Alternative source of lead to ww.

[skytex]

I'm new and planning to make my own shotgun shot. All I've read has referred to wheel weights as being perfect as their antinomy content makes for really good hard shot. However I'm finding local sources for ww to be near nonexistent. After 2 days of calling around I've found one person willing to sell one 5gal bucket. Everyone else is either contracted out, anal, or ate cleared out by someone else. Very few in that last category even. So I'm looking for alternatives to wheel weights or alternate places to look than junk yards and tire shops. Any of you experienced people got some guidance for me?

[Roundnoser]

There are alot of alternative sources for scrap lead, but it might not have the WW alloy mix your looking for. If you are merely looking for scrap lead (that you can later harden with Linotype, etc. here are some other places to look / people to talk to (old school workers, not the new breeds):
1. Roofers - lead sheeting / old roof flashing.
2. Home / business remodelers - Lead pipes, shower pans, window counter weights, hospital x-ray room barriers.
3. Phone company / employees - Lead pipe (phone lines used to be encased in lead sheathing when buried), anchoring weights (Phone poles that could not be buried deep enough to stay upright on their own were supported by cables that were anchored into the ground by 50 pound lead weights...commonly found along railroad lines).
4. Alternator shops - battery terminal connectors (ask these shops to collect the car battery terminal connectors - NOT BATTERY LEAD! - just the connectors that go over the battery posts)
5. Boat repair /storage businesses - Sailboat ballast (most sailboats have scrap lead ballast in their keels...these boat yards may have some laying around, although quality might not be great).

My best luck with WWs are from "mom and pop" mechanic shops that are off the beaten path. A couple of times I have scored BIG visiting small shops...they had been collecting the WWs in buckets for years, and no one ever asked to buy them! Sometimes they just gave them to me at no cost. -- Also, DONT GO STRAIGHT TO THE COMPANY HEADS! You will likely get nowhere...with all of their regulations, policies,etc. Make contacts through your friends and co-workers (Everybody knows somebody). Talk to the workers in the field...make friends, wheel-and-deal, kiss their butts if you have to! Once you start networking, you'll get the lead.

Sorry so long...hope it helps!

[runfiverun]

a few years ago ths would have been an easy answer.
nowdays, most new ww's are now zinc or steel.

[454PB]

If "scrounging" fails, click the Rotometals link at the top of this page.

Kind of pricey, but always available.

[skytex]

ouch. $1.69 a lb I could almost buy new shot for that price. What about using a different type of lead then hardening it by adding antimony. would that work? How would I go about it?

[markinalpine]

There are two other vendors who sell processed lead, LEADandBRASS.com, who has a banner at the top of the page, and TheCaptain, who is a Vendor Sponsor and has a link,http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=63886, in the Vendor Sponsor section.
Other members also sell lead at times in the Swappin & Sellin section.
Good luck,
Mark :coffeecom

[imashooter2]

Any indoor ranges in the area? They generate tons (literally) of scrap.

[skytex]

Both of those places list range lead. Would this work for my application of shot making? I guess if all else fails I can buy lead that way :/

[Echo]

A forum member (The Captain) sells lead alloy at a very reasonable price - the last I bought from her was several months ago, but was $48/50lbs, delivered, already ingotized. That is reasonable, to me - IMHO.

[imashooter2]

Both of those places list range lead. Would this work for my application of shot making? I guess if all else fails I can buy lead that way :/

While the conventional wisdom is that range scrap is pretty soft, my experience differs. With scrap gathered from several ranges over a period of more than 8 years I've found that it air cools between 12 and 14 BHN and water drops between 18 and 22 BHN. This compares pretty closely to clip on WW.

[skytex]

What about being dripped into a coolant like antifreeze or brake fluid?

[imashooter2]

What about being dripped into a coolant like antifreeze or brake fluid?

Theoretically, the antifreeze or brake fluid would have a higher boiling point, which would transfer heat better and make the shot harder.

As a practical matter, I wouldn't count on the results being much different than water dropping.

[zomby woof]

While the conventional wisdom is that range scrap is pretty soft, my experience differs. With scrap gathered from several ranges over a period of more than 8 years I've found that it air cools between 12 and 14 BHN and water drops between 18 and 22 BHN. This compares pretty closely to clip on WW.

I see the same with my indoor scrap. I get lots of jackets in the mix but it is just under WW hardness.

[runfiverun]

antifreeze or atf are the preferred coolants.