Average % lead in range scrap

[kevin c]

60 to 65% yield from scrap recovered from my club's berms, averaging 2.0% antimony, no tin. My club's berms may not be typical, though, being used for action pistol matches where a lot of folks reload using commercial coated cast (I've bought scrap bullet lead from Rotometals that was 1.5% Sb, no tin).

It was a lot of work. I'm grateful that I currently have a source of alloy that's cleaner, more predictable in content, and more plentiful. Of course, there's now literally I price I have to pay, whereas the berm lead was free. Still, my back appreciates the change.

[triggerhappy243]

Anyone got a WAG on how much lead you recover from jacketed range scrap?

This is a local indoor range that only allows j-words.

it has been my personal experience, that you will yield about 70% lead once you are done smelting. I have done close to 2000 pounds of indoor range scrap, and 70% seems to be the norm.

[kevin c]

I guess the gravel, sand and dirt on what I get out of the berm scrap drops my yield; lots of fines to take off the melt (the jackets stay on the strainer). Not sure if washing would help much, and I was a bit leery of deliberately adding water to stuff going into the pot.

[SoonerEd]

The range lead I'm processing was from a public range with lots of sand in the berm. Even though washed in a cement mixer to get rid of dirt...lots of sand impregnated into the lead. I got 61% yield processing 2,700 lbs.

[triggerhappy243]

The range lead I'm processing was from a public range with lots of sand in the berm. Even though washed in a cement mixer to get rid of dirt...lots of sand impregnated into the lead. I'm getting 55-58% yield with 40% done processing 2,700 lbs.

I would screen the sand out as opposed to washout.

[dverna]

Agree with others who would not pay $1/lb for range scrap. Waste of time.

Let the stuff sit there for a couple of weeks. When no one else takes it, offer them .$35/lb for all they have. Let them work you up to $.50/lb.

Good suggestion to take 100 lbs to check yield and figure if the effort is worth the reward.

[triggerhappy243]

Agree with others who would not pay $1/lb for range scrap. Waste of time.

Let the stuff sit there for a couple of weeks. When no one else takes it, offer them .$35/lb for all they have. Let them work you up to $.50/lb.

Good suggestion to take 100 lbs to check yield and figure if the effort is worth the reward.

Even if all the crud was already removed?

[poppy42]

Even if all the crud was already removed?

Considering I see lead ingots all over the place for sale for $1.00 to &1.50 a pound I would not give more than $.10 or maybe $.20 a pound. If it was cleaned ( no dirt or rocks)! Think of the time, and in my propane! I’d rather deal with wheel weights!

[dverna]

Even if all the crud was already removed?

You quoted 70% yield. At $.50/lb for range scrap cost before factoring propane and your time is $.71/lb

If he pays $1/lb, he will be at 1.73/lb...which is way too much.

My time has value....YMMV.

[meeesterpaul]

the lead portion has XRF tested out at Sn 0.5% Sb 2.2%

[triggerhappy243]

You quoted 70% yield. At $.50/lb for range scrap cost before factoring propane and your time is $.71/lb

If he pays $1/lb, he will be at 1.73/lb...which is way too much.

My time has value....YMMV.

Quote:, At $.50/lb for range scrap cost before factoring propane and your time is $.71/lb

If he pays $1/lb, he will be at 1.73/lb...which is way too much. UNUOTE; Not sure where you are getting your numbers from. I never stated anything about the .71 /per pound. clean casting metal is clean casting metal. For those who can not find any, something is better than nothing.

[Charlie Horse]

I don't try to sell jackets because processing them would increase my exposure to lead and any amount of money wouldn't make up for that. I flux, skim, then get rid of the dross as expediently as possible. Lately I've been mixing it with plaster before pitching it.

[Charlie Horse]

I've begun smelting range scrap in a Lee pot. The results were better than I expected. People say don't do that. It will ruin the pot. It works just fine for me.
This much lead gave me two soup cans full of dross. We shoot bowling pins on that range but apparently bowling pin slivers make good flux.

[Retumbo]

I'll see what mine ends up being, got three 5 gallon pails awaiting another 3. Will have to wait for nicer weather to start melting

[SoonerEd]

Done 27 pails out of the 34 i have over the last two weekends. Got a little over 1,300 lbs of lead. The yield is between 55-60%. All the dirt had been washed out using agitation in a cement mixer. This got rid of most of the loose sand. But, there was lots of sand that was impregnated into the lead. This RL is mostly jacked and plated bullets which made it a PITA. Very little lead only bullets. Using a weed burner from the top while in the smelting pot really sped things up. Otherwise, it would have been almost an impossible task with my setup of a harbor freight dutch oven.

EDIT UPDATE: I ended up at 61% yield in processing 2,700 lbs of range lead.

[SoonerEd]

Having done range lead, given prices of other scrap of just buying I would not pay for it as it is WAY more work than other scrap lead I've done. Might be an interesting project for you to maybe get a small batch.. Maybe you've got a better process or the range lead you get has less jackets and dirt in it making it easier to process. For example if it was indoor range lead that might be worth a try as I would expect it to be WAY cleaner than what I have and might make it worth paying for.

[imashooter2]

The indoor scrap I did had lots of paper and wood, some dust and dirt and of course the jackets (picture in post 37). It all came off steel backstops so the TMJ were ruptured already. The wood and paper burned off, the jackets and dirt skimmed off and was thrown away. 20-25% loss by weight. Every bit as easy as pipe, cable sheath or WW. In fact it was easier than today’s WW because I didn’t have to sort it for steel and zinc first. Well worth the effort.

[higgins]

Last time I smelted range scrap I sorted it into cast, jacketed, and plated bullets. The jacketed bullet core metal was too soft for cast bullets. I didn't want hard cast bullets so I combined 50/50 bullet core metal and cast and got what I wanted. I had some plated bullets tested for hardness and it was all over the place, but most were in the "medium hard" range (sorry, I forgot the bnh numbers), definitely harder than jacketed bullet cores. I have found the cast bullet metal suitable for rifle bullets. I contacted some bullet manufacturers and surprisingly, most of them are vague about bnh criteria or alloy composition.

[fredj338]

I guess the gravel, sand and dirt on what I get out of the berm scrap drops my yield; lots of fines to take off the melt (the jackets stay on the strainer). Not sure if washing would help much, and I was a bit leery of deliberately adding water to stuff going into the pot.

My buddy washes the range scrap he gets, leaves it in the sun spreads out on a tarp for a few days, it dries.

[Wooserco]

The last range lead that I bought was melted down into 40 lb. loaf pan ingots, too big for the casting pot. Melted them down into ingots, then added equal number of ingots from each loaf to the pot to ultimately get to one alloy across all of the ingots.

BTW, I paid $1 a lb. for the already cleaned and rendered range lead. It was from an outdoor range.