like a tootsie roll

[white eagle]

lasts a long time that is ......
I have my very own range and the way I see it
if I shoot and collect and remelt I can theoretically
have a life time of lead with a minimal amount
say 4-500# [smilie=w:
Am I wrong ? :castmine:
the only thing I can see running out of is a specific alloy

[Defcon-One]

Interesting idea, sort of like Perpetual Motion!

If you can reclaim every bit of it, every time, then you are right. I would expect to loose a little each time though, but it would last quite a while and with a little scrounging on the side I would imagine that it would be easy to stay ahead of the loss curve.

On alloys; if you shoot only one, then it would always be the same melt after melt, with a little loss of Tin or Antimony from oxidation during remelting, but not much. If you shoot serveral alloys, then all bets are off and in time you will loose track of what you have. Best bet is one backstop for each alloy, if you can get that elaborate. Once it is mixed together, who knows.

[white eagle]

so far it has been a medley of metals
as the bhn well anyone's guess
I use 50/50 ww/pb for hunting but use
hardball,#2,lino,ww and pure plus some of the Keith alloys
seems to make good boolits whatever
I am concocting

[RobS]

I would like to have my own range as well so I could make a boolit trap to reclaim. I know it's only time before WW's fade into history and we all end up being gouged with buying from foundries. You would think though with the demand of lead being less with fewer states allowing WW's on cars that the supply would go up and prices would go down................................if only.

[Von Gruff]

I think I am fortunate in that I have a supply that will more than likely outlast me........................but I have a special place I shoot that I have been using for about 25 years and have always shot into a bank in the same place. I expect that there would be quite a bit in there if I was in need but the supply of various ww, Pb and lino is still reasonably viable here so it may be that I will never have to "mine" my backstop bank. Nice to know it is there though, ; just in case'.

Von Gruff.

[Combat Diver]

Here's my range in the backyard. The box is basically a 4x4x8 filled with logs and dirt. Jacketed bullets get shoot into the box but when I shoot cast I shoot into the tires. Inside the tires are steel plates and I recollect the lead inside the tires.
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/range3.JPG

CD

[fredj338]

I have a freind that does exactly that. Shoots at his range under his house & rmelts the lead bullets. He will never run out of lead, ever.