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Thread: How do you collect range scrap?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    How do you collect range scrap?

    My preferred method of collecting scrap is to visit the range a couple of days after a heavy rain. The scrap is exposed as the water has washed a lot of the dirt/soil away. I then rake lightly with a leaf rake to dislodge the exposed bullets/boolits and scoop them up. The soil here is a clay or clay loam with heavy clay content, so amount of dirt raked up is minimal. I then sift through a 1/4" screen to get rid of the small pieces of dirt and hand pick out the large pieces. The pieces of dirt and rock that are about the same size as the bullets/boolits get removed from the pot when I render the scrap down to ingots. Collected about 150 lbs in 20-30 minutes last time I went to the range, including the rough cleanup with sifter. No digging at all. But you have to time it right so that you aren't getting sticky clay or the berms have been shot.

    Anyway, that's how I've done it. About the least labor intensive method I've come up with. Of course, there are only a handful of days a year that meet those conditions.

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master Harter66's Avatar
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    Our mineable back stops are blow sand so the morning after a good rain or high winds is best .
    I built a 1/4" mesh frame about 18x36 and angled our "desert ranges" don't concentrate the berm into lanes so you pick a heavily shot spot and shovel it through the screen , set the screen over the hole repeat ,repeat , repeat , repeat . Pick a new hole , repeat . Good days we get 30-50 lbs and most of ours back .

    My favorite was when we had a local range and I was the backer board guy there were 3 lanes that were shot hard by the pistol guys . I built 8x16x24 wood traps hooked to the backers . God bless those guys shooting 45s 5-6 boxes at a time ! Like all good things that came to an end too ......
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master Sasquatch-1's Avatar
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    At the range I belong to there is so much lead in the berm that it lays on top of the dirt. A 1/4" mesh sifter, a rake, a small handle shovel and a bucket. 20 minutes I have half a 5 gallon bucket. I then take a little time to re-dress the berm.

    Do your self a favor and only mine a 1/2 bucket at a time, your back will thank you later. You can bring multiple buckets but only fill them half way. Unless you are Magnús Ver Magnusson.
    A vote for anyone other then the conservative candidates is a vote for the liberal candidates.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Yodogsandman's Avatar
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    Beware of the lead oxide dust that you kick up when sifting. That's the only thing that makes any sense of how my lead blood levels rose up.
    Only did it a few times.
    A deplorable that votes!

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I've done it a couple of ways. On outdoor berms, I just pick them up by hand. I don't like digging on the outdoor berm. A few minutes after a rain will get a coffee can or two easily. The last time I did the indoor range I used a wheelbarrow, a sifting screen, a bunch of 5 gallon buckets, a 2 wheel dolly and a short handle shovel. A dust mask is advised, as you can raise quite a dust cloud.

  6. #6
    Boolit Bub
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    At the outdoor range where I shoot, the manager said I could pick up bullets by hand, but I could not dig or scrape with tools. On days that the range is closed, I'll go out and get around 40 to 60 lbs or so. The advice to collect them by the half bucket is excellent advice. I concentrate on the handgun range.

    When I get them home, I'll run water in the bucket and pour off the dust, grass, clay-pigeon shards etc. I do this several times until the water poured off is not so murky. Sometimes I'll pour the unwashed bullets in a 1/4" hardware cloth screen to remove dust/dirt prior to washing.

    I've collected a little over 500 lbs so far.

    I've smelted three batches in my jet burner/dutch oven rig so far. Yield to ingots is one the order of 75% to 77%. BHN has ranged from 9.2 to 11.8. The mix contains plated, jacketed, and cast. The are some fellows who shoot a lot of cast boolits and shoot on the same lanes most of the time. I tend to focus my efforts on those lanes.

    Being retired helps as I can go out and scrounge when I want to and for as long as I want to or wear out in the process.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master Garyshome's Avatar
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    I buy it from other people in ingots.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

    merlin101's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garyshome View Post
    I buy it from other people in ingots.
    That's good, but I just go out to the garage and pick out however many ingots I think I need. I did all my mining a few years ago.
    It's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years (Abe Lincoln)

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  9. #9
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    tomme boy's Avatar
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    This is what I made and used when I used to do it. I can't lift or carry much anymore so I am using what I have collected over the years. Once I run out, I will have to start to buy. But as of right now I have about 2.5K lbs.

    I could get a couple hundred pounds easy in a couple of hours with this. The hardest part was waiting for the dirt to sift out. I would run the bullets through a couple times before putting into a bucket.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master

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    After realizing just how lead-laden the berm dust must be, I decided to only touch the berms when they're wet after a rain.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master Sasquatch-1's Avatar
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    Now that's just too cool. Wish I had one.


    Quote Originally Posted by tomme boy View Post


    This is what I made and used when I used to do it. I can't lift or carry much anymore so I am using what I have collected over the years. Once I run out, I will have to start to buy. But as of right now I have about 2.5K lbs.

    I could get a couple hundred pounds easy in a couple of hours with this. The hardest part was waiting for the dirt to sift out. I would run the bullets through a couple times before putting into a bucket.
    A vote for anyone other then the conservative candidates is a vote for the liberal candidates.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master

    avogunner's Avatar
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    Oh how I wish the berms at my range were sand!!! As it is, hard packed dirt/clay, I usually pick the scrap laying on top. After a good rain, and if I find the sweet spot, I can get 20lbs or so fairly quickly. If it was sand though, my range packup would always include a shovel, sifter, and buckets!

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Sand berms where I shoot. Quarter inch hardware cloth screen on a wood frame and a spade. I prefer to wait to the dry season - very little dirt and sand left on the slugs which saves on the wash/rinse I've heard some need to do. What little is left gets skimmed with the jackets. It takes me longer to put the sand back then it does to get the lead screened, though I'm getting a bit smarter and have started to put the screen over the previous spot worked on.

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