How much do you pay for your COWWs?

[RogerDat]

So what do you do with the scrap that you can not use? Will a scrap yard buy zinc and steel weights? What about the clips from the COWW?

Yes but not for much money, but something. Clips will be scrap steel. Zinc and steel WW's you may get their price for WW's coming in. Which is generally pretty low compared to what you bought. Figure going there to buy lead so a couple of buckets of scrap I bring in is sort of a discount coupon.

[Don Fischer]

This wheel weight stuff is all over the board. I've never heard before you need a hazmat license before. Then two post's later someone is still getting them for free! I'm glad I scourged up what I did in years past, I've got maybe 1000# +/- laying around the place, all poured into ingots. Life time supply for me! $10 a pound sound's pretty expensive! That's getting pretty near the price of jacketed bullet's! In this state WW's are really hard to find, tire shops can't use them. Sound's like a bunch of other states are the same way. What's the future of bullet casting if lead just keep's getting higher?

[scotner]

Yes, these were from two local shops. I also checked another shop and he had his old weights in an empty washer fluid bottle. I asked him how much and he looked at me sort of funny and said "you mean people pay for these?". I quickly thanked him and changed the subject. He told me to come back in a couple of weeks and he would have some more for me. I let a month go by (knee issues) and stopped in there the other day. They said that guy didn't work there any more and he was the one that kept up with the old weights. Since he left they have been tossing them in the corner behind the balance machine. I plan to go back early this week with TWO 5 gallon buckets. One to get those weights up and one with my name and phone number on it.

I went back with with two buckets as planned. It quickly became apparent that I should have taken three. The weights were piled up in the floor and I got out my flat bottom shovel. I had the bucket filled and rounded over the top. Granted, these were a mixture of gold and garbage but I was not going to tie up the whole shop while I was sorting. I split the load between the two buckets and told them I would bring them an empty bucket the next time I passed their way. The guy even set them on the back of the truck for me. I handed him $10 and he said that I did not have to do that. I was doing him a favor hauling them off. If I can dispose of the unusable stuff like another member mentioned this may the ticket. I don't want to accumulate a bunch of unusable stuff around my shop.

[scotner]

Yes but not for much money, but something. Clips will be scrap steel. Zinc and steel WW's you may get their price for WW's coming in. Which is generally pretty low compared to what you bought. Figure going there to buy lead so a couple of buckets of scrap I bring in is sort of a discount coupon.

I sorted the batch of weights I brought home yesterday. I thought it looked like a bunch of steel in that load. I netted 40# of SOWW and 32# of COWW. The rest was steel and zinc with the emphasis on steel. I called the local scrap yard and they quoted me .10 for mixed WW and .20 for lead. I just said that I didn't think there was much lead. The main thing is that I have a safe and proper way to dispose of what I can't use. I want to be sure of that before I bring anything else home. I have a total of 117# that I need to dispose of.

[RogerDat]

I sorted the batch of weights I brought home yesterday. I thought it looked like a bunch of steel in that load. I netted 40# of SOWW and 32# of COWW. The rest was steel and zinc with the emphasis on steel. I called the local scrap yard and they quoted me .10 for mixed WW and .20 for lead. I just said that I didn't think there was much lead. The main thing is that I have a safe and proper way to dispose of what I can't use. I want to be sure of that before I bring anything else home. I have a total of 117# that I need to dispose of.

Not a fantastic lead to scrap ratio but not all that bad either, In Cali or New Jersey I think that qualifies as a gold mine. Any way you slice it 72# of lead for $10 is actually pretty darn good.

Yes it is more labor to go through than it was back in the "good old days" but I find sitting in a chair with a box lid in my lap and a pair of dikes to nip the WW's and find the soft ones make the process move right along. Does help to be seated and have a tray/box lid in my lap allows me to avoid a lot of wasted motion, just flip them into the right sorting container ahead or beside of me and pick up the next one from my lap. Refill the tray each time it gets empty.

[scotner]

Not a fantastic lead to scrap ratio but not all that bad either, In Cali or New Jersey I think that qualifies as a gold mine. Any way you slice it 72# of lead for $10 is actually pretty darn good.

Just came back from the scrap yard. I took the unusable stuff from the last three lead collections. Came back with $14. That helps offset the gas cost when collecting.

Yes it is more labor to go through than it was back in the "good old days" but I find sitting in a chair with a box lid in my lap and a pair of dikes to nip the WW's and find the soft ones make the process move right along. Does help to be seated and have a tray/box lid in my lap allows me to avoid a lot of wasted motion, just flip them into the right sorting container ahead or beside of me and pick up the next one from my lap. Refill the tray each time it gets empty.

I don't really enjoy that part but I am retired now so I have the time to do it. The real down side now is dealing with the stuff you can't use. It really was nice when you go get lead, melt it and make bullets.

I just came back from the scrap yard. I took all my unusable stuff and came back with $14.00. When I unloaded the guy in the yard quoted me 10 cents a pound, which is what he told me on the phone. When I went to the cashier to get paid it was 12 cents. Not too bad for something that I really needed to get out of the shop.

