Saddened by slow lead accumulation.

[1longshot]

Well, I have been doing all I can to build my lead supply. Yesterday was the first day I paid for WW. .40lb for 125 weighed on a scale. I came home and smelted them with some I picked up at the local tire stores for a total of 125lbs counted/melted. I am sure there is a little more there, however I don't have a scale. This brings my current WW counted to about 400lbs. and about 600lbs of pure. I don't know what kind of start this gives me. I don't shoot a bunch, but wonder if I do start to shoot more if this is even close to a good amount? :confused:

[WHITETAIL]

1 Longshot, Welcome to the forum!
What you have to do is tell everyone
You know Your looking for lead.
You will be suprized where the lead
will show up.:rolleyes:

[376Steyr]

There are 7000 grains in a pound. If you turned only that 400 lb of wheelweights into nothing but 230 grain .45 slugs you'd have over 12,000 boolits. I think you are off to a good start.

[steve in kc]

There are 7000 grains in a pound. If you turned only that 400 lb of wheelweights into nothing but 230 grain .45 slugs you'd have over 12,000 boolits. I think you are off to a good start.

For sure! Geeze...if you were shooting soupcans in a 30-30 with straight WW, you'd have 24,778 boolits!!! Yes, good start for SURE!

If you mix the 400lbs of ww with 400lbs pure... 24,000 for your 45!

I'd only be sad if I were you IF I were casting 20lb cannon balls....THEN you'd be off to a slow start. You're doing great!

[white eagle]

you'll be surprised you really don't need a couple of tons to have
a good supply

[imashooter2]

The math is pretty easy...

Number of rounds a year times average weight times years you want to keep shooting divided by 7000. Example:

4,000 a year * 200 grains average * 20 years /7,000 = ~2,286 pounds needed.

But you don't need that all on the shelf today. You just need to find that much over the next 19 years... Most folks with lifetime stashes didn't accumulate it all in a month.

[Markbo]

Dang... I feel bad now. I need a LOT more lead! :mrgreen:

[*Paladin*]

Dang... I feel bad now. I need a LOT more lead! :mrgreen:

Me too! Shoot, I only have a bit over 300lbs. But, I'm working on it. In fact, tomorrow I'm going scrounging for more!

[bbs70]

I have about 300 lbs of ww ingots and only 100 lbs of soft lead ingots.

Lead is getting harder to find.
Scrap dealers are telling me no one is bringing lead in anymore.
However I did luck out the other day, my usual scrap dealer had 100+ lbs of scrap lead he saved for me.
Some of it was ww and cakes of unknown hard lead, and fishing weights.
But what supprised me was there was a full bag of #6 shot and a tall coffee can 3/4 full of 00 buckshot.:bigsmyl2:

Going out today and see if I can scrounge up some soft lead somewhere.

[caseyboy]

I am really getting worried. I only have about 100lbs of lead on hand. Lest see 7000*100/200=3500 boolits. See what I mean!:shock:

[mold maker]

Regardless of how much you have, when it can't be found, at a reasonable price, you'll soon run out.
Get ALL you can while, its still available. That will change in the future while your thinking, about what you have stored.
If you ever get more than you can use in your lifetime, it will trade for other essentials at a good price.
There is NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH LEAD. Its called "A Pour Mans Gold".

[canyon-ghost]

I can give you an idea. I shot on the range for 10 years with a 22 hornet, 32-20, a 9mm and a 7mm. It comes to about 200# a year, at a leisurely pace. If you have a wide range of calibers, the little ones are easier to keep up with. You'll still shoot a bucket a year regardless.

Ron

[white eagle]

the best way to insure you always have lead is to
have your own shootin range
that way after you shoot you go mine
then remelt .....and repeat

[JSnover]

This brings my current WW counted to about 400lbs. and about 600lbs of pure. I don't know what kind of start this gives me. I don't shoot a bunch, but wonder if I do start to shoot more if this is even close to a good amount? :confused:

So that's a half ton. You got the sickness, just like the rest of us. I have over 1500 lbs and I still can't resist picking up a few pocketfuls of scrap when I'm at the range.

[leadman]

I have quie a bit of lead but I try to shoot the lighter weight bullets just to conserve. I do need to find a place to shoot where I can get my lead back. The public range won't let you mine the berm. The other shooters might get mad waiting for me also. Might get some unexpected lead!

[fredj338]

Well, I have been doing all I can to build my lead supply. Yesterday was the first day I paid for WW. .40lb for 125 weighed on a scale. I came home and smelted them with some I picked up at the local tire stores for a total of 125lbs counted/melted. I am sure there is a little more there, however I don't have a scale. This brings my current WW counted to about 400lbs. and about 600lbs of pure. I don't know what kind of start this gives me. I don't shoot a bunch, but wonder if I do start to shoot more if this is even close to a good amount? :confused:
Well, 1000# is about 35K bullets w/ an avg wt of 200gr. Is that enough, your shooting habits will tell you.;) I have about 1400#, but will always take more if found or offered. I spent 15min mining the berm @ my culb range, netted about 25# of alloy. Just add it to the pile.

