what's your "stash" weigh......

[Chapped Lips]

i'm really new at this so if this has been discussed before....my apologies.
i have started accumulating WW's and have only around 600lbs so far.....time to do the smelting part.....
my ques is....how much smelted lead do each of you personally have?.....1000lbs of ingots.....a ton?....
ignoring how much one shoots....what's the minimum (weight-wise) that you like to keep stacked?......

[sargenv]

I wish I could answer that question.. I had to turn down some WW's today due to the lack of storage problem I have right now and also the lack of extra funds too.. Let's just say I have enough for a few seasons of competition and leave it at that :)

600# of raw WW will get you at least 450 # of ingots and maybe a bit more if you have large WW's. If you have the smaller ones, you may get more waste in the form of the steel clips but 75% is a pretty good idea for your yield.. Also ppl here save all that to sell as scrap metal to recyclers.. If you have zinc weights, save those for people who may use them as sinkers or cannon balls.. likely you will find someone on here that will take em.. You may also want to ask your scrap dealer what price they pay for them.

[casterofboolits]

More than a ton, less than two tons. :bigsmyl2:

[hoosierlogger]

Id guess I have 1600 Lbs in 1 Lb ingots, and 3 5 Gallon buckets to smelt.

[Bill*]

Prob'ly have about 4-5 hundred pounds....would like twice that at least

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I just started collecting lead. I have 63# of sorted wheel weights. I know it ain't much but I will have to keep my eye out for some. This was free. If I have to, I will buy some but not yet.

[Coffeecup]

My stash has been sadly depleted over the past few years while I've worked my way through grad school. I expect to move next year, and will have at least a ton before moving.

[another gsxr 1k]

New to boolit casting but have cast sinkers on and off for awhile. Have about 3,000 230G .45s cast and waiting.
Probably have about 75 lbs in ingot form. Only steady source is work and that's hit or miss now. Just got a hook up with a member of another forum that I frequent that is an x-ray machine repair tech. He runs across stuff semi regularly and he is gonna collect for me in his travels.

[BruceB]

My angst starts kicking-in when I have "less than"....

-less than 1000 pounds of alloy

-less than 20,000 primers

-less than about 75 pounds of powder....

I TRY to stay above those levels, but it seems that my shooting habits tend to deplete my pack-rat supplies. What to do????

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Had over a ton, but just sold off 19 boxes to pay property taxes, So started collecting again today.

Sam :D

[Edubya]

Never enough.
I'm pretty much like Bruce but if I don't have a few thousand boolits in each caliber already cast I'll lose sleep over it too.
EW

[Lead Fred]

50lbs of line, 50 lbs of WW

and a pair of WW pliers from Harbor Freight

[melloairman]

1000 pounds or more of ingots . 400 pounds of pure sheet lead rold up And 400 plus pounds of range lead needing to be melted down .Marvin

[imashooter2]

A bit over 3,000 pounds at this point.

I've been sharing the recent take with a friend since his stash is considerably smaller.

[jimmeyjack]

1000 pounds or more of ingots . 400 pounds of pure sheet lead rold up And 400 plus pounds of range lead needing to be melted down .Marvin

Now I see why you passed on that 1400 pound ingot I got:drinks:

[BSkerj]

I have about 2,000 lbs in raw WW and 750 lbs in smelted ingots and probably 150 lbs in various bullets. I get the WW for free..about 4-7 gallons a week. The suppliers are expecting me to pick them up now on a weekly basis now...which I am more than happy to do! I have only been casting a year so I am pretty lucky to have enough lead to last me probably for the rest of my life.

[deerslayer]

wow some of you all have a stash.
I have probably 200 lbs of lead in various form
5-7000 primers of course most are large rifle and I can't seem to get pistol right now
40 pounds of powder

[dpunch]

I have not been casting my own very long. I now have about 1800 lbs of ingots, but 1000 is of monotype. This site has helped be very much. Now I just need to find more soft stuff.:lovebooli

[jr81452]

wife caped me at 1600lbs. Now I sell off whatever goes over that amount.

[Oyeboten]

About Nine Pounds of unsmelted Range Lead...and, about 50 Pounds + of clean Range Lead Ingots...and about 20 Pounds of 1 Tin to 20 Lead Ingots I bought...and about 10 pounds Pure Lead I Bought, so...all tolled, right onto about 90 Lbs.


Eeeesh, and I thought that was a lot!!!

[willyboy]

between 400 and 500 lbs.

