Is there a market for jackets?

[myfriendis410]

I'm about the only one at my club who bothers to mine the pistol backstop. Of course when you melt lead you have a huge amount of gilding metal jackets skimmed off as dross. Has anyone ever taken this stuff to a reclaimer and if so, what kind of price did they get? It would be nice to know what it's worth before I approach one. If it would pay for some propane that would be a real bonus.

[bumpo628]

I've never done it, but I've read that people get about $2/lb for them. Be sure to use a magnet to sort out the steel jackets, if any.

[John Traveler]

That sounds about right.

It's been many years since I sold salvaged bullet jackets, but I recall them selling for the price of scrap copper. Brass and copper alloys have little dross loss unlike aluminum.

It's a good idea to do the magnet inspection before taking them in. Much of US and foreign military jacketet bullets are made of guilding metal-clad steel that looks copperish but is rejected by the salvage yards.

[pistolman44]

I tried to take the jackets to the scrap yard but they wouldn't take them because they had tracies of lead on them.

[clodhopper]

I have sold them at the local scrapyard.
once I got copper price for them about 2 bucks a pound.
Now those guys have wised up and only pay "dirty" brass .55 cents last week.
Solid copper bullets bring over 2 bucks a pound.

[lwknight]

I can get arounf $3.00 per pound at a local recycler. I have to pick out the brass jackets to get that price.

[clodhopper]

We have "Montana Gold" bullets in great profusion here.
They have brass jackets and I have not found it to be worth the time to sort out all those jackets.
I keep wondering if there is a way to melt sort them.
by the melting temp of copper and brass. not sure if I really want to start a copper smelter.

[bslim]

I sort the brass from the copper jackets. The brass goes into my scrap brass pail and the copper jackets are sold for $2.00 per pound. So far they haven't complained about the bits of lead stuck to the jackets. I find when I smelt range bullets, I use a large ice fishing spoon with holes in it, and swish the jackets around over the smelting pot before removing them. This helps tip over some of the jackets with lead in them. The last batch of jackets netted me $32.00 which was worth the time to seperate the brass from the copper. Brass pays $1.70 / lb. so for $2.00/ lb. for dirty copper it's worth while for me.

[Jailer]

Last batch of copper jackets I took in to the recyclers I got $2.78/lb for them. Walked out with $306 in my hand. Felt almost like I robbed the place.

Almost

[odinohi]

Last batch of copper jackets I took in to the recyclers I got $2.78/lb for them. Walked out with $306 in my hand. Felt almost like I robbed the place.

Almost

I hear ya man. I just got 2.85lb 2 weeks ago. Suprised me!

[bumpo628]

I sort the brass from the copper jackets. The brass goes into my scrap brass pail and the copper jackets are sold for $2.00 per pound. So far they haven't complained about the bits of lead stuck to the jackets. I find when I smelt range bullets, I use a large ice fishing spoon with holes in it, and swish the jackets around over the smelting pot before removing them. This helps tip over some of the jackets with lead in them. The last batch of jackets netted me $32.00 which was worth the time to seperate the brass from the copper. Brass pays $1.70 / lb. so for $2.00/ lb. for dirty copper it's worth while for me.

How do you sort brass from copper? Color?

[felix]

Copper is orange when compared to brass which has a yellow hue, and more yellow as the zinc content increases.. Keep in mind that bronze is a copper alloy also, and it typically would be a darker orange like a corroded brass case, perhaps more brown. However, different bronzes will have different hues because the alloy element can be anything, including zinc, but typically in a very low percentage if not zero 99 percent of the time. Tin is the most usual alloying element in making bronze. Gold with 10 percent copper is an orange-y gold and makes up the official Krugerrand coin (South Africa legal tender). ... felix

[DrNick]

Do you guys tumble the scrap to clean it up at all? Might be worth more that way. I figure a cement mixer, a bag or dry sand and a few hours might be worthwhile....

[ReloaderFred]

I take the time to use a large magnet on my melted out jackets and remove as much lead as possible, which means any obvious chunks. The last time I took some to the recycler's, they paid me #2 copper price, which made it more than worth the effort. The cleaner it is, the better price you'll get.

I also recycle spent primers and get the same price as cartridge brass (yellow brass). The place I go to thanks me for not throwing the stuff away and for bringing it in. The other large recycler in town treats you like they're doing you a favor just being open and cuts the price on a lot of stuff. If you have more than one option in your area, try them all.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[clodhopper]

A great many "copper jackets" are really guilding metal, try it your self and take a hand full of jackets to the grinder to expose the color of the metal.
As long as your local recylcer is paying copper prices for your jackets, there is no need to sort.
But when they find out they have been paying you copper prices for brass they might be a little cranky.
Enjoy it while you can.
Two bucks an hour for sorting the copper from the brass has little appeal.

[imashooter2]

Call around before you expend any effort. The yards around here won't touch them.

[leadman]

I find that if I put some paraffin in the pot and while it is burning use the slotted spoon to lift out the dross. Cleans it pretty well.

[kmag]

Went to sale a few jackets here. The first yard wouldn't touch them. The second yard sent me across the scales in the rain and 100 yards down a muddy road with ruts that drug the truck axle. Dumped the jackets and made my way back across the scales to the parking lot. Went inside to the pay window, noticed the guy had written 150 on a pad and was writing a check. I thought wow! $150.00. He gave me the check it was for $1.50. A penny a pound. I don't sell jackets anymore, the trash service gets them. Can't make enough off of them to cover the gas or pay for a truck wash.

[bohica2xo]

Smelt then yourself.

A little waste motor oil for fuel & some scrounge work - you can cast your own bronze alloys.

http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/

Once it is ingots, it is worth more. Or you can get some sand...

B.

[fatelk]

It's pretty amazing, the difference between regions and even scrap yards. Some won't touch them, some will pay next to nothing, and others pay good money, even in the same town.

My experience is the same as Fred's, but then we do go to the same scrap yards.