Lead score

[Fritz D]

I've always wanted to post a "free lead score" thread . . . I finally got my chance.

A couple weeks ago I asked one of the execs at my club if I could clean out the backstop (indoor range), he said I could take all I wanted. I got 4 buckets a couple weeks ago and another 8 buckets yesterday. Conservative estimate is at least 850lbs.

Getting the lead out was a dirty, nasty job. Our range is new (barely a year old) . . . I can't believe how tightly the lead was packed in. By the time I was done yesterday I was hurting. The lead may have been "free" but I earned it!

134587

134586

134588

[CastingFool]

Happy smelting! Congrats!

[Yodogsandman]

Wow! Great score!

[pworley1]

It looks like you will have several pounds of copper scrap to sell as well.

[62chevy]

Darn right you earned it.

Awesome score.

[dilly]

Some people get a ton of money for the scrapped jackets and some places won't touch them with a 10 foot pole. Hopefully you can get rid of those jackets at a good rate.

[RogerDat]

The mining was "free" but like most things it is your "sweat equity" that adds the real value. Reuse being the highest form of recycling that 850 lbs. might earn you some sort of environmental award ;-)

[Fritz D]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm building a shotmaker . . . if I can get it to work, all this lead should make for quite a bit of low cost trap shooting.

[Fritz D]

Update to my original post. I had to leave some lead behind last week (hated to do it, but I was beat). Yesterday, another member and I cleaned out the rest of the backstop and this time we got every last speck of lead. We each ended up with 3 good buckets, so my total score is now 1000lbs+. I'm a happy camper. :-o

[Mgderf]

Wow! That IS a score.

I thought I was lucky to find 90lbs of wheel weights yesterday, but then the only work it cost me was picking the weights out of the mud and weeds, then hosing them down to wash them off.

[Fritz D]

Update #2 to my original post. I finally melted the last of the lead I scored earlier this year, here are some pics. I used to have a Linotype machine and I still have the furnace/molds to make "pigs." For ease of storage I cast some of the lead into 25lb pigs and the balance using 1lb Lyman/Lee molds. Everything pictured here weighs 875lbs. I also made at least 100lbs of shot earlier this year, so my total take was close to 1000lbs. The last pic is a 55lb "freebie" I scored from a friend last month.

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg595/FritzDein/DSCF3107.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/FritzDein/media/DSCF3107.jpg.html)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg595/FritzDein/DSCF3105.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/FritzDein/media/DSCF3105.jpg.html)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg595/FritzDein/DSCF3104.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/FritzDein/media/DSCF3104.jpg.html)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg595/FritzDein/DSCF3103.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/FritzDein/media/DSCF3103.jpg.html)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg595/FritzDein/DSCF3102.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/FritzDein/media/DSCF3102.jpg.html)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg595/FritzDein/DSCF3106.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/FritzDein/media/DSCF3106.jpg.html)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg595/FritzDein/DSCF3109_1.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/FritzDein/media/DSCF3109_1.jpg.html)

[Spruce]

A lot of work, but a really nice score. The pig mould makes for nice storage.