[Norseman]

50 lbs linotype, 700 lbs of rangescrap (14BHN), 100 lbs WW, 100 lbs pure, 120 lbs ready to cast alloy and 200 lbs of alloy I have to blend with pure.

20K SP primers.

[high standard 40]

I have in ingots about 3000 lbs of mostly WW, but some pure PB and small amount of #2 and 20/1 alloys. Also 200 lbs of 50/50 solder.

To be smelted I have another 800 lbs of range lead, 270 lbs of WW.

Still looking for more.

[Forester]

About 600lbs of WW alloy, maybe 150lbs of pure. Also maybe 15,000 boolits cast ahead in various calibers.

My supply was growing fast at one point but metals prices cut that off and a move and no contacts in this area yet.

Also, maybe 6 or 8 hundred J-word rifle bullets, a few thousand J-word pistol bullets. ~30,000 primers and ~50lbs of powder.

[sqlbullet]

I have right now:

40 lbs of tin

70 lbs of 63/37 solder

440 lbs of 95/2.5/2.5

500 lbs of 96/3/1

75 lbs of linotype

600 lbs of pure lead.

I am feeling very under stocked right now. usually I have 2000 lbs of the 96/3/1, but I just sold a bunch to pay for my Garands.

[SciFiJim]

I think I am up to about 1300 lbs of various alloys, mostly clip on WWs.

I generally melt down the WWs when I get a full bucket. The ingots take up less room than the WWs.

[44fanatic]

About 200lbs of WW ingots and will finish up w/ about 350lbs of finished ingots of from range scrap.

Want to get the WW count up a bit.

[Red River Rick]

I have a bit stashed away....................not much! I've been lucky, managed to collect another 1500 lbs this past month or so. This summer's take should be good.

There's close to 4000 lbs piled up here.

RRR

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e239/RedRiverRick/Lead003x.jpg

[The10mmKid]

Just breached the 1000lb mark. Holding off on casting to stay above this magical number. :bigsmyl2:

'da Kid

[mtnman31]

About 100 lbs of smelted stick-on wheel weights and around 200 lbs of smelted clip-on wheel weights. Not nearly as much as I'd like, but, I can't complain because I have yet to pay for lead. After I move this summer, I will rebuild my stash up to a more comforting number.

[Finster101]

Quite frankly, I am very leary of the number of "how much, how many" threads popping up lately.

[lwknight]

I probably have about #700 lead and #300 in boolits.
Also about #200 30% antimony and #60 of pure tin.
About #200 linotype too.
If half my lead is WWs then I will have enough sweeteners to make about 1 ton of " hardball"
92-2-6

Maybe I'm not telling everything ?

[lwknight]

When making large or even medium ingots for stacking , its important that the ingot mold be exactly level and uniform in thickness. I find that I have to ratate mine to keep the stack level and plum because my mold was slightly out of level.

[Springfield]

I never stack too high, earthquakes around here, dontcha know.

[sargenv]

Springfield,

Yeah that would make a bit of a mess in one of our garages wouldn't it? :)

[zomby woof]

Units of measure must be in tons

>1 ton

[fredj338]

I've got about 700# ingots (lino, scrap, puer & ww) & another 700#+ in ww to smelt. Probably more than I need or will use but I am not saying no when I find it cheap or free. I think lead ww are a thing of the past here shortly & then it's gonna get tougher to scrounge cheap alloy. If I've got 100# in ingots at any one time, I am good to go. Hey, I can always sell the ingots going forward.

[Bill*]

Quite frankly, I am very leary of the number of "how much, how many" threads popping up lately.

Why is that?

[Chapped Lips]

aren't you guys at all concerned that having this much product will cause the US to tipover and capsize?:lol:.......sorta like guam.....or cause your state/province to go belly-up....(discounting calif,illinois,michigan):kidding:

finster101.....rest assured i ain't an ACORN member......i follow the PECAN movement (PEople Concentrated Against Napolitano).......

i have in excess of 60K of primers but mostly rifle.....not a handgun looney (yet)....
only have 60lbs of dedicated handgun powders (covering fast,med,slow burn) but 250 lbs of rifle powders....so you can see where my primary interests lie.....but the times they are a'changing

[RP]

Its not a matter of how much you have its a matter of how much your floor will hold. I got main body of lead on concreate floor but as I cast and store thats sitting on wood floor thing is I dont think iam going to get a warning sign just come home to find boolit stash has moved 2 feet lower but with any luck it kill one of the cats hiding under my shed.

