Range Scrap Smelting

[Jon]

I did some smelting yesterday, and filled up my dutch oven with range scrap. I had to let it cook for almost 2 hours before all the water was burned off, and the lead was melted.

I only had about 1/3 of a pot of lead after skimming off all the jackets, dirt, and lead oxide. Is that pretty normal for you guys as well? Most of the bullets are HP or FMJ.

[sagacious]

Be sure to flux generously before skimming, to maximize your recovery. There's often a lot of waste with range scrap because of the jacket scraps, dirt, etc. Your recovery amount seems normal. Good luck.

[mac1911]

I had about the same results. I think it takes a little longer for range scrap to melt down because of the compression of the powdery mix. I also see more and more boxes of the non lead or frangilble stuff in the trash barrel. So I think there maybe alot of frangilble dust in the mix?

I scooped about 80lbs from the indoor range and filled my all my molds which is on averafe about 50lbs finished product.

[pistolman44]

I smelted range lead also. Yes there was a lot of fine dirt mixed in the bucket. It's pain to smelt, I use a propane torch to the top of the heap to help the melt along. I use a screen to get out much of of the fine dirt I can out of the mix before I put in my cast iron pot. Out of a 85 lb bucket of range scrap I got 49 lbs. of usable lead. I have no way of knowing how hard the smelted mix is. But it seams hard enough for 45 ACP. The owner of the range only charged me $10 a bucket.

[fredj338]

Depends on your range scrap. Mine comes from an outside berm. So it's mostly intact/deformed lead or jacketed bullets. I tend to cull out the smaller jacketed, not worth the hassle of skimming jackets IMO, so my return is like 90-95%.

[Jon]

I get it for free from the berm at the range. So, I can't complain. I was just wondering if my yield was about par for the course.

I have to look into selling off the scrap copper. The bucket is getting pretty full.

[evan price]

Last week I melted 125 pounds of berm bullets- lots of shotgun slugs and muzzle loader minie balls in this lot- and got 85 pounds of lead after fluxing thoroughly and skimming the jackets. Had a 2-gallon bucket full of jackets. I melt them all, jacketed or not, even the rifle bullets. It's hard enough for nonmagnum velocities as is.

[Jon]

I've been using it for 45ACP and 38SPL loads. So far I haven't had any trouble with it. I still have to do a hardness test on some of it. If it's soft enough, I need some lead for my C&B pistol. :-)

[shotman]

need to run magnet over the jackets many are steel. the rest will sell for scrap brass . you may get lucky the fist time and get No 2 copper but it wont happen if they know scrap.
If you shake them in a steel wire colliandor when hot it will get about all the lead off

[pistolman44]

I have to throw my jackets in the trash. Scrap yard won't take them if they have traces of lead on them. Time consuming as it is I'm not going to try to get all the lead off of them.

[Fugowii]

Last week I melted 125 pounds of berm bullets- lots of shotgun slugs and muzzle loader minie balls in this lot- and got 85 pounds of lead after fluxing thoroughly and skimming the jackets. Had a 2-gallon bucket full of jackets. I melt them all, jacketed or not, even the rifle bullets. It's hard enough for nonmagnum velocities as is.

The scrap I get comes from an outdoor berm and is skimmed off the top of the berm.
Not too much .22 in the mix. I've smelted about four different batches over the last
year and it always comes in around 9-10 BHN, same as my WW smelts. I use lead
at that hardness level for everything I shoot with a pistol (up to .44 Mag and I just
shot some GC out of my .32 Win Spl.

[evan price]

need to run magnet over the jackets many are steel. the rest will sell for scrap brass . you may get lucky the fist time and get No 2 copper but it wont happen if they know scrap.
If you shake them in a steel wire colliandor when hot it will get about all the lead off

I dump them out on a workbench and run through them with an old speaker magnet to sort the steel ones out. I use a mesh strainer to skim and give them a good shake and all the lead comes out, leaves just a faint trace like they were tinned inside. I get #2 copper for them just like burnt wire.

I've been lucky so far and don't have much actual mining to do to mine berm lead. Just go after a storm and the dirt is washed away, you can just pick them up on the surface.

[Jon]

I've done some picking, but it takes awhile. With my bucket sifter, I can get about 50lbs in 30 min or so.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/somephotoguy/bucketbottom.jpg
http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/somephotoguy/bucketinside.jpg

[wheelgunner]

You can speed up the melt significantly by not emptying the pot with each batch. I leave about 4 inches in the bottom of the pot, add more range scrap in trowel size bunches and stir a bit, it will melt very quickly. Skim the dross, add more, stir, repeat. I leave about 2 inches at the end of the smelting session for the next session. With all that lead to pot contact, it melts much quicker, getting the prosess going again. 100lbs takes about an hour.

[Doc Highwall]

I am with wheelgunner about leaving a good amount of lead on the bottom of the pot it sure speeds up the next melt. I have a 11qt dutch oven and I wish it was bigger just for that purpose. Lead weights just over 23 lbs per quart and when I have it full of molten lead I only take 80 lbs out and re-fill it with range scrap and keep repeating till I am finished and then empty the pot if I am not going to melt for a while. When I start up melting again it takes a while to melt the first pot full and I to use a propane torch to speed up the process.

[Jon]

Thanks guys, I've been leaving a little at the bottom of the pot, but not much more than an inch or two. I'll leave more for the next batch.

Now that it's getting cooler, I'm trying to make sure my stash for the winter is up to snuff. It's a little hard to get range scrap when the ground is frozen, and my buckets have been full. :-)

[shooterg]

FWIW- I give the jackets to my Pa-in-law , he got $1.25 lb. for 62 lbs. of it last week at the local recycle yard. Same place pays $0.20 lb. for lead, but just try and buy any !

[Freightman]

Range scrap is all I use, it is FREE and I am broke. Two outside pistol ranges one is Bullseye 25/50 yds the other is action pit 0/20 yds, the BE range has a lot of 22cal lead the AP is 95% cast 9mm to 45 cal that is the one I get the scrap from as no allowing necessary it is already done.

[Jon]

Free is the best price. I figure it pays my club dues for the year. :-D

Wheel weights are less work, but they are pretty hard to come by these days.

[RP]

if you flux with transmission fluid and use enough to get a good flame and stir good it flux the lead and remove it off the jackets you also can do it earlier then letting them get hot enough to turn loose on there own. The burning flame heats the jackets I have done a little over two tons and that is what works the best for me. And leave some lead in the bottom of the pot is another good point that was made. Also dont forget a cover most of my range lead like to spit at me.

[lwknight]

I went out to the clubs' berm today and picked up 30 lbs in 5 minutes.
Going back with a shovel and wheelbarrow tomorrow.
And NO, I'm not tellin.

[Jon]

Go for it. As long as you don't leave a real mess, they probably won't care.