Sorting Range Lead?

[Longarm]

Hi all. I'm getting ready to start smelting my range lead I've been collecting, and was wondering if it would be worthwhile to sort out the cast boolits from the jacketed ones. I've read through most of the Classic sticky about range lead and didn't see an answer. The jacketed ones will need additional alloy to harden it up, right? I'll be casting low velocity 38 special for use in a Marlin 1894 and a couple revolvers. Thanks!

[stubshaft]

Since you don't know the composition of the cast boolits in your range lead I wouldn't bother sorting it. Unless you want to preserve the pure from the j-words.

[*Paladin*]

I just melt it all together, mark it w/ a RL and use it like PB. By the fingernail measurement, it's about the same.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

smelting my range lead.... wondering if it would be worthwhile to sort out the cast boolits from the jacketed ones..... I'll be casting low velocity 38 special for use in a Marlin 1894 and a couple revolvers. Thanks!

Depending on how much range Lead you going to smelt...That would be alot of work and for what ???
-- Jacketed bullets may or may not be pure.
-- Cast boolits will probably be comercial cast (hard alloy no doubt),
unless you have a lot of casters at your range.

I prefer a 50-50 alloy (WW to Soft lead) for my 38 spl and other revovlers loads.
so you may get very close to that with the total mix of range lead.
What Alloy would you prefer for your 38 spl ?
Jon

[Hickory]

I would melt it all together mark it as range lead and use it for target practice.
Most people here cast so that they can get more practice and it will return to the back stop for later recovery and use,
Use your known alloys for the more serious stuff, like hunting and load development.

[Longarm]

I'm new to casting, mostly concerned about leading from using soft lead. It's probably about a 50/50 mix of jacketed and cast, and I'm pretty sure most of the cast ones are commercially made. Ideally I would like to be using WW from what I've read, but they are quite scarce out here in Communist California.

[Hickory]

I've done some claim jumping in the past, (mining the back stop)
and when I melt it down, I try to do it in one big pot.

This way I can alloy it, if it is too soft or too hard.
While it is still in the large pot, I cast a few boolits and check them
with a hardness tester and add what I feel I need to get the right
hardness/alloy for future use. Cast it into ingots and mark them
and stack them all together for when you need them.

[excess650]

I've shot quite a bit of recovered range lead, and would never have considered trying to sort it. With the addition of a couple % tin,a nd possibly water dropping, it will be hard enough or harder than you need for what you mentioned.

I use a 5 quart dutch oven on a propane fired plumbers' rig to do my smelting. This helps ensure all of the junk doesn't end up in my casting pot, and you may be looking at up to 50% waste.

[mold maker]

I don't sort range lead, but I do attempt to wash it (cement mixer) and really stir through it while drying, to make sure there aren't any LIVE ROUNDS in it, that some dimwit threw there. NC red clay will hide them and you don't want to find them with heat. They WILL EMPTY your pot and make 700 degree rain. You can't react fast enough to get away.
Yep, thats a lesson I learned the hard way. I was wearing full safety gear, and had to replace most of it, but that was cheap considering what serious burns do.

[jmsj]

Longarm,
I only sort out the totally enclosed jacketed bullets, I either smash them w/ a hand sledge to break the jacket or cut the jacket somewhere so the lead can leak out. If the jacketed bullet has an open base, I don't bother with them the lead will leak out the bottom. On the totally enclosed bullets, if you don't give the lead a place to get out, you can get a "squirter" that will shoot molten lead into the air. A heavy lid on your smelting pot will help also.
Just about all of my low pressure plinking and informal target loads (.38 Spcl. .45ACP) are 50% range lead/50% Pb with tin added if needed for fill out. I usually get by without adding tin
Welcome to the sight and good luck, jmsj

[caseyboy]

I guess I am the only one that sorts my range scrap. I do it for a number od reasons. For the jacketed, I sort it by jacket material, copper or brass. That way, I can keep the jacket brass seperate. I sell the jackets to the recyclers. Got $2.35 a pound for the copper and $1.65 for the brass the last time. I also seperate the cast to smelt seperately. This has added tin and antimony and I use it to add to the jacketed soft to harden it. Any mystery lead gets cast into 10lbs cannonballs for downrigger weight for salmon fishing. I sell these at $20 each which works out to $2 a pound. The scrap and the cannonballs keeps me nicely in powder and primers.

[zomby woof]

My range lead is all indoor. So it's smashed to sh!t, no sorting needed.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Ideally I would like to be using WW from what I've read,

Longarm,
give this thread a read.
especially post #18 by one of the moderators here.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105067

[Longarm]

Thanks for all the great input guys. Sounds like I'll be fine just smelting it all down together.

[DukeInFlorida]

My local scrap yard REFUSED my scrap brass and copper jackets from a recent smelt. Ended up tossing them in the trash.

[fredj338]

Thanks for all the great input guys. Sounds like I'll be fine just smelting it all down together.