[JesseCJC]

3-400lbs, enough to last me 20 years or so at the rate I get to shoot :(

[imashooter2]

3-400lbs, enough to last me 20 years or so at the rate I get to shoot :(


The classic dilemma... too much gathering and not enough using.[smilie=1:

[Trey45]

Maybe 8 or 9 hundred pounds in ingots, at least 900 pounds of ww.

[shdwlkr]

I have no real idea but it is not enough and it is getting harder to find at a good price and have the money to buy. No free lunches here or any good source of free lead so I have to buy all of mine.

[mold maker]

The most I pay is in pizza value. I didn't really start to stash until 1999, and have 11+ full milk crates of ingots.
At some point in the near future it will be near impossible to get free or even cheap lead. Those that have, will be holding a treasure. Those that didn't heed the warning signs will be up the proverbial creek. Any gun without boolits is just an awkward club.
Be like the ant, not the grasshopper. Obama will spread around the wealth, but not the lead.

[bohokii]

i am down to 134 pounds of my lead muffins i'm staring to get the shakes

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/bohoki/DCP_7915.jpg

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Quite frankly, I am very leary of the number of "how much, how many" threads popping up lately.

Finster, I concur !!!

to those that ask, I will say...
with a good liberal in office, you can never have enough. NEVER !

[mtgrs737]

The picture of the two skid loads in my avitar are a couple of years old now and do not reflect their true size and weight. The next smelting session will require me to build a third skid as the two in the avitar are too heavy now, I can hardly pull them around. I estimate that they weigh about a ton each. The last smelt yeilded 231 solft lead ingots from stick-on weights, the rest are all clip-on WW except for a few range lead ingots that I got from a friend.

Scrap lead in the future may be difficult or impossible to find, virgin lead alloy is nice but expensive so casters should redouble their efforts to stock up on scrap lead. IMHO

[gray wolf]

About 50# of soft that I am going to add some Lino to --I know shame on me--I have about 800 cast up 45 acp. So I can at least go half the summer. very difficult to come by over here. My friend Clyde has couple huned pounds of soft but the last time I tried it I had oatmeal on top of the melt. So I am scared to try it again.
They wanted $2.59 a pound for roof flashing in town,
Julie had to drag me away, I was going to drop it on the guys foot, Ugh what bandits.

Sam

[Jim Sheldon]

Most likely I'll never have as much as I would like to have. I got into this too late in life and most of the good sources of WW's have dried up or gotten so greedy I can't afford them.

I'm currently waiting on a .32 caliber gas check maker from PatMarlins.com so I can more cheaply make my boolits for the 8mm Mauser. Dang Hornady checks are too expensive compared to what they can be made for.

[fatelk]

I bought a couple hundred pounds of linotype (cheap) a few years ago from a widow who was getting rid of her late husband's reloading stuff.

I often have the urge, especially after reading threads like this one, to accumulate and stockpile, but then I just figure that some day my wife or kids will have to figure out what the heck to do with all the junk I've accumulated; maybe have a garage sale and sell it cheap.

[SciFiJim]

I just figure that some day my wife or kids will have to figure out what the heck to do with all the junk I've accumulated; maybe have a garage sale and sell it cheap.

Hopefully picked up by another caster that will understand the value of what he acquired.

[hansumtoad]

1 lb ingots of various allows stacked 3 feet high all the way down the garage wall. Supposed to pick up 600 lbs of sheet lead tomorrow at the scrap yard. About 375 lbs of WW waiting to be smelted.

I can tell you this... the garage isnt going to blow away.

[SciFiJim]

hansumtoad - If you get hit by a tornado, you might have some 7000gr square boolits flying around.:kidding:

[Digger]

Ouch !! ..:bigsmyl2:

[evan price]

Just off my head, I can account for around 2000# or so in various forms.

[fryboy]

ummm..... not enough..and at the rate i'm going ( using and not finding good deals ) if i stretch it out maybe 4- 5 years worth ( unless we run out of primers first ) seems alot of the easy to find stuff kinda went away when the price was up so high,i've been uneasy ever since i got below about 600#

[John Boy]

Date Bhn Alloy Amount
03.24.2009 5 Pure 244
06.25.2009 5 Pure 80
05.30.2008 5.1 Pure 102.4
06.27.2009 6.4 40 48
06.27.2009 6.4 40 30
06.27.2009 9.8 20 50
06.27.2009 9.8 20 41
06.29.2009 9.8 20 45
11.26.2009 10 20 13.4
05.08.2009 11 10 16.6
11.27.2009 11 10 35.2
11.27.2008 11.2 15 21.8
xxx/xx/xx 12.5 WW 31.1
12.03.2008 13.4 WW 11.1
xxx/xx/xx 13.4 WW 3
xxx/xx/xx 13.4 WW 670
04.08.2008 15.4 Lyman #2 32.3
xxx/xx/xx 15.4 Lyman #2 15.2
Total 1490.1

Dates are when I got it and I reduce the spreadsheet when used. All ingots are marked with date and Bhn

[Harter66]

I have about 250# of ingots only about 20# of WW the rest is range metal and pure except that 1 can of FAA/PMA Beech part no.aircraft billet lead. I've about a half 5 gallon bucket of range jacketed , and 3 about 1 gallon buckets of my recovered sorted stuff to rework.

