Range Lead - Uses

[AndyC]

**scrapyards pay more for shiny cores what's the best way to clean the cores after "smelting" the lead out???

I found your question interesting so I grabbed some handfuls of my dirty copper jackets and ran them through my inexpensive HF rock-tumbler with hot water, Dawn and a little Lemi-Shine (no steel pins - I don't need that headache) for a half-hour, just as if I was cleaning my brass cases:

Before:


After:


I'm not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze but I did find that it was now easier to spot any lead, rocks, etc.

[SoonerEd]

You will have yourself an industrial-size operation when all that equipment gets going. Range Scrap is about all I have been using for the past two or three years. My tire dealer provides free wheel weights, but I am hoarding my COWW, since I have an unlimited supply of free lead from the backstop at my club's pistol range.

I use range lead plus tin for everything I shoot (completely agree with Larry G.). My calibers include 25 auto, 32-20, 38 spl, 357, 9mm Para, 45 ACP and 7.62 Tok. I never had a problem with any of them, and don't know what the hardness of the alloy is. I keep my loads on the mild side. I have had more trouble with alloy being too hard, rather than too soft.

Congrats on a good score of lead.

Wayne

What velocities are you running the 357 and 7.62x25 and are you lubing or PC?

Thanks

[SoonerEd]

How are you checking bhn? If you are PC the bullets, even 8bhn will be gtg in 9 or 40 minor, certainly 45acp & 38/44sp. My range scrap,come out about 10bhn. I use it as is for most of my 9 & 40 minor & 45acp, yes i PC.

I'm using a Lee hardness tester and testing an ingot not a bullet.

[SoonerEd]

Got the cement mixer from HF today and took it to my friends house that has the lead. Going to clean as much as I can Saturday. Then it will sit all summer in a hot storage building to drive out moisture.

[Plate plinker]

I just sold my copper jackets from range scrap for $3.05 per lb, so don't be to quick to call it waste.

Wow the OP could have a nice little fund started from the copper i thinks.

[The Dar]

Got the cement mixer from HF today and took it to my friends house that has the lead. Going to clean as much as I can Saturday. Then it will sit all summer in a hot storage building to drive out moisture.

Why bother cleaning it. Dirt will float to the top and it can be skimmed off which you will have to do anyway no matter how well you clean it. I can't see doing the extra work.

[SoonerEd]

Should reduce the weight by around 300-400 lbs. I'll have to move the lead twice, once from where it is to storage and then from storage to where we'll smelt it latter. That's a lot of extra dross to dispose of also and 4-6 fewer smelting batches to process. Plus, I can also look for live rounds while cleaning the lead to minimize how many go off when smelting. I've also got a scraper that will buy the jackets if reasonably clean.

[SoonerEd]

Got about 900 lbs cleaned today. It’s going in the storage building to sit all summer with 100+ temps in the storage building to dry out until I smelt it next February after deer season. Going back tomorrow to hopefully clean another 500-800 lbs.

Steps were
1) scoop into mixer
2) run water and turn on mixer
3) dump muddy water, sand, sticks
4) repeat steps 2&3 one to two more times
5) dump into stainless tray for final rinse and inspection
6) shovel and dump 60-70 lbs in a 5 gallon bucket
7) lay bucket on its side to allow water to drain while repeating the process

Took about 5 hours to do 14 buckets and clean up. Will go faster tomorrow as I have the process worked out. Also the lead is already in 5 gallon buckets. What i did today was just dumped on the ground and had to be shoveled.

[SoonerEd]

Weighed today what was washed yesterday. Under estimated the weight. It was 1,200+. Did another 500 lbs today. Got about 750 lbs left to wash plus about 450 lbs of reclaimed shot to figure out how to clean. So, 1,700 down and 1,200 left. If we don’t go to the French Quarter in New Orleans next weekend I’ll finish it then. Then it sits till the fall / winter to smelt.

I’m tired!

Here is what it looks like after being washed.

[SoonerEd]

Finished up this past weekend. Have a total of about 2,500 lbs of washed range lead to melt down. It will sit until next winter to dry and then it will be melted down, cleaned and poured into ingots.

[robertbank]

Finished up this past weekend. Have a total of about 2,500 lbs of washed range lead to melt down. It will sit until next winter to dry and then it will be melted down, cleaned and poured into ingots.

Well done. You now have enough lead to cast 140,000 125 gr 9MM bullets.

Take Care

Bob

[Soundguy]

now that's alot of bullets!

[SoonerEd]

I already had about 1,500 lbs ow COWW, SOWW, Lino, mono and pure lead I found at a local recycler that I smelted into ingots. So, I should be set for retirement on lead. BTW, washing and moving the range lead to storage was LOTS OF WORK. I'm glad that's over, just got to smelt it now sometime this winter.

[Soundguy]

Can't wait to hear how much you get after smelting.