Scrap Lead Prices

[Scorpion8]

Posted a local want-ad for lead ballast plates, and only got one reply. Except the dude had 190# of lead in a single block. Zoikes! Besides my initial shock, he wanted $2/#. So my question is, does that sound like a fair price, and how easy is it to reduce that block to manageable sizes? Sawzall with metal blade? Pocket knife?

[BK7saum]

I wouldn't pay $2/# for unknown lead when you can buy known wheelweight ot pure/soft here for $1/# shipped or $1/# plus shipping. For $1.50/# Id be looking for certified foundry alloy or a good deal on lino for $2/#

[Chill Wills]

Yup. He is dreaming and I would not give him the time of day.

35 to 50 cents a pound for that would be my top offer.

I would have five twenty dollar bills in my pocket and wave four of them at him. One more to make the deal if needed and never look back if he wants more.

The world is still full of inexpensive lead. Hang in there.

[Bazoo]

Im curious as to the going price of lead in SE-AK.

[lightman]

$2 a pound for unknown lead is about 4 or 5 times too much, in my opinion. A chunk weighing 190# is going to be hard for some to deal with. You can cut it with a hand saw, easy enough, or any number of power tools. You can also whittle pieces off of it with an ax or a hammer and wedge. I would forget the pocket knife! Its a little bit of work. Like has been said, you can buy known lead from members here for $1 a pound plus shipping, already to use.

[bedbugbilly]

Right now, if he is wanting $2/# it sounds like he has a 190# paperweight that he can will to his children . . . . .

If you don't have a scrap yard near you - you'd be better off buying from members on this site. I used to go to the scrap yards and buy lead - usually cable sheathing - then smelt it down. That source dried up. I've been buying pure lead and range lead from members here and what I consider fair prices for the work they put in to it to smelt and pour into ingots. Anything I have ever purchased here has been great stuff and it saves me from having to scrounge where I'm at.

I have a connection with a plumber that I have had do work for me and I asked him if he had any lead to please save it for me and I'd pay whatever the scrap price was for it. He said he usually saves it over time and then takes it to the scrap yard He's a younger fellow - very nice and does great work - but I can tell that he is worried about even taking it to the scrap yard and possibly having any fall of the truck for fear of causing a "contamination" problem. I'm guessing that with all the lead poisoning issues in Flint, MI, etc. that the industry is treading on soft ground when it comes to lead. He usually gets soft lead from cast iron pipe joints, flashing, etc. so hopefully I'll be able to get some from him at some point. If not, I still have a good supply on my shelf that will last me a long time.

[Scorpion8]

Im curious as to the going price of lead in SE-AK.

That's just it, I have no basis. Most of the auto-garage wheel weight lead has been long spoken for mainly by folks making downrigger trolling weights (it's a fishing area). There isn't a huge dark market in lead that I'm aware of, so scoring some ballast plates from an old fishing vessel seemed like the next step.

[Smoke4320]

Scorpion8
members sell good quality lead right here and USPS Shipping to AK is no more than anywhere else in the US
I would take advantage of their services and have a KNOWN product
YMMV

[white eagle]

he must have had a bunch of labor involved that might reflect the price
but 2 bucks for lead is way out there you can get it from rotometals cheaper
and have it shipped to you

[bob208]

I can buy pure lead at the shop for $1.35 a lb. this is pipe and sheet. around here the yards are paying .30 a lb. so I am offering .60. put an add on craigslist paying .60. got the replies of I have some I want $2.00 a lb. I told them to keep it.

[fredj338]

You can buy from vendors here for a bit over $1/# delivered. Linotype at $2/#, all day, but not scrap lead.

[JBinMN]

Figure out how much ya might need.

Lets say .45 cal. ... runs about 25-30 +/- using 180gr. to over 230gr. to the pound.

9mm runs a lot higher to get out of a pound, with just an example of 120gr. is about 58 or so to the pound.

It is gonna depend on what ya shoot & how much ya shoot & whether or not you "save" the lead using a berm or bullet trap.

Another thing is that you can figure out , depending on what you are using for a firearm, how ya want to alloy what ya use.

Maybe trade around for what ya want.


Around here I have a place that I get sheet metal lead from X-ray demolition( with sheetrock & glue to smeltout) for about 78-80 cents a pound. If you can't do better than that, I would go with the folks here who say to buy from the vendors here.

When my, "mine" runs out... then I am going to do the same. The Vendors here are pretty good folks & not gonna cheat ya. It is their lively hood in some cases... Same with Brass..

This guy wanting $2+/- a pound is looking for a sucker... don't be a sucker... Offer him 60 cent a pound , or less (50 cents +/- if ya want) to whatever your conscience allows... in cash....
& see how he acts. If he doesn't take it.. like someone said.. let him have a big paperweight for his kids..

G'luck! But don't let having a great amount of alloy around stop ya. Use what ya can & get out there & DO IT!

Things will come around for ya.

[JBinMN]

Just as an example & it is not a vendor...
See Item #5 in the OP (First post) just for an example.. :
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ead-w-Linotype

G'Luck!

[Scorpion8]

Well I did some checking, and my local scrap place pays $0.22/# for lead, but had none in stock if I wanted to buy it. Shucks. And I went to visit Mr.High Dollar, and he would not budge off $2/# to buy his so he still owns it. Good luck to him.

[arclight]

Well I did some checking, and my local scrap place pays $0.22/# for lead, but had none in stock if I wanted to buy it. Shucks. And I went to visit Mr.High Dollar, and he would not budge off $2/# to buy his so he still owns it. Good luck to him.

I just sold two 70lb boxes of smelted sheet lead here for around $1.10/lb. Shipping to anywhere in the USA was about $15. Seems to be the going rate on the forum - $1-1.30/lb for low-tin alloys.

Arclight

[Walter Laich]

agree $1.25 to $1.30 is going rate. While I love free lead this isn't bad and fair for everyone.

similar story: indoor gun range did some clean up and cast some 1 lb ingots. Wanted $4 per...still there over a year later.

[Duckiller]

I think the price of lead is going UP. Have had to buy 3 car batteries lately and the price has doubled since I last bought batteries. My mechanic tells me that California batteries have less lead and only last 2-3 years. I think we were lied to about Doe Run. The previous admnistration lied about lots of things.

[Grmps]

I advertise twice what the local scrap yard is paying (.40c # )and do fairly well

[RogerDat]

At $4 per pound it should come with flowers and chocolates.
The swapping and selling forum here is the best semi-commercial source outside of a good deal found locally. And in the case of some things such as WW lead the offerings in S&S forum around $1 a pound is comparable to cost of driving around buying your own at scrap prices of 40 cents a pound, then melting and casting as ingots. Clean ingots vs. driving and propane and time spent and non-lead WW's in the bucket with lead WW's purchased locally that are basically scrap purchased at full price.

100% agree with prior post suggesting think about it as cost per bullet. $11.50 worth of lead @ $1 a pound makes 500 158 grain .38 special. Those same 500 would run around $60 at Cabela's. If you are out there looking for lead, sooner or later you will find a deal. Until then a steady supply can be had at really good prices from the forum's S&S area. That $63 - $70 worth of COWW lead from one of the site members in a MFRB will arrive at your doorstep, ready to use and make around 2,500 bullets. Need more than that? Buy 2

[dale2242]

I called a local dive shop to see if they were interested in buying some dive weights.
He says sure. $1 a pound. I say that`s no more than scrap price, thinking already cast weights would be worth more.
He says , Yep....dale