[Gar]

Well at last look I've got about 4000 pounds of reclaimed shot,
300 -350 pounds of linotype
400 pounds of mixed ingots (15 BHN)
and a couple of hundred pounds of range scrap.

Me thinks I need to buy some tin :^)

[EMC45]

I have "about" 18 5 gallon buckets of WWs. I also have 50 or so 1lb ingots ready for the pot. I called and my tire guy told me I have a bucket waiting on me when I get there. I have to drop the cheeseburgers off and he will put them in my truck bed for me...I will stop gathering WWs when they tell me I can't have anymore. I am very grateful I have found such a good bunch of guys that hook me up.

[sljacob]

around 300 lbs pure
250 lbs w-w
250 to 300 lbs unknown alloy
20 to 30 lbs #4 babbit
very little tin

[RayinNH]

Lead, the "other" precious metal...Ray

[Coffeecup]

This thread made me actually go look. I've got about 120 pounds where I cast, plus 6 ammo cans full of 1# ingots. Over in the corner there is another 420# in 60# ingots. And a couple of ingots of new lino. Adding it all up, I came up with roughly 950# or so.

Then I realized I forgot to look in the back shed. Fifteen more cans, plus appx 100 of those hex ingots from a plumbing supply house, and some roofers' lead. Then I found a couple five-gallon buckets full of rejects and sprues, and decided not to worry about it.

[Colt .45]

130 lbs in 1 lb ingots. Getting into casting and looking to increase that to 3,000 lbs as ive easily got room to store that much.


Edit:
picked up 130 lbs in wheel weights and a guy close to here has as he describes " a few 5 gallon pails full of them " more to sell to me...

Only problem now is my small pot that i smelt em down in; I need to upgrade to a 20 litre pot!

[clintsfolly]

just a guess but 3000-4000 lbs but am going to stop today at the tire store and get some more! never stop looking! clint

[Milltown353]

300lbs of ww and 300lbs mono-type.

More at a couple of tire shops that needs to be picked up.

[WILCO]

I've got a mixed batch of WW's, indoor range lead, x-ray lead and some "unknown" lead. All together, it's under 1,000 lbs.

[jnovotny]

I have 1 ton and I'm working on # 2.

[Ekalb2000]

Over 500lb in 5lb ingot.

[Rottweiler]

A little over 4 tons in ingots

[Elk Country]

I have about 800-900lbs. smelted in either 1lb ingots or 2.5lb round ingots. I have 9 5-gallon buckets to smelt and another on the way. Most of my buckets weigh 160lbs. and I avg 110-120lbs of usable. I also have about 100lbs of bar solder and an old tractor counter weight that weighs 85lbs that is pure lead.
Doing the rough figures that gives me around 2,500lbs total.

That should keep me going for a few years!

Elk Country

[RugerFan]

4 pages already. I guess folks like a good lead show-and-tell.

I have no idea how much I have accumulated. Certainly its well north of 1000 lbs. A combination of wheel weights, pure lead, linotype, Lyman #2, bird shot, range scrap, fishing sinkers, battery terminal connectors, and something I call "eBay mystery alloy."

I've slowed down my lead collecting recently because I'll be moving next year and the movers are going to HATE me as it is. :bigsmyl2:

[Gunslinger]

4 pages already. I guess folks like a good lead show-and-tell.

I have no idea how much i have accumulated. Certainly its well north of 1000 lbs. A combination of wheel weights, pure lead, linotype, lyman #2, bird shot, range scrap, fishing sinkers, battery terminal connectors, and something i call "ebay mystery alloy."

i've slowed down my lead collecting recently because i'll be moving next year and the movers are going to hate me as it is. :bigsmyl2:

GET RID OF THOSE They are very hazardous!! First thing I leaned, argh well, I guess number 1 was to look out for the Tinsel Feary, but number 2 was not ever under any circumstances buy/recieve/smelt battery-lead! I actually believe it can be fatal!!

