Range Lead ok to use?

**bmac10** · 12-02-2009, 08:52 PM

I was told that the used lead at our indoor range was not good to reuse. Is this true, or is there special precautions? Our range prohibits jacketed bullets indoors and most of the lead is from .22 target loads.
Any thoughts?

Thanks!

**jhrosier** · 12-02-2009, 09:02 PM

Range lead is perfectly fine for making boolits.
It tends to have a lot of junk mixed in and is best smelted outdoors.
I recycled about 150 pounds of range scrap into perfectly good boolits last year.
I did add a bit of tin and antimony to the mix to bring the hardness up a little.

Jack

**blaser.306** · 12-02-2009, 09:02 PM

. 22 range lead will likely be close to pure pb . So depending what you were planning to cast it will have to be " fortified " with some ww or lino to bring the hardness up ! Smelt er down , cast it up and enjoy !

**lwknight** · 12-02-2009, 09:34 PM

Someone just didn't want you asking for their lead cache'

**jcwit** · 12-02-2009, 09:41 PM

Been using range lead hardned with ww for years now. No problems.

**UweJ** · 12-03-2009, 03:08 AM

Rangelead is perfectly all right for shooting. Without hardening it with anything I´ve been making and shooting 45´s for years with very good results and no leading.
Uwe

**Gunslinger** · 12-03-2009, 03:56 AM

I love range lead!! But personally I prefer outdoor range lead as it is somewhat harder, at least in my club. I mix the outdoor stuff 50/50 with WWs. And the indoor stuff well I'm still figuring that out. I get BHN 9 from the indoor stuff and BHN 11 from the outdoor. I'm the only one who wants it.... so I get all I want... for free!!

**bohokii** · 12-03-2009, 03:02 PM

if you range bans jackets that means that there will be plenty of centerfire lead that will be fortified with tin

and i'm betting you will still get a few jackets from the cheaters

bring a shovel, work slow to keep the dust down

i suggest only using 2 gallon pails cause you wont be able to lift a 5 gallon full of range scrap

**bmac10** · 12-03-2009, 04:10 PM

Thanks fr the info! I'm on my way down there to get some!!

**fredj338** · 12-03-2009, 04:20 PM

Range lead is the ultimate recycling program. Shoot it, reclaim it, smelt it back to ingots, cast noew bullets & repeat. The only issue w/ range lead is you never knwo exactly what you have.

**bob208** · 12-03-2009, 04:54 PM

i cleaned out a .22 only indoor range. as is it is the best for black powder cartrage .

**sheepdog** · 12-03-2009, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by fredj338

The only issue w/ range lead is you never knwo exactly what you have.

Thats true with any lead you get, even WWs. Sure they shoot for certain BH but they don't use virgin pre-atomic lead. Chances are if you pick up a lead pipe, roof flashing, wheel weight, or car battery its had a past life as one or all from that list plus many more.

**beagle** · 12-03-2009, 05:01 PM

True on the "don't know what you have" theory but it's useable.

On our range, we have a seperate pistol range and that's where I did my "minning". You either got jacketed or commercial cast .38s and .45s.

I seperated the jacketed and cast and found that the cast was pretty hard and obviously, the jacketed was almost pure.

Finally, I said to heck with it and melted it all together and it made a great alloy for all around use.

The day of the old police pistol ranges are gone where you could mine almost exclusively cast .38 wadcutters. That was good lead. Now, almost all police departments use jacketed 9mm or .40 S & W.

I remember minning a .45 range on a military post and you could scoop up handfulls of .45 ACP jacketed off the berm. Made good wadcutters for the .38 Special at lower velocities.

The stuff off smallbore ranges is .22 and needs a little cutting with tin and antimony from my experience and it is messy to work with but worth the effort./beagle

**imashooter2** · 12-03-2009, 07:41 PM

Did you ask them to explain why lead that was bullets was unsuitable to be bullets again?

I'd love to hear them dance around that...

**lwknight** · 12-03-2009, 08:06 PM

I know why the range lead was unsuitable. Someone working at the range found out that they could get 50 cents a pound at the scrapyard.

**mold maker** · 12-03-2009, 10:39 PM

Well over a ton smelted in my stash now. It's all most all from JHP .40 cal and measures 12 on a Saeco tester. It's very consistent.

**7of7** · 12-03-2009, 10:43 PM

It is very unsuitable for reuse... See lead myth 999,999. I, however can safely handle such materials, and can help you out if you find yourself in possession of such material...

**Hiaboo** · 12-09-2009, 02:48 AM

Jackets are very good for selling to scrapyards.. Mine takes them as copper -- $1.70 a lb.

**lwknight** · 12-09-2009, 03:07 AM

Dang!! Now I have to go dig my dross pile to sell off the copper.

**imashooter2** · 12-09-2009, 08:22 AM

Ask first... the yards around here won't touch them.

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

Thread: Range Lead ok to use?

Thread Tools

Range Lead ok to use?

Posting Permissions