They had a bunch of sheet lead where I left my stuff. I think they sell at 70 cents. It might not be a bad deal going that route if the lead could be used as is. I wouldn't want to pay that and then have to buy something additional to harden the mix. I already have a lot of SOWW to use up somehow.

[scarry scarney]

I used to get them from a military base AAFES gas station. The tire guy would always save them for me. When they changed managers, the tire guy quit. I met with the new tire guy, and he said talk to the manager. The new manager, once she found out it was to make "boolits" she said NO!!!! I should said to make fishing weights or something....

[hollywood63]

I pay nothing ....I have so much lead, and wheel weights that I will never shoot it all

atr..................buddy ole friend of mine since your tag and mine (art) have the same letters buuuuudddddy you ever find the need to dispose of that nasty metal you have. I'll gladly help you out budddddy lmao

[GRUMPA]

Seems time changes in ways that for the most part folks run into road blocks. What was once a pretty much "FREE" source for the do it yourselfer is now becoming a bit more difficult. Even when I lived in Phoenix I would only need to go to 2 tire stores and have enough for some time.

Now where I live I can't get COWW easily at all. Sure I called around, got negative results, and even visited some all with the same negative results. After some thought I now get most of it off this site in the S&S section. I live so remote if I figure it costs me .45 per mile it's easier and cheaper to just get the COWW already smelted and in ingot form for $1 Lb and have it come to me.

About a year ago I found someone locally that sells Isotope lead in those 30Lb chunks. Sure I need to smelt them down, but at $20 for a 30Lb chunk of Isotope core lead which is real clean already, it just isn't that bad of a deal. On the Isotope I add 2Lbs of Lino and if I water drop the BHN comes out around 15 and works great for almost everything.

So in the long run, even though COWW isn't as convenient as it once seemed to be, sources are out there, just not in the same place they once where. A person just has to look in different places, it's their, just need to be steered in another direction as to where to look is all.

[Phlier]

Well, after reading all of your responses, I think I'll stick with the local scrap yard. 75 cents/pound is pretty reasonable, and I can pre-sort the COWW's while I'm there, so I'm only paying for the lead ones, plus I can buy pure lead in ten pound ingots there as well.

[wv109323]

It varies. At one tire shop I gave $10.00 for about 60 lbs. at another I gave $20.00 for 80 lbs. These were COWW and SOWW and steel weights. I sorted out about 25 lbs. of metal and etc. from above.

[robg]

Too tight fisted to buy any lead ,I just scrounge .coww are nearly all zinc/steel over here now ,but there's still lead gas/water pipe to be found.just have to buy lead free solder for the tin .

[kingstrider]

I was paying $100 for 3 full 5 gallon buckets full from the local tire shop. After sorting, about 60% was COWW, 10% was SOWW, 25% was iron/zinc/other and the other 5% was trash. They got greedy on me and now refuse to sell at that price so I stopped going there, still looking for another source.

[mike69]

I paid 40 dollars for a fuul 5 gallon bucket at one shop the next time I went they wanted 70 said lead prices went up. Just found another place that will sell me 5 gallon buckets for 25 but somebody beat to what they had going to check back there in a few weeks. most places wont sell them get the epa reason from them.

[Budzilla 19]

Phlier,use your network, sir! Tell your friends, your yard guy, if you got one, local landscaper also! Those guys run up on all kinds of stuff! Plumber, telephone repair man, ( they used a lot of lead shields back in the day)), also hit up your local pharmacy to see if they do the radio nuclear?cancer therapy. Isotope containers. I just got lucky in my searches, but persevere, brother, you'll get there! Good luck to you.

[shooterg]

At Thanksgiving/Christmas/4th of July/etc. I visit the local station, pass out $1 lottery tickets to the 4-5 people working and leave with whatever ww on hand. Larger percent of steel/zinc each time though. But 10 buckets by the old picnic table and turkey fryer I refer to as my "lead factory" and many,many more already in ingots. Piles up, as most of my handgun boolits are recast range lead . I'm probably good for life, but I can't help myself anymore - somebody here has mentioned a 12 step program for lead addiction, but we have no local chapter...

[Phlier]

Phlier,use your network, sir! Tell your friends, your yard guy, if you got one, local landscaper also! Those guys run up on all kinds of stuff! Plumber, telephone repair man, ( they used a lot of lead shields back in the day)), also hit up your local pharmacy to see if they do the radio nuclear?cancer therapy. Isotope containers. I just got lucky in my searches, but persevere, brother, you'll get there! Good luck to you.

Thanks, man.

[Bosshaug]

[QUOTE=Phlier;3873277]I'm in the desert south west.

Phoenix?

[rondog]

A couple months ago on a local gun forum I responded to a "come and get this stuff" thread - COWW's, stick-ons, and lead pipe chunks - FREE! Even got the buckets too! No charge for all the trash either.....

[Phlier]

[QUOTE=Bosshaug;3888892]

I'm in the desert south west.

Phoenix?

I'm 130 miles outside Las Vegas, Nevada. Hot summers, cool and short winters, beautiful red rock desert.