Don't forget, we're talking a few pounds of lead.... not worth it.

[imashooter2]

GET RID OF THOSE They are very hazardous!! First thing I leaned, argh well, I guess number 1 was to look out for the Tinsel Feary, but number 2 was not ever under any circumstances buy/recieve/smelt battery-lead! I actually believe it can be fatal!!

Don't forget, we're talking a few pounds of lead.... not worth it.

You're incorrect. Battery plates are bad, the terminals are just fine.

[Gunslinger]

Oh, my bad then :roll:

[autofix4u]

I have a large pile of WW (about 900 lbs). about 1500 lbs of #2 ingots. 2-3 hundred Lbs of 50\50 body solder. And I got to go pick up 2 rotted out sail boats one of them has a brass plate "1200 lbs Pure lead keel". and the other is "cast from Type metal" of so the son of the man that built it says.

[35isit]

I have a little over a half of of a 55 gallon drum full. All the junk is seperated out of it. No trash, valve stems, iron zinc or tape on weights. I smelt the tape on weights seperately and use them for plinking bullets. I only smelt a 100lbs at a time, I don't shoot but about 1000 or so straight WW cast boolits a year. I don't know what it weighs for sure, I'm guessing about 600lbs. But I'm always looking for more.

[alamogunr]

I have a little over a half of of a 55 gallon drum full. All the junk is seperated out of it. No trash, valve stems, iron zinc or tape on weights. I smelt the tape on weights seperately and use them for plinking bullets. I only smelt a 100lbs at a time, I don't shoot but about 1000 or so straight WW cast boolits a year. I don't know what it weighs for sure, I'm guessing about 600lbs. But I'm always looking for more.

I'll bet if you were to weigh those WW in the 55 gal drum, you would find that it is closer to 1000# or more. A full 5 gal bucket is 150#+or-.

Having said that, I don't know how you would weigh them except to dump and weigh in smaller batches.

John
W.TN

[Gunslinger]

I just counted my bollit-stash, and I have about 10.000 boolits sized and ready. I believe I have around 800lbs of ww, 250lbs pure and 250lbs range lead and 100lbs Lyman #2 - all in ingots!!

Come next week I have 2 months vacation, which I will use wisely by hunting more WWs and casting more boolits - ohhh it's gonna be a great summer!!

[Chapped Lips]

jeez guys......maybe this explains why the earth has a wobble in its rotation....all us casters/hoarders concentrated in the USA or at least north america.....something else that can be blamed upon the US.....[smilie=b:

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have no idea of what that pile of 1# ingots and 2.5# muffins weigh. They are stacked in nice pile against the wall in the garage of my ex.

The pile is about 4 feet high, 3 and a half feet wide and 2 feet deep. This is all smelted ww's, both clip on and stick on's. I have been using this alloy for years and I have no problems filling out the little grooves and such in my boolits and they work well enough for me.

I have not been gathering any ww's recently but I feel that I must start again. My pile has shrunk some in the last few years and this rate it will be gone in about 5 years. So as I am an old geezer at this point I need to gather while I am able to pickup and transport my findings and smelt them while my health remains.

Seriously I have not smelted any ww's since 2007 and I have moved the pile 3 times since then. It was not fun. I did not have enuf containers to hold those treasures and I had to hand stack the pile inside the transport vehicle and then unstack and restack at the destination. Talk about tired.

I have a 5'x8' enclosed trailer with one axle. I could only stack about 20 gallons of ingots on each side of the trailer near the center and over the axle. I was afraid to overload it and cause damage to it. Another 30 gallons went into the bed of my F-150 that was pulling the trailer. As I recall it took 4 or 5 trips to get it all and I had to do this 3 times. This is why my pile is at the garage of my ex.

We get along great as friends but not so good as a married couple. I am generous to her and she is also there for me whenever I need her. We just cannot live under the same roof together at this time. Maybe we will both mellow out some more........

In either case as I do intend to continue shooting and reloading and casting then I will need to get off my butt and go out and generate some more ww's to continue on into the future.

The prospects of being able to obtain inexpensive ww's in the foreseeable future are uncertain and what I gather in the next few years may be all that will be available to me until I pass on........so I need to go get some more.

[DukeInFlorida]

Unprocessed buckets of WW's = 5 buckets, 150 pounds each = 450 pounds
Processed WW's in the form of ingots = 1200 pounds
Linotype = 600 pounds
Pure lead = 1/2 of a 1400 pound sailboat keel = 700 pounds
Pure lead in the form of ingots = 200 pounds


Total weight of casting alloys = 3150 pounds