I mine the berm at my club & it's outside. So there is always a bit of everything. I treat range lead as 50/50 alloy; lead & clip ww. It's a bit harder than pure & certainly softer than clip ww. Most of the time I shoot 50/50 alloy anyway, so I just cast the range lead as is.

[imashooter2]

My local scrap yard REFUSED my scrap brass and copper jackets from a recent smelt. Ended up tossing them in the trash.

Yep. None of the yards around here will touch them. Good on the guys that can sell them, but it sure isn't guaranteed.

[Harter66]

Casey your not the only 1. The range I'm scranging sees quite a few 12ga slugs and patched balls. I do mine into 4 buckets , pure(slugs pb),commercial cast (regionial has a bright blue lube that stays on),other cast and all the jacked. That's netted me nearly 100# of pretty hard air cooled lead ,200# of very soft all but pure (like 1/30),and 400# of suitable materiel for water dropped 32 Rem,38/357, 45 Colts,9mm lites. Seems like its worth it to me.

[JScott]

I also sort mine due to the large quantity of shotgun slugs on our range. They add up to a lot of material fast but your alloy can vary considerably depending on the amount of slugs in each batch. I sort into two groups: recovered cast bullets in one, the other is slugs, swaged, jacketed, etc. I label them "Range Cast" and "Range Soft". I then often mix them 1:1 when casting to try and get a more consistent alloy. I know it is not scientific but I feel better doing it.
If I didn't pick up the slugs I might just go ahead and melt them all at once.

[imashooter2]

No doubt that range scrap can vary quite a bit from bucket to bucket. My practice is to pour 2 buckets at a time into a wheelbarrow and load the pot from that. Then I smelt in 500 or so pound sessions and jumble the ingots before I put them away. Not perfect, but good enough for my purposes.

[markshooter]

I have a source of range lead from an indoor range, I take most of it to a recycle plant and keep some for myself. I took a sample of the copper and dross from a melt and they told me that it had too much iron and would not be able to take it. I told them that it was in the range lead that they were taking and asked if they were getting any complaints from the people that they were selling the range lead to, and they said no. My question - is there iron in range lead and if so is there anything that can be done to get rid of it, also if they will not take it, where can it be taken to dispose of?
They also have linotype lead, what is the price that should be paid for this lead?

[bumpo628]

I have a source of range lead from an indoor range, I take most of it to a recycle plant and keep some for myself. I took a sample of the copper and dross from a melt and they told me that it had too much iron and would not be able to take it. I told them that it was in the range lead that they were taking and asked if they were getting any complaints from the people that they were selling the range lead to, and they said no. My question - is there iron in range lead and if so is there anything that can be done to get rid of it, also if they will not take it, where can it be taken to dispose of?
They also have linotype lead, what is the price that should be paid for this lead?

First of all, you might want to start smelting it down and selling it here to keep it in the family so to speak. Plus, I'm sure you'll get more money for it. What price are you selling it at right now? You could probably sell 50 lbs for $50 (shipping included), which is $0.78 / lb to you.

If you want to keep selling to the recycler, you should run a large magnet over the dross to see if there actually is any iron in there. If there is, it should be easy to pick out. There may be some steel jackets from surplus ammo.

Linotype goes for around $1.50 to $2 per pound on ebay in raw form. From Rotometals, it's $3 per pound in ingot form.

[markshooter]

First of all, you might want to start smelting it down and selling it here to keep it in the family so to speak. Plus, I'm sure you'll get more money for it. What price are you selling it at right now? You could probably sell 50 lbs for $50 (shipping included), which is $0.78 / lb to you.

If you want to keep selling to the recycler, you should run a large magnet over the dross to see if there actually is any iron in there. If there is, it should be easy to pick out. There may be some steel jackets from surplus ammo.

Linotype goes for around $1.50 to $2 per pound on ebay in raw form. From Rotometals, it's $3 per pound in ingot form.

The amount of range lead is way to much to smelt and continue to work for a living, (7,000 lb a month). I started this for my own use and with the amount of smoke and smell while smelting it is a matter of time before the neighbors start complaining.
I would like to get a bottom pour unit and considering the Magma 90 lb unit, anyone have any thoughts?
The linotype is around $1.25 and he says he has 20,000 lbs, is this something that would be done on the group buy and should I try to reduce the price?

[bumpo628]

The amount of range lead is way to much to smelt and continue to work for a living, (7,000 lb a month). I started this for my own use and with the amount of smoke and smell while smelting it is a matter of time before the neighbors start complaining.
I would like to get a bottom pour unit and considering the Magma 90 lb unit, anyone have any thoughts?
The linotype is around $1.25 and he says he has 20,000 lbs, is this something that would be done on the group buy and should I try to reduce the price?

That sounds like a great idea about the group buy. I'm sure there will be a lot of buyers. You should ask for qty. breaks to see if he'll drop the price based on how much will be sold. I bet a few thousand pounds will go quick at that price or lower. You'll want to find out if they are in the original pigs or if they are in type form.

I watch the group buy section or this forum if you post any new developments.