Lead from .22rf range

[RGS]

I just helped clean out the bullet trap on our club's .22rf range. The angled steel plate at the back of the trap drove the bullets down to a bed of sawdust and shavings. There was a rim of lead that formed from about 6 or 8" in front of the steel plate and grew thicker as it reached the plate. A lot of the lead is mixed as powder, more or less in with the saw dust. I am betting it would be a real mess to try to salvage that part.

However there are the strips of lead that sort of welded themselves to the steel where it met the sawdust. This is that rim that formed at the base of the trap. Some of this is just about all lead. It breaks up into sizes that would fit in a pot. I am tempted to try it.

I am new to this club, and am not sure if they intend to sell it to a recycler or if it is free for the taking. Assuming I can get some of it, I have a question.

Is this lead good for anything other than fishing sinkers? That is all the guys I was helping thought it was good for. One of them casts his own, but didn't think it was worth messing with it.

I would use it for mid power handgun boolits.

Rick

[LeadThrower]

I'm doing my part to "be green" by cleaning scrap lead from my local indoor range and sending back down range... ... it's a closed loop, as it were... ... perhaps I should ask for a discount since I'm paying for my own boolits, and they're severly deformed when I get them back! [smilie=1:

Seriously, though, my foray into casting this scrap has been successful in the same application (midpower handgun). The only difference is my scrap is everything from 22lr on up, so it's a mix. I'd just check the hardness and alloy as necessary. Mine requires nothing, but produces some leading in the forcing cone -- still working with sizing and hardness issues (and lubes) to cure that.

I recommend two options:
1) throw it into your pot and send it downrange

-- or --

2) send it to me (prior to casting and loading, please!)

[nicholst55]

Lead from .22 bullets is going to be pure lead for all practical purposes, and will need to have some tin added to both harden the alloy and to make it fill out the mold better. I'm sure that if you do a search you'll find lots of info on this subject.

[James C. Snodgrass]

I would be very cautious about the dust, If you can get it with out disturbing the dust to much it should smelt into nearly pure lead that you can add to WW for light loads or for maxies or round balls for black powder guns. Good luck & be careful of the fine dust. James

[S.R.Custom]

Recovering the lead from the sawdust would be easy-- pour the mixture in a bucket of water and stir. The wood will float, and the lead will sink. :-D

+1 on the need for tin, tho.

[RGS]

Thanks for the concern over the dust. Our news letter didn't stipulate what the job would be, just what time to show up for the work party. I had leather gloves with me, thank goodness, but was fresh out of face masks. Live and learn. :-?

This particular range is one of 3 on the club. Big guns get fired on the other ranges. Only standard velocity or lower .22rf or air rifle is allowed on the range we worked on. A lot of league shoots with air rifle take place here as well as .22rf. There are plenty of pellets mixed in the "alloy" at the bottom of the trap.

There are enough good sized clumps of lead to keep me busy without having to sift or wash or otherwise handle the dust again.

Thanks for the responses. I found an old thread from back in 2005 on this subject, but I just stumbled upon it. No search feature here that I can detect.

I imagine air gun pellets are just about pure lead too. Does anyone know about that?

[BABore]

Be aware that indoor ranges that shoot competition may have some oddball stuff in the mix. A few of the high-end imported 22 lr brands use a little bit of bismuth in their alloy. It will make your lead alloy very hard. I found out the hard way when I assumed it would be close to pure lead. Smelt it in a big batch and test the alloy before going any further. It still useful alloy, but you gots to know.