range scrap pay dirt

[weeple2000]

Wanted to post this somewhere that people would appreciate it. I ran into a guy before I started casting that would come into the club before close, and wait until it closed. It isn't manned, everyone just has a key card. So after shooting hours, he just went and emptied the lead from the backstop. I have made a few trips of that now that I have started casting. My first 4 trips varied in weight from 15-45 lbs. I went shooting again tonight and hung out until close. I wound up filling a 3 gallon bucket. I got just about all of the lead, but not quite everything. I am glad the bucket is only 3 gallons. I thought if I could take any more I'd be tempted to. I am not sure at what point I'd risk hurting myself transporting it, but I am glad I am not tempted to carry more than 3 gallons worth. When I got home I weighed it out to 95 lbs. I imagine my scale probably isn't very accurate adding my weight to the lead at those numbers though.

I am going to work on cleaning and casting this. I would like to maintain a stockpile of bullets worth a could years shooting. But I plan on moving in a couple years. Moving boxes of books is bad enough, I hate to think of moving actual lead.

[Rcmaveric]

I keep a tote in the back of my truck. When i go to the range i add a few bucket fulls. That way i am taking more lead than i am giving them. When the tote is full i melt it all and make some ingots.

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[lightman]

I carry several buckets and only partially fill them. If you have the room, a 2 wheel dolly is really a big help! I hear that buckets are hard to find in some places. If you're in farming country ask around at a few farm shops. If there is any logging activity around you just about every loading area will have a few buckets laying around. If not, ask around at the local bakery or deli. Oh yeah, congratulations on the new source!

[DGV]

Take some precautions on airborn dust when you do this. a mask will help some. And wash your clothing and shoes when you get home. Ask me how I know.

[Smoke4320]

Free lead is always good :)

[WRideout]

Wanted to post this somewhere that people would appreciate it. I ran into a guy before I started casting that would come into the club before close, and wait until it closed. It isn't manned, everyone just has a key card. So after shooting hours, he just went and emptied the lead from the backstop. I have made a few trips of that now that I have started casting. My first 4 trips varied in weight from 15-45 lbs. I went shooting again tonight and hung out until close. I wound up filling a 3 gallon bucket. I got just about all of the lead, but not quite everything. I am glad the bucket is only 3 gallons. I thought if I could take any more I'd be tempted to. I am not sure at what point I'd risk hurting myself transporting it, but I am glad I am not tempted to carry more than 3 gallons worth. When I got home I weighed it out to 95 lbs. I imagine my scale probably isn't very accurate adding my weight to the lead at those numbers though.

I am going to work on cleaning and casting this. I would like to maintain a stockpile of bullets worth a could years shooting. But I plan on moving in a couple years. Moving boxes of books is bad enough, I hate to think of moving actual lead.

When my employer moved my family from California to Tennessee for a new assignment, part of the load in the moving van was a quarter ton of lead ingots. It was one of the proudest moments of my life when it was delivered.
Wayne

[richhodg66]

On days when I RSO at the range I sometimes shoot at still, I can usually leave with a five gallon bucket of scrap (I have asked and nobody minded). I haven't done it in a while, but I have quite a bit and now that most of my shooting is on my own place, I'm not as concerned about running out as I used to be. I'll just mine my own berm eventually and recycle it again, it'll be easier second time around because there won't be many jackets.

[LenH]

My brother in the OKC area belongs to a club in a river bottom. After a rain the top layer of river silt washes down and leaves the bullets on top.
We could have filled up a dump truck that day but wound up with about 300# of scrap. He brings about 250# twice a year. I have to get him to hold
off until I get what I have on hand rendered into ingots. I still have about 300 # to render.


I did 3 batches last summer and ran out of propane and had nearly 250# of ingots at the end of the melting. There were 2 5 gallon buckets of jackets that day.
there was probably lead still in some of those.

[mold maker]

New owners of my scrap yard wont take bullet jackets anymore. I had no warning and wound up with 8 buckets of jackets. When ya snooze ya loose. It sure hurts to see over 300 lbs of copper go to the landfill.

[lightman]

New owners of my scrap yard wont take bullet jackets anymore. I had no warning and wound up with 8 buckets of jackets. When ya snooze ya loose. It sure hurts to see over 300 lbs of copper go to the landfill.

That many buckets of scrap would make it worthwhile to call around and find another place. The yards around here really don't like bullet jackets of scrap brass.

[squidtamer]

Guess you could always smelt down the copper into ingots. But that's annoying as all get out and you need a baby kiln or something. (copper's melting point is just under 2,000F) I'll bet there's a pile of yoohoo-tube videos on doing it.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I`d be making some sort of money payment to that club for the lead taken. A similar occurance cost a club member his membership privileges after it was learned he was doing this very same lead removal at a club where I used to frequent. A club is an organization that provides a place to enjoy the shooting sports, yet they must make money somehow to pay the bills.Robert

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

OTOH, clubs make money by charging membership. They don't usually let you shoot for free. Removing waste material that is a environmental hazard is a benefit to them. I wouldn't be paying them. Of course, club rules on such things apply.

[DestructionDan]

A buddy of mine got me access to indoor range lead.
It was great until it ended.
But I have a rather large stock of ingots now.

[kevin c]

I got permission to mine my club's berms. It was given with the understanding that it was done at my own risk, at times when it would not interfere with range operation, that the berms would be repaired and any other mess (I store and melt the scrap at the range) is all cleaned up.

A commercial operation comes in every few years to mine the lead out our berms, so we can demonstrate due diligence in lead abatement and also generate some cash (my understanding is that the company takes the lead as payment up to a certain tonnage, and pays for any excess). As far as my club is concerned, the few hundred pounds I mined is trivial by comparison.

I'm fortunate that I now have other sources of lead. I have to pay for it, it is true, but it is stiil a good deal because it is inexpensive, mostly clean alloy with little waste or dross (isotope containers), and doesn't kill my back or expose me to lead bearing dust like digging in the berms does.