Seriously wanting to get into cast boolits. Been reading what feels like for ages and could use some more seasoned opinions to help steer me in my search for lead. (And if you've cast even just a few times, you're more seasoned than I.)
Background: I live about as inland as you can get in the US, am not in a state that bans lead WW's or boolits or much anything else for that matter. Once I get out of my little city, there's not much civilization for a few hours any direction. Not retired, with middle class income. Would be casting mostly for the enjoyment of doing it and to reduce my reload cost for plinking. Primarily 9mm/45 ACP but if I can figure it out, to get some cheap rifle boolits for more affordable range time on .30-06, then all the better.
Here's what I've been able to find so far...
Range scrap - $0.50/lb. 30 yard indoor. Mixed with jackets, almost entirely handgun, seen little rimfire there.
Recycler - $0.79/lb. Wheel weights from buckets or pick thru a pile of everything else mixed together.
Aaaaand. That's it. Haven't found any tire shops wanting to sell to me yet. There's only one outdoor range and they've said I can't pick the berms. No radiological pharmacies. There's one off-road pseudo-range on public land, but it's the wooded get-drunk-n-shoot-your-beer-cans type place with no RSOs and I don't feel terribly safe going to the berm there. Not seeing anything on Craigslist. Everybody else seems to be shooting at random spots on public land. I'll keep looking, but for now that pretty much leaves only online buys.
Am I wasting my time if I source locally at these prices? Seems shipped ingots are about $1.25/lb on here. $1.25-$2.00/lb on eBay. $1.58 for reclaimed ballast, $1.74 for reclaimed ballast on RotoMetals, etc. I'm an avid DIYer and would probably find the process enjoyable, but it seems like it'd take a while just to break even on a pot, ingot mold, ladle, etc. while paying for the propane.