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Thread: how many pounds in a 5gal bucket?

  1. #41
    stephen perry
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    My Last 5 gal Bucket of WW

    My last 5 gal plastic bucket weighed 144# half truck weights no zinc.

    Stephen Perry
    Angeles BR

  2. #42
    Boolit Bub
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    Thumbs down

    I found a bucket at a flat fixing shop, it was too heavy to lift owner said he was going to make deep sea fishing weights out of them anyway. Went to the local recicler(spelling) and got ten pounds, hardly covered the bottom of the bucket, cost me almost ten dollars (ouch).

  3. #43
    Boolit Master 35 Whelen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lylejb View Post
    About how many pounds are in a full 5 gal bucket of WW?

    i know it will vary somewhat with the size of the weight / clips, and of course the amount of stems / junk, but does anyone have a good average or "rule of thumb"?

    i asked my 2 local tire stores today, both want $10 / gal of weights. i.e. 5gal = $50
    not so sure that's a good deal

    thanks

    LB
    Due to my job I spend alot of time driving on the highway and through intersections. In doing so I've discovered where wheelweights are most likely to be found on the road. I keep a plastic 32 oz. drink cup in my cupholder in which to deposit wheelweights I find on the road. I've weighed a few of these cups and full they weigh between 8 and 9 lbs. That translates into 32-36 lbs. per gallon.
    35W
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    There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand.

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  4. #44
    In Remembrance - Super Moderator & Official Cast Boolits Sketch Artist

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    It dont matter how many lbs in a bucket its how much the bucket cost you if its free thats great if you paid a few bucks or buy the guy a 6 pack still who cares. If you buying by the lb you know how much is in it and your not asking the ? But if you can give the guy 15 or 20 bucks and its full you did ok for the most part.
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  5. #45
    Boolit Master




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    A lot. And for me they have always been free, aside from the burgers I get the mechanics. Thank God!
    You can miss fast & you can miss a lot, but only hits count.

  6. #46
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Too much to carry very far. Save your back and take a couple buckets along to split it up with. Your newly acquired WW wont be worth as much, scattered over the parking lot or if your laying on the ground waiting for the medics.
    The cheap plastic buckets, available today, will tear the handle out if ya jerk on them any at all.

  7. #47
    Boolit Master
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    So, depending on the weights in the bucket and area, we've established that the buckets weigh around 150# to 200#. I split the bucket full into two, I'm just not lugging over 100 pounds for entertainment.
    In all, the .41 Magnum would be one of my top choices for an all-around handgun if I were allowed to have only one. - Bart Skelton

  8. #48
    In Remembrance - Super Moderator & Official Cast Boolits Sketch Artist

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    I think alot of woman have sat on a 5 gal bucket the pounds went right to their backsides, what if they put their boobs in a bucket would they swell up as well?
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  9. #49
    Boolit Master

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    I salvaged a two wheel cart that had originally carried a pump of some sort. Had to crawl into the scrap trailer at work to get it. I also hammered together a platform that raised me up about 8-10 inches. lifted the buckets into the truck in two steps. Much easier on the back. Although usually the young guys working at the tire store wanted to show off and lifted the bucket for me. I'm glad none of them ever threw their back out.

    John
    W.TN

  10. #50
    Boolit Mold Vyrone's Avatar
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    Went to town today looking for WW. 1st tire shop, bought 25# $5.00
    3 other tire shops refused to sell, said this was hazous materal and there is a new law that they could only sell to wholsesalers. (Tires Plus, Walmart and Fleet Farm), Stopped at another shop and bought a small box for $5.00, another for $20.00 and another for 10.00. Got home and weighed on bathroom scale for a total of 123# at a cost of $40.00. Average cost of ww's .325 per pound.
    I getting a little worried that we will not be able to buy lead in a very short time.
    I melted my 1st batch in my new Lee pot. 12# total in molds. (1 pot full)
    Going to keep track of average cost and amount of finished lead.
    XD 40

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  11. #51
    Boolit Master
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    Three full buckets for $20 each with two pizza's thrown in for a tip! Makes my WW's cost $27 for five gallons ...... it's more $$$$ but it's steady and my home state takes lead out of WW's by fiat in 2011 ......

    The tire shop I deal with gleefully fill buckets just for me!

    The owner does not drink or it would be WHISKEY! ........ Pizza works instead!