[merlin101]

I don't really know what I have on hand, but I told the wife how the price went from .50 to
.90 and she surpised me by saying "you'd better go get more before it goes up higher"!!
Well I didn't waste any time and grabbed some cash, jumped in the truck and found he's closed today. Oh well there's always Monday. My idea of more is oh say 1,000lbs , think she'll mind?

[jmsj]

1longshot,
I don't know how long you have been looking for lead but when I first started it was slow going. At first, a handful or two was the best I could do. Now I get about a 4 or 5 gals. a month (80-100lbs) of wheel weights. That's not a lot compared to what some guys post but it enough for my shooting family's needs and still be able to put some back.
Try mining at shooting ranges, I get some from three small ranges. It's not alot but it is more than enough to keep up w/ my wife's practice rounds and for introducing people to shooting.
Let people know that you are looking for lead, I have been happily surprised when people stop me or call me and tell me they have some lead laying around.
Lastly, I am lucky enough to have a range behind my house. I am able to reclaim a lot of what we shoot here and when people come over to shoot they add to the lead.
All this chasing lead takes a lot of time and is a lot of work, gathering, sorting smelting and alloying. Also there is the cost of driving around and the cost of propane for smelting. If time is a constraint, buying lead from people on this site is a good option.
Good luck, jmsj

[bbs70]

Well I was going out to try and find some lead this afternoon.
I had to drive by the local scrap yard I visited the other day and decided to stop in on the off chance he had some more lead.

To my supprise he said he had just got about 1400 lbs.
Wheel weights, lead sheeting, and lead pipe.
Could only afford 1000 lbs right now, so now I'm the proud owner of 1000 lbs of lead.
It broke my heart that I couldn't buy it all, but bills come first.

Already got 1/2 of it melted down into ingots.
Life is good.:bigsmyl2:

[captain-03]

the best way to insure you always have lead is to
have your own shootin range
that way after you shoot you go mine
then remelt .....and repeat

Pretty much what I try to do .... I try to bring more home from the range than I left at the range!!

[seanhagerty]

The math is pretty easy...

Number of rounds a year times average weight times years you want to keep shooting divided by 7000. Example:

4,000 a year * 200 grains average * 20 years /7,000 = ~2,286 pounds needed.

But you don't need that all on the shelf today. You just need to find that much over the next 19 years... Most folks with lifetime stashes didn't accumulate it all in a month.


Lets see what this costs for reloading components:

Lets assume Unique at 6 gr per round and CCI LP primers and range pick up brass.

Unique costs about $20 per pound -$0.017 per round

CCI LP costs about $35 per thousand-$0.035 per round

So, about $0.05 per round (plus lead and brass if you have to buy this stuff)

The (rough) math:

4000 * 20 * .05 = $4000

Not bad over 20 years.....

[Hardcast416taylor]

I guess the best thing to say about your gathering wheel weights and other types of lead is simply...BE GLAD YOU CAN STILL FIND IT!Robert

[Lead Miner]

Well if any of you ever run out give me a shout. I reclaim lead for a living. Current stock of soft lead is 15,000 lbs. Current stock of reclaimed lead shot is 100,000 lbs plus. Have 4 ranges to clean their berms set up for this year.

[*Paladin*]

Dang, I may need to take a trip to Nebraska! Welcome Lead Miner! With the stash you have, I have no doubt you'll make friends in no time! I wish I had 1/10th of your stash!

[WHITETAIL]

Lead Miner, Welcome to the forum.
Paladin is right, I wish I had that much.:holysheep

[Rooster]

Any sites in the southeast to clean?

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Of course what the scarcity of WW means is that prices will go up without a doubt until the scarce resource disappears into hoards. Then.................NADA................or RARE finds. Some shooters already buy commercial lead and alloys where the ratios like 20/1 must be sure as in 1000 yard shooting. Cowboy and simalar has different lead needs.

Quite a number of other things will also support lead scarcity, like epa regs should the bozo-ites get enough power to outlaw private ownership, as in NO MORE LIGHT BULBS UNLESS GREEN. BTW, the last US lightbulb plant in Winchester, Va. closed not long ago. There's more than bozo-care to get unhappy about.

BvT

[a.squibload]

Well if any of you ever run out give me a shout. I reclaim lead for a living....

What do you do with it, besides cast boolits?

Check out the Swappin & Sellin forum, might be a good alternate to bring in some change.
Of course you'll have to send me a BIG free sample for analysis...:kidding: