Range Scrap Yield

[jsizemore]

My visits to my local scrapyard have been non-productive for the past year. I think I got enough to last but you never know.
I fell into an indoor range that hasn't been cleared in a year. Maybe longer. Last week I shoveled 1280lbs into 5 gal. buckets. After 12 hours of smelting over the past 3 days the yield was 1002lbs.
Last night I shoveled 1120lbs to smelt for this coming week. I'm gonna send some samples to BNE to see what's in the alloy.
The drought is busted!

[Adam20]

Nice haul, please post results on alloy when you get it back

[308Jeff]

Man that's a HAUL! Nice score. :cool: Did you have pay them for it?

[scottfire1957]

lotta work with a lotta reward.

[jsizemore]

Sweat equity. At the rate I'm going I hope to be done by the end of the summer.

[Mitch]

Break out the IB

[lightman]

Thats a lot of lead, but you worked for it. Despite the hard work thats a pretty quick way to get a lot of lead. And it should cast good bullets.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

you guys are lucky. I have my eyes open constantle and am always askin around and I just don't seem to get anywhere. by the way, the scrapyard quoted me 5cents per lb for zinc WW's?!?! is that what it is elswhere?

[308Jeff]

you guys are lucky. I have my eyes open constantle and am always askin around and I just don't seem to get anywhere. by the way, the scrapyard quoted me 5cents per lb for zinc WW's?!?! is that what it is elswhere?

Can't say for sure. The last time I was at my regular scrap yard he told me the prices change daily and he would have to make a call for a quote.

[jsizemore]

See if you have some reenactment types in your area that shoot cannons. They're on the lookout for zinc all the time.

[jsizemore]

Finished the second load of range scrap from the indoor range. Ended up with 848lbs of ingots from 1120lbs of scrap.

Cutting the buckets back to 80lbs each sure made life better. From starting each 80lb batch to starting the next took about 45 minutes. Knocked out 6 buckets yesterday afternoon and got some shooting in too. I'm looking forward to picking up the next load tomorrow evening.

I've got some pewter to ingotize before I get a package together for BNE to analyze. Got to get some more 55gal drums. Busy, busy.

[308Jeff]

Almost a ton so far! Are you cutting open your TMJ/plated bullets?

[jsizemore]

They open themselves when they come to a stop against the steel trap.

[308Jeff]

Nice!

Keep on shovelin' and meltin', brother.

[scotner]

you guys are lucky. I have my eyes open constantle and am always askin around and I just don't seem to get anywhere. by the way, the scrapyard quoted me 5cents per lb for zinc WW's?!?! is that what it is elswhere?

The local scrap yard pays .12/lb for zinc/ steel leftovers (and .20 for lead wheel weights). Helps offset the cost of a 5 gallon bucket and offers a proper way to dispose of what I can't use.

[lightman]

(quote) Cutting the buckets back to 80lbs each sure made life better.

Thats for sure. Back in the day I could carry a 5 gallon bucket of wheelweights, not bullets, in each hand, walk across the shop floor at the tire store and swing the right hand bucket into the back of the truck then grab the left hand bucket and set it in the truck! Thats probably why I can't do it now! Now, when I sort weights I only fill the bucket half full. One should get smarter as they age, right?

[54bore]

Nice haul! I built a little box screen for sifting out bullets in the sand bank i shoot into, works great! I usually always end up with a bunch of extra from others that have shot there, local sand pit where everyone goes.

[jsizemore]

(quote) Cutting the buckets back to 80lbs each sure made life better.

Thats for sure. Back in the day I could carry a 5 gallon bucket of wheelweights, not bullets, in each hand, walk across the shop floor at the tire store and swing the right hand bucket into the back of the truck then grab the left hand bucket and set it in the truck! Thats probably why I can't do it now! Now, when I sort weights I only fill the bucket half full. One should get smarter as they age, right?

I'd do the same thing back in the day. Used to lift the feed block over the side of the pickup bed too (tailgate latch was busted). Them days be long gone. I don't know about smarter but definitely wimpier.

[BNE]

Hello Jsizemore,

I will happily test for you, but I bet the results will be 0.5 to 1.5% Sb and the rest Pb. Most of the range scrap is right in the middle of that range. Unless of course a lot of casters are shooting in that indoor range.

[bayjoe]

Nice score!!
Our range gets picked pretty often, but I do manage to get a half bucket a month.

[308Jeff]

I usually get about 400lbs of range scrap biweekly from my indoor gun range.

That'll keep ya shooting.

[Klux182]

do you salvage the copper jackets from the dross?

[jsizemore]

At $1.95/lb, I sure do.

[Klux182]

Is there any problems separating it. I've only used processed ingots and recycled my own cast boolits from my trap.

[lightman]

Is there any problems separating it. I've only used processed ingots and recycled my own cast boolits from my trap.

Theres another thread running right now about bullet jackets. I think its like this one as it did not start out about jackets but ended up there. I've had the best results getting clean jackets by fluxing heavily and shaking them in a perforated spoon while they are still very hot. Some yards will buy them with lead on them and some ding you pretty bad if they are dirty.

[Klux182]

Ok..thanks

[Smk SHoe]

I'll test the lead for you, but to get a accurate test average I'll need you to send about 400lbs. Seriously tho, good score

[richhodg66]

Theres another thread running right now about bullet jackets. I think its like this one as it did not start out about jackets but ended up there. I've had the best results getting clean jackets by fluxing heavily and shaking them in a perforated spoon while they are still very hot. Some yards will buy them with lead on them and some ding you pretty bad if they are dirty.

I've got a bunch I need to take to a scrap yard in town someday soon. I really don't want cash for them, I'm hoping I can trade them for whatever lead alloy he has around.

[jsizemore]

I'll test the lead for you, but to get a accurate test average I'll need you to send about 400lbs. Seriously tho, good score

Sometimes you get lucky. I bet Sanlee has a bunch in the berms. We used to "groom" them every once in a while especially after a rain.

[Smk SHoe]

I was a member of Sanlee for a couple years. love the range and the people. Once I started driving Over the road, no time for shooting. Getting a local job next week so I may have to go out and join again.

[SOFMatchstaff]

jsizemore, I have smelted tons of indoor range scrap, and separated the jacket material for recycling. I then have a fairly fine powder left that doesnt melt down at any temp I can get with the smelting pot, and weighs just a bit less than the lead, a 3lb coffee can of #8 shot is about 3lbs heavier than a like volume of this granulated dust. Are you getting any thing similar from your dross after heavy fluxing and separating the jackets?

I use it(the powder) in the balls for my cannon, puncture and fill a tennis ball, seal with Shoe GOOP .... they weigh in at a pound or so and shoot well. Kind of self cleaning too, makes a big black puff when they hit and rupture..

[jsizemore]

I screen the copper jackets after they cool. Looks to be carbon.

[jsizemore]

I finished the final run of range scrap. The fella in charge of the range got some other folks to get up the scrap cuz they could move a larger amount quicker and he was worried the fire marshall would cause them problems. Up till my last haul (1200 lbs) he assured me there was no rush. The other folks showed up in force and hauled away 7-55gal drums in one evening. This is all done with shovels and buckets. No way to get a piece of equipment in there to clean it up. The other folks still didn't get it all so I'll find out tomorrow if I can get some more.

I am very happy to get what I did. No way I could have kept pace with the other crew and the fella that runs the range needs to keep it open. He told me to come by whenever I feel like it and get up more range scrap in the future to keep it under control.

So my results so far. Out of 3600lbs of range scrap I ended up with 2757lbs of muffin ingots and 750lbs of copper jackets (the scrapyard likes round numbers and pays cash so I'm not complaining). I had a spare 55gal drum hanging around so I got 2594lbs of ingots in it and the top would still seal. I used 2-20lb tanks of propane and 1.5 coffee cans of pine and cypress sawdust, and 3 cornsticks of wax.

My 10quart dutch oven would hold 80lbs of scrap (full to the top) and produce about 60lbs of ingots. It took about 45minutes from loading the pot till I loaded it for the next batch. I did that 45 times over the past 3 weeks. I can't wait to do it some more! Next I have pewter to ingotize and get a package together for testing.