    Three 44s

  12. #52
    Boolit Master


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    The tire shop I buy from ocaissionally (fortunately not my only source) is wanting clean lead prices for scrap wheelweights. He wanted $80 for 150 lb this week. I doubt he even actually had 150 lb, based on the buckets I've weighed in the past. He claimed he could get $0.45/lb from a salvage yard for WW. Good for him. Most of my boolits go to IPSC shooting so it IS about the volume of boolits needed. While I enjoy casting, it does need to have some financial reward to be worthwhile to invest that much time casting- i.e., lower cost than commercially cast. This guy's scrap WW is literally half the price of the cheap (for today's prices) finished commercial cast boolits. Time is worth more than that!

    David

  13. #53
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Notice.
    We ARE lead recyclers.
    Get your self a magnetic sign and paint up an official looking company logo that states you reclaim hazardous heavy metals. Put an permit # at the bottom.
    Now when they give ya that BS about it being hazardous material, Point to the sign, grab some buckets, and dune your gloves and apron.
    Tell them you usually get $1.00, but will only charge $.80/lb to haul off their lead waste.
    Keep a straight face and ya might get lucky. If not, what have ya lost?

  14. #54
    Boolit Master Murphy's Avatar
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    How many pounds in a 5 gallon bucket?

    In 20+ years of buying WW's in 5 gallon buckets, I've found exactly ZERO that weighed the same. That's right...ZERO. I've had 5 gallon buckets filled to the same level that in raw form weighed anywhere from 115 Lbs all the way up too 171 Lbs.

    The only way to find out how many pounds a 5 gallon bucket is going to yield in smelted, usuable ingots, is to smelt them and then weigh them.

    THAT...is the ONLY way to ever know how much was in THAT bucket.



    Murphy
    If I should depart this life while defending those who cannot defend themselves, then I have died the most honorable of deaths. Marc R. Murphy '2006'.

  15. #55
    Moderator Emeritus fishhawk's Avatar
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    myself when i get a full bucket i could care less how many pounds i'm going to get. i need the WW so i bite the boolit so to speak and just get what i get. steve k
    Moderating is a responsibility not a privilege, abuse your power and you lose, no matter how powerful you may think you are.

  16. #56
    Boolit Master
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    Boy it seems scrap lead is going for 50 cents a lb here.Just today I stopped buy a gas station
    tire shop.I ask the guy about his WW.He tells me $75 for a 5 gal bucket.

    Thanks but no thanks & I get to thinking if that bucket has 150lb of lead than that, works
    out to 50 cents a lb.I wish I could find a shop that would give me a deal as some of you
    have.

    I do have one guy that gave me about 10lb.But even so I had to shame him some
    for I'm a good customer of his.

  17. #57
    Boolit Master

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    I picked up 3 buckets today from a tire store that I have developed a relationship with(bought a set of tires for the truck). I didn't have any buckets to exchange so I just had them dump them in the back of the truck. This makes about 10 buckets I have gotten from this store.

    I sort out stick-on lead, zinc, iron(steel) from the clip-ons. These had a lot of shiny ¼ oz stick-ons marked Fe. More than I have seen up to this point. I have always assumed they are iron or steel. First guess, I'll get about 100-110 lbs of clean WW metal per bucket. I save the stick-ons for muzzleloader and BP pistol balls. I can't complain since I paid $20/bucket for them. That is about as good as I can do in this area.

    I'm going to try to get a couple of hundred pounds for a friend who is a retired minister. He does security work to supplement his retirement and the increased cost of ammunition has severely cut into his recreational shooting so he bought a Lee pot and mold for his .357. I'll throw in some solder for tin and give him some copies of good articles and clue him in to this site.

    John
    W.TN

  18. #58
    Boolit Master
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    How do you tell the zinc clip on from the lead by just looking?

  19. #59
    Boolit Master

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    I didn't mean to imply that all I do is look. I use a pair of side cutters to indent the weight in question. Zinc won't indent easily. Lead will. Use the side cutters and you won't wonder which is which.

    John
    W.TN

  20. #60
    Boolit Grand Master

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    In the last haul from the tire store there were a big hand full of truck weights. I was tickeled till I noticed the ZN on them. That was well over 3 lbs of zinc. I don't know anyone that needs the zinc so it will be traded to the scrappy for lead. The exchange rate is in my favor.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check