roto-metals

[porthos]

went on their site yesterday just to see what they had. i thought that the prices were extremly high. then i saw what they wanted for shot. $150.00 delivered for 2 - 25# bags. i can still get it locally (same west coast brand) for $37.00-$40.00, picked up. the shipping cost of their shot would probably be less than $20.00. talk about price gouging!!! glad that i have around 800-900 pounds of alloy and 200 of lead

[oley55]

price gouging as I understand it is when a seller inflates their prices during a shortage or emergency. From my watching, their prices are largely unchanged in the last couple years, excepting market/commodity prices for their raw materials. If I didn't like their prices I wouldn't buy from them, but casually throwing around terms like 'price gouging' is unwarranted IMO.

the common definition reads as:
Price gouging occurs when a seller increases the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. Usually, this event occurs after a demand or supply shock. Common examples include price increases of basic necessities after natural disasters. In precise, legal usage, it is the name of a crime that applies in some jurisdictions of the United States....

[No_1]

Depending on the shot, ballistic products has it for ~$46.80 per 22lb bag + shipping. 2 bags of an in stock shot (#6) is $93.60 plus $66.94 ground shipping to my zip for a total of $160.54. In this situation appears Rotometals is a deal.

[Winger Ed.]

Good stuff- like chilled, magnum shot has always been high.

Back when the scrap yards paid 9 cents a pound for Lead, a 25-ish pound bag of chilled/magnum shot was $40. at the LGS.

For our modern, enlightened times--- Roto's price doesn't look bad at all.

[bangerjim]

Roto has always been high, compared to S&S on here and scrap yards.

But their stuff is guaranteed pure to their published alloy data.

I haven't really seen "gouging" by them.

If you need it, buy it. Or shop around.

[dannyd]

Rotometals has always taken care of me. Compared to other companies that are in the same business they are very competitive.

[dsh1106]

I'm glad I was able to find my shot maker a couple years back.
I'm able to make shot for myself and a few on here, it's not perfect, but then again neither are my shooting skills.

I have about $300 tied up in my setup, and have probably made 150lbs in the last two years.

My biggest problem now is the cost of COWW, I have been able to make shot from pure Pb.

Scott

[Hogtamer]

The same shot delivered for 2 bags of magnum shot on March 2 was $117. I bought 2 bags. 28% increase in a month is excessive. BPI has always been 25% higher than anyone on shot.

[Froogal]

Rotometals has always taken care of me. Compared to other companies that are in the same business they are very competitive.

Same here. I've always been satisfied.

[porthos]

i retract my price gouging statement. but, let me say that their price for 50# of lead shot is WAY overpriced. it is thed same west coast shot that i can buy (still) locally for $40.00 per bag that = $80.00 for 2 bags. they want $150.00 shipped for the same 2 bags. you do the math. i'm glad that i will never need them for anything!

[megasupermagnum]

I see people over and over claiming they can get good lead shot for $40 or less. Where? I'd love to find such a store. You can thank Barrack Obama completely for the price of lead shot. It wasn't that long ago I found an receipt for lead shot I bought from Ballistic Products in 2007. It was $26.xx for a 25 pound bag of Lawrence magnum shot, and that was not the best price there was at the time, that was their normal price. Fast forward to just 2012, and the same Lawrence shot was already over $50 a bag. Eventually after 2016ish things started to drop somewhat. Once in a great while I was able to find a great deal on shot for $45 a bag or so, and bought a number of bags at that price.

It has been 10+ years since I have seen a bag of new lead shot, in store or on line for $40 or less a bag. Even recycled shot has been that, although I have seen a few at around $35 a bag if I were to drive half way across the country to pick it up.

[Winger Ed.]

their price for 50# of lead shot is WAY overpriced. it is thed same west coast shot that i can buy (still) locally for $40.00 !

I'd double check to be sure you are comparing apples to apples.
If ya found a great deal, buy all ya can, it sounds too good to last.

Keep in mind:
There is different grades and alloys of shot.
And different prices to go with them.

My Dad used to say, "It's easy to find cheap stuff cheap. It takes a little more effort to find good stuff for cheap".

