the past year. I think I got enough to last but you never know.
I fell into an indoor range that hasn't been cleared in a year. Maybe longer. Last week I shoveled 1280lbs into 5 gal. buckets. After 12 hours of smelting over the past 3 days the yield was 1002lbs.
Last night I shoveled 1120lbs to smelt for this coming week. I'm gonna send some samples to BNE to see what's in the alloy.
The drought is busted!

[Adam20]

Nice haul, please post results on alloy when you get it back

[308Jeff]

Man that's a HAUL! Nice score. Did you have pay them for it?

[scottfire1957]

lotta work with a lotta reward.

[jsizemore]

Sweat equity. At the rate I'm going I hope to be done by the end of the summer.

[Mitch]

Break out the IB

[lightman]

Thats a lot of lead, but you worked for it. Despite the hard work thats a pretty quick way to get a lot of lead. And it should cast good bullets.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

you guys are lucky. I have my eyes open constantle and am always askin around and I just don't seem to get anywhere. by the way, the scrapyard quoted me 5cents per lb for zinc WW's?!?! is that what it is elswhere?

[308Jeff]

you guys are lucky. I have my eyes open constantle and am always askin around and I just don't seem to get anywhere. by the way, the scrapyard quoted me 5cents per lb for zinc WW's?!?! is that what it is elswhere?

Can't say for sure. The last time I was at my regular scrap yard he told me the prices change daily and he would have to make a call for a quote.

[jsizemore]

See if you have some reenactment types in your area that shoot cannons. They're on the lookout for zinc all the time.

[jsizemore]

Finished the second load of range scrap from the indoor range. Ended up with 848lbs of ingots from 1120lbs of scrap.

Cutting the buckets back to 80lbs each sure made life better. From starting each 80lb batch to starting the next took about 45 minutes. Knocked out 6 buckets yesterday afternoon and got some shooting in too. I'm looking forward to picking up the next load tomorrow evening.

I've got some pewter to ingotize before I get a package together for BNE to analyze. Got to get some more 55gal drums. Busy, busy.

[308Jeff]

Almost a ton so far! Are you cutting open your TMJ/plated bullets?

[jsizemore]

They open themselves when they come to a stop against the steel trap.

[308Jeff]

Nice!

Keep on shovelin' and meltin', brother.

[scotner]

you guys are lucky. I have my eyes open constantle and am always askin around and I just don't seem to get anywhere. by the way, the scrapyard quoted me 5cents per lb for zinc WW's?!?! is that what it is elswhere?

The local scrap yard pays .12/lb for zinc/ steel leftovers (and .20 for lead wheel weights). Helps offset the cost of a 5 gallon bucket and offers a proper way to dispose of what I can't use.

[lightman]

(quote) Cutting the buckets back to 80lbs each sure made life better.

Thats for sure. Back in the day I could carry a 5 gallon bucket of wheelweights, not bullets, in each hand, walk across the shop floor at the tire store and swing the right hand bucket into the back of the truck then grab the left hand bucket and set it in the truck! Thats probably why I can't do it now! Now, when I sort weights I only fill the bucket half full. One should get smarter as they age, right?

[54bore]

Nice haul! I built a little box screen for sifting out bullets in the sand bank i shoot into, works great! I usually always end up with a bunch of extra from others that have shot there, local sand pit where everyone goes.

[jsizemore]

(quote) Cutting the buckets back to 80lbs each sure made life better.

Thats for sure. Back in the day I could carry a 5 gallon bucket of wheelweights, not bullets, in each hand, walk across the shop floor at the tire store and swing the right hand bucket into the back of the truck then grab the left hand bucket and set it in the truck! Thats probably why I can't do it now! Now, when I sort weights I only fill the bucket half full. One should get smarter as they age, right?

I'd do the same thing back in the day. Used to lift the feed block over the side of the pickup bed too (tailgate latch was busted). Them days be long gone. I don't know about smarter but definitely wimpier.

[BNE]

Hello Jsizemore,

I will happily test for you, but I bet the results will be 0.5 to 1.5% Sb and the rest Pb. Most of the range scrap is right in the middle of that range. Unless of course a lot of casters are shooting in that indoor range.

[bayjoe]

Nice score!!
Our range gets picked pretty often, but I do manage to get a half bucket a month.