Jackpot....or junkpile ???

[JohnClark7886]

OK guys here is the question. Did I hit the jackpot or junkpile. I called a local indoor range I shoot at to get some empty 12 ga hulls. In talking with the guy he informed me he has "thousands of pounds" of spent bullets, shotgun pellets etc that they can't get rid of. He says there is a lot of lead in there. Is it worth it to melt down shot ammo, such as pistol bullets, rifle bullets and shotgun pellets to get the lead out. Also if you do, is the copper resellable that is left over? Help I am a newbie to casting and will be casting my own buckshot with this...did I hit a jackpot or is it just a junkpile...thanks everyone...

[jeph83]

It's worth it. If you can get it for free it's a no brainer.

I helped a couple weeks ago with smelting down range scrap. It was extra messy and smoked a lot but nothing that can't be delt with.

I would imagine if most of it was from jacketed bullets the lead you get will be pretty soft. I don't know what kind of alloy is used for shotgun pellets so it might be just what you're looking for or you might have to alloy the recovered alloy with something.

[sundog]

Junkpile, definitely. Just have him deliver to my house, and I will dispose of it. No charge.

[Cherokee]

Motherload !! Melt it all down and test it to see how hard it is. Might be just fine for light to mid range loads. You might see if you can sort it to separate the jacketed from the cast bullets before melting.

[Gussy]

Scrap price at the junk yard for the brass jackets too. Lead is the bonus.
Gus

[Blammer]

Jackpot! If it's free.

[JohnClark7886]

Heck I didn't even think about the brass, he said they just sweep it all up at the end of the week and dump it into trash cans and put it out to be picked up by the garbage truck....so ya think there may be some decent re-usable brass I should pick thru???:holysheep

[trooperdan]

Ah, John where are you located? Maybe I can help you out! :)

[OLPDon]

Been picking up boolit scraps from indoor range for years. They come with there own flux (boolit lub) only problem is the paper from the targets. That just burns off, I use a dutch oven with lid on. Keeps the fire down and if I happen to miss a live round the lid is on, I how ever sift through it pretty well. And the price is right ZIP well smelted down and cast boolits water droped the is avg. 18 bhn

Great score and get that propane cooker working.
Don

[leftiye]

Take it home, and put it in boxes (unsmelted), and sell it to us (what you don't want to keep that is). You could start a business with that brass! Like the one Mike in Co does.

[ssn vet]

I'll bet you a very high percentage of the brass is 9mm Luger.

Please don't tell me the world has gone so insane that people by range pick up 9mm brass.

When I don my range rat disguise and cull the brass buckets at the 'ol rod 'n gun, I don't even bother with the 9mm any more. I leave it for the club so they can get scrap value of it.

[OBXPilgrim]

If you really wanted to add insult to injury to all of us here, tell us that you went back to him & told the range owner that you'd haul it all off (dispose of it) for him for $0.10 a pound (or more if you have the guts to ask for it).

That way, we'll not only know you got a much better deal than any of us could ever hope for, but, we would without a doubt know that - YOU ARE THE MAN!!

[Ricochet]

Wideners is currently running a special on range pickup 9mm. $35/K.

Scrap brass was selling around $4.00/lb. recently.