How much is enough?

[Kraschenbirn]

Not bragging or complaining but, yesterday, I finished smelting the last of my stash of wheelweights/range scrap and mixing it into a reasonable facsimile of Lyman #2. While storing the cooled ingots, I took an inventory of my casting supplies and found the following: 160# of #2, 15# of linotype, 10# of 3 parts #2 to 1 part lino, 24# of soft lead, 12# of 25 part PB to 1 part SN, and 3# of 60/40 solder. (And this doesn't count, of course, loaded ammunition, JBs, or the 5000+ cast boolits of various calibers/configurations that I have on hand, already sized, lubed, and boxed!)

That said, the question raised is how much more do I need to have "enough?" At my current rate of consumption, I figure I should have around a 6-year supply and, considering my current age, that could easily stretch to, maybe, 10 years as the ol' body begins to slow down.

Has anyone else given this any thought? What do you guys think might be an adquate on-hand stockpile?

Bill

[beagle]

I refer to Mark Twain's comment on stealing chickens here. He said that if you got a chance to get a chicken, get it. If you couldn't use it, someone else would and would be grateful.

With the current trend in availability of scrap lead, I'd take all I could get. The front of my barn is weighted down with WW ingots, pure ingots and 5-6 buckets of WWs in waiting. I have about 300# of lino and I'm still taking it when I can get it.

There is no such thing as too much lead./beagle

[racepres]

At the rate the kids are shooting.... There is no such thing as "enough". But, I am about to let them worry about it!! MV

[38 Super Auto]

Ditto on Beagle's comment. I think you should always be on the hunt for alloy. I collected about 2000# over the last 7 years, and as my cast bullet shooting has picked up, I realize I don't have a lifetime supply. :(

[cbrick]

No such a thing as too much. Right now I have about 700 pounds of clip-on WW ingots and about 150 pounds of stick-on ingots. I still take all I can get, turn down none and actively hunt for more.

I would much rather pass on with a ton of ingots for my heirs to worry about than live the last 10 years wondering where to get some.

For those who's shooting lives revolve around the WW get it while you can, the eco whacko's are winning and will continue to preach the same old tired line; "the planet will be stone cold dead but we can save it if only we get rid of those horrible WW". Same line they always use for everything they want to acheive, just switch WW for whatever the current agenda is. The WW is already starting to disappear and it'll not be all that long before there are none.

Rick

[cohutt]

I would much rather pass on with a ton of ingots for my heirs to worry about than live the last 10 years wondering where to get some.

Rick

+100
I'm 48 and figure I'm about half way to my comfort level. I've got a pallet full accumulated, 2000lbs + scavenged all of it in the last 16 months:



http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/pb/misc086.jpg

[nicholst55]

My philosophy is this - you can have enough lead, whatever that might be for your particular likes. You can never have too much! Kind of like guns - you can have enough - might be one gun for some folks. You can never have too many! ;)

[HollandNut]

Never have "too much" ..

I get it whenever I find it ..

I'm down to about 500# of various mixtures , and getting nervous ..

[waksupi]

Cohutt, is that pile 2000#? If so, I think I need to up my estimation of what I have piled up! Never did think to weigh it all.

[cohutt]

Cohutt, is that pile 2000#? If so, I think I need to up my estimation of what I have piled up! Never did think to weigh it all.

It always weights more than it looks.

Example:

in that pic there are 108 of the biggger bar ingots; At around 7lb each, the bars alone weigh 750 lbs. add 22 more from my second berm smelt last week that are yet to be stacked on in place and you get 130 total for 900 lbs.
each FRB runs between 80 & 90 lbs (pure lead in those) & there are 6 full ones and one about 3/4 full stacked there - so add another 550 or so.

so just the FRBs and the bars total 1400-1500lbs

Throw in the bins and buckets with ingots in them and you are pushing 2000, then
I have some stuff not in the picture, ingots that I left in original form - 3 34 lb counter weights, 3 1/2 big 75 lb ingots from INCO, plus a bunch between 10 and 25 lbs. all of these are weighed and recorded and add another 466 lbs.

See what i mean? Lead doesn't take up much space..... (the picture below shows how tall the pallet is stacked)\

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/pb/misc083.jpg

[jhalcott]

ENOUGH??? Hope MY wife doesn't see this! She thinks one is plenty, wether it's husbands, guns or boolets! She does have more than one pair of shoes though.

[AZ-Stew]

jhalcott,

Not to worry. She's normal.

Regards,

Stew

[runfiverun]

5000 of various calibers, negative
i have more than that in 45 colt alone.
if you are gonna shoot them you gotta replace them

[PatMarlin]

Cohutt, is that pile 2000#? If so, I think I need to up my estimation of what I have piled up! Never did think to weigh it all.


Ditto on that one. I could do 5 piles of that easily.

[mtgrs737]

Enough? What's that?

My daughter the Nurse says that my personality type is: "Complusive Excessive" I'm not sure what that means, but I do know that if I like something I want a lot of it!!!

When asked how much of something I have I answer: "More than I need, but less than I want"!

Nuff Said!

Mtgrs737 :drinks:

[Down South]

I'm the same way as most here. Enough is never enough. There is also the thrill of the chase in finding WW that becomes obsessive.

[targetshootr]

Scrounging lead is the most obsessive thing I ever got into. Here's a sample of my collection.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/targetshootr/IM005145.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/targetshootr/IM005146.jpg

[Bob Krack]

I read a tag-line somewhere

"There are only two occasions where you can have TOO much ammunition --- when you are swimming or when you are on fire".

Nearly the same with lead for casting!

Vic