[porthos]

the last i called a disstributer in ebensburg pa. (a few days ago) they were in question as to what the next price will be. as of last week a friend went there . he said 36- 40 dollars a bag depending on the brand of shot. west coast shot is of a little higher quality. having shot a little less than 300,000 ATA targets; i know a little about shot prices and quality. if roro metals treats you good, i don't care. i just know that their prices are MUCH higher than other vendors that deal in clay target components.

[megasupermagnum]

A distributer? As in you have to buy a pallet to get those prices?

[6pt-sika]

I’ve bought shot from our distributors in the last few months three or four times and it’s always been $34.99 or $35.99 and as long as we get ten or more bags the shipping is never more than $5 a bag . Now that’s my cost of I put it out for resale well it’s going to be noticeably MORE ! However all we’ve ordered has been for myself or another guy in the shop .

[6pt-sika]

the last i called a disstributer in ebensburg pa. (a few days ago) they were in question as to what the next price will be. as of last week a friend went there . he said 36- 40 dollars a bag depending on the brand of shot.

We’ve flown up three times in a friends plane to the airport right across the highway from the distributer you mention . They bring it over to us for an additional $10 we hand them a check load it and then fly away like we’re carrying drugs LOL’s . Now I’ve not been up to buy from them in over two years . Bought A LOT of powder from them . Never more than ten bags of shot on the plane .

[beagle]

Haven't looked at Cabela's lately but I was scamming them right along with their coupons and military discount. Haven't received many coupons since Bass Pro took 'em over./beagle

[megasupermagnum]

Care to share the info on this dealer?

[Hogtamer]

$160 today for 50 lbs shipped

[243winxb]

Hardball alloy - Rotometals $ 3.78 with 10% discount. Missouri. bullet $2.35

[Plate plinker]

That reclaimed shot had lots of steel and dirt in the bags.

[6pt-sika]

Care to share the info on this dealer?

CAC , google them

[Hogtamer]

Just an update....2 bags eagle shot now 179.00 at rotometal. What a deal.

[Southalabama]

I’ve been sucking it up and buying monthly.

Dad said cokes used to be a nickel and for a dime you could get a coke and a hamburger.

Lead is a commodity and while it may fall in prices it will never go back to the good old days

[Mossy88]

price gouging as I understand it is when a seller inflates their prices during a shortage or emergency. From my watching, their prices are largely unchanged in the last couple years, excepting market/commodity prices for their raw materials. If I didn't like their prices I wouldn't buy from them, but casually throwing around terms like 'price gouging' is unwarranted IMO.

the common definition reads as:
Price gouging occurs when a seller increases the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. Usually, this event occurs after a demand or supply shock. Common examples include price increases of basic necessities after natural disasters. In precise, legal usage, it is the name of a crime that applies in some jurisdictions of the United States....

eh...maybe.
Walmart is selling me 100 pack of 12 gauge ammo for $24.
that same box around here at gun stores will cost me at least double....and Im talking big gun stores that are more like dept stores with tons of other products to make money off that dont need to gouge me on the consumables for my hobby.
I know nothing about Rotometals other than Ive heard the name mentioned a few times...but if theyre charging more than competitors are, that tells me they are charging more than they need to...and in my mind, personally, I call that gouging.

[William Yanda]

I'd double check to be sure you are comparing apples to apples.
If ya found a great deal, buy all ya can, it sounds too good to last.

Keep in mind:
There is different grades and alloys of shot.
And different prices to go with them.

My Dad used to say, "It's easy to find cheap stuff cheap. It takes a little more effort to find good stuff for cheap".

And my uncle had a picture in his service station, of a guy looking at oats at both ends of a horse, captioned; The disappointment of poor quality persists long after the satisfaction of low price is gone.

[BIGOX]

Wow right now I'm paying $45 plus tax/ 25lbs bag of Eagle lead shot right now only #6 is available but they usually have 4 or 5 different types and those are California prices. 10 or more for $44 per bag. Only shipping is not an option.

[MOA]

I used to be a dealer. Had my own sporting goods store. So, prices go up and down. Biggest factor I saw was shipping costs and the impact on pricing. Heavy items like shot I purchased through special dealers. All shot orders came via freight trucks and orders only happened quarterly. Only way to keep costs down. I remember ordering hard shot from roto metals in 2012 for 99 bucks. Two 25# bags and free shipping. I ordered 100 pounds. Now here we are today...... Last lead mine in the US ( in Alabama ) closed by the Obama administration more than 6 years ago. So, cost goes up and ole Joe cranks up fuel costs....its time to smell the coffee. Buy bulk shotshell by the case or buy a shot maker along with scrap lead and use coww or alloy from roto metals to up the hardness in your own shot making operations. Which is what I did. I got #5 an #7 drippers.

[Ural Driver]

I've done enough business with Roto-Metals that my mailman hates me...:roll:...I buy from them when I want known quality components.

[Randy Bohannon]

No complaints with Roto, free shipping over $100.00 ,certified alloys and good service.

[Half Dog]

Last year I bought some shot at a LGS. I fell in love with a rifle while I was there and it ended up coming home with me. The shot was cheaper at the LGS but I would have spent less if I had bought shot at Rotometals.

[Ed_Shot]

Crazy times. Years ago, my Stewart "Black Max" shotmaker was a great investment.

[8mmFan]

Not to put my oar in the water, unsolicited, but just to “add to the pot,” so to speak, I just placed an order for 198 lbs of “magic alloy” with Missouri Bullet Company, cost including shipping $499. Comes to $2.52/lb shipped.

Magic Alloy
6Sb2Sn92Pb Antimonial Lead
Modern equivalent of Lyman #2 Casting Alloy
Commonly also known as Hardball or Magnum alloy
Foundry Bullet Alloy with Certified Analysis 66 lbs. @$2.28/lb.
Price: $150.48

I am hoping to be able to use this, judiciously, by mixing it with lead from lead water pipe to get a little more hardness and malleability than pure lead.

8mmFan

[8mmFan]

I just hope the ingots aren’t too big to fit in my Lee Pro4.

[kevin c]

I just hope the ingots aren’t too big to fit in my Lee Pro4.
The website pics and description show you're buying 8# bar ingots, maybe 16# doubles that can be broken in two.

I had casting alloy in 3# mini loaf ingots of similar shape, but much shorter and not as thick as MBC's. Just a couple would fit past my 4-20's valve hardware, so to fill up I had to add more ingots after the first ones melted, making sure not to add more than the pot would hold, and, once casting, pre heating the ingots to avoid chilling the melt.

The Pro IV has a nominal 10# capacity per the Lee website. Knock off a pound or two to avoid spillage from skimming or fluxing, adding in sprues and the like and being off level, and your pot will take one MBC ingot, and that from empty, and assuming the pot's hardware isn't in the way. You'll need to nearly empty the pot before another ingot can go in, unless you able to suspend a clamped ingot partially submerged in the melt. The melt will get hotter as the pot empties and colder as it gets a lot of alloy added to replenish the level (I'm not sure how feasible it is to preheat and handle an 8# ingot).

If you're going to mix new alloy from the MBC ingots, I'd suggest a bigger pot, otherwise you'll be sawing those ingots into smaller chunks to mix 8-9# batches. Some smaller ingot molds for your final alloy would be a plus. Lee and Lyman have 1# and 1/2# multi cavity molds that most home casting pots seem to be designed for. I personally have switched to Lakehouse's CastBoolit and RedNeckGold 4 cavity molds (sold here in the S&S) that drop, depending on fill and alloy, 2 to 2 1/2# flat bar ingots that will fit several at a time into casting pots, sit on the lip solidly for pre heating and are easy to handle for both storage and during casting.

[kayala]

I just hope the ingots aren’t too big to fit in my Lee Pro4.

I’ve bought from them few weeks back, shipped same day, 8 lbs ingots and some sprue cuts for exact weight, I guess. Package was very well packed.

[8mmFan]

Kevin and Kayala,

Thanks for the good info. I just got a message earlier today that the order shipped. I’ll be glad to have it.

One thing, Kevin: thanks for the good writeup. I learned something there. One thing you might check, though, is the capacity of the Pro 4. I think it holds 20 lbs., not 10. At least mine seems to.

Thanks again, guys.

8mmFan

[kevin c]

My apologies that I misunderstood you. I thought you were talking about the Production Pot IV rather than the Pro 4-20.

With either, I still wonder if the MBC ingots would fit past the hardware. One at a time, maybe, which would mean melting two 8#ers sequentially to fill the pot from empty (I'd worry that sticking a 16# ingot in end on might be a problem if the bottom melted through and the top fell over rather than sliding into the melt). Two at once, I'm not so sure there's room.

Please let us know how it turns out!