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Thread: Unable to get any wheel weights

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy catkiller45's Avatar
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    Unable to get any wheel weights

    I my area here in north east pa,it's impossible to get wheel weights..
    Where is a good place to purchase alloy for
    Cast bullets..our local junk dealer refuses to sell any lead.. Bastard..
    keep on rolling along.no matter what happens just keep rolling

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master
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    S&S section on here.

    RotoMetals, a site sponsor.

    Good luck in that state!

  3. #3
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    zarrinvz24's Avatar
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    Lead is out there still, we just have to be creative in finding it. Make friends with plumbers, whenever they remove lead pipe ask them to give you a call. Make friends with roofers, roofing lead is nice and soft.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master 358429's Avatar
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    I got lead a couple of times from rocky mountain reloading. It is noodles packed into boxes.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    I cringe every time I think about all the wheel weights that I threw out, back in 1970-71, when I worked at a gas station. I wasn't into casting back then. Over time I did save about 50 lbs, and eventually melted them into ingots, intended to cast into zinkers, but never did that either. The bright side is that I'm very sure I still have those ingots in my garage.

  6. #6
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    If you don’t want to by from a supplier like Roto Metals, keep a watch out on the want to sell thread. Lead for sale does come up there. Consider looking for someplace where you can collect range lead. Putting a sign up wanting to buy lead for more than the scrap yard pays, in roofing supply places, may yield some good results too.

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    Watch the S&S section here. Lots of lead on there. Reasonable too.
    KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Lead is still out there. Ask your friends, neighbors and co-workers to watch for you. I call it "networking". Its not instant, sometimes it takes months to produce. It also continues after you are ready to quit! Consider placing an ad on the local Craigslist and on any local swap shops. Talk with plumbers, roofers, telephone repairmen, and any local scrappers.

    Until you find any the places listed above can get you started.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master Baltimoreed's Avatar
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    Be wary if you buy any on fleabay, bought some once and they were 2/3 zinc weights in the box. Thought it felt light as large a wooden box that it was. The seller said he didn’t know and refunded some money. Tire shops would be your best bet. States are phasing out lead weights due to environmental concerns.

  10. #10
    Boolit Bub Hodagtrapper's Avatar
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    I place an ad in the "Wanted" section of Craigslist looking for lead in all forms. Picked up quite a bit in the last year. If somebody answers with "I have a big garbage can full of wheel weights" do a random sample of 100 of them using a pliers to verify they are lead. Last few deals I made the lead wheel weights comprised 45% of the total. Base your price/offer on the sample percentage you obtain. Paid way too much for the first bucket though!

    Chris

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy
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    Not sure if PA has laws about handing scrap lead to someone who's not EPA approved. That's definitely not the case here.

    I can still find plenty of lead wheel weights. But going to the local tire shops is a waste of time, 95% zinc and steel. Big trucks still use lead. Ask at a truck center next time you're on the interstate, it can't hurt. Also, it doesn't hurt to have an empty bucket or two with you. I was surprised that a truck center can fill a couple buckets a month. But I don't get greedy, I let them know I'm only looking for enough to feed my shooting addiction and have yet to be charged for a bucket of weights.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Isotope container lead that I’ve picked up has mostly analyzed out between 2.5 to 3.0% antimony. That’s similar to clip on WW, though there’s no tin or arsenic to speak of. Straight from the radio pharmacy, it’s usually very clean alloy.

    It occasionally comes up for sale in the S&S. If you’re in or around a major population center there are likely one or two radio pharmacies in the area. A call or visit with an offer to buy above local scrap prices and to pick up (plus snacks for the staff) might just get you a steady source of lead well above your needs.
    Last edited by kevin c; 12-05-2021 at 03:12 AM. Reason: Clarification

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master fredj338's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zarrinvz24 View Post
    Lead is out there still, we just have to be creative in finding it. Make friends with plumbers, whenever they remove lead pipe ask them to give you a call. Make friends with roofers, roofing lead is nice and soft.
    Also contractors that do remodeling. A buddy of mine fell into 1200# of pure sheet lead removed from an old roof being rebuilt. Its all melted down now & I can get as much as I want from him for a bullet swap.
    WW are pretty much dead source but lead is where you find it. I can get as much as I want from the two ranges i shoot by berm mining. It doesnt even require much digging, more like surface scratching. Easy to get over 50# in less than 30m work. Hit up local stain glass classes or shops for scraps. If you know someone in hospital work, iso containers & dental foils. By far though, the shooting berm is your best source for DIY but buying here is 2nd.
    EVERY GOOD SHOOTER NEEDS TO BE A HANDLOADER.
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  14. #14
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    No problem here in the Delta. There's a local farmer's tire shop near me, and they mostly do farm tires. So when I get a 6 gallon bucket it is mostly lead COWW's. His place does very little business in the way of modern sedans with weird COWW's. You need to look for a place kind of out of town that does farmer's tires.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy memtb's Avatar
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    I just checked with my local tire shop.....$25/ 5 gallon bucket! However, I pretty sure that they’re 30% or slightly more......the “wrong” wheel weights! memtb
    You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

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  16. #16
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    Memtb, get all you can at that price. As the zinc and steel percentage increases, make a call to move on when it’s no longer viable.
    Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris

  17. #17
    Boolit Master Handloader109's Avatar
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    I would for sure watch and make friends with not only plumbers, but Roofers. Especially in your area of the Northeast. A LOT of chimney and roof flashings in older homes are lead. Soft for sure, but when they remove a roof, it is in the trash.

  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy memtb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by David2011 View Post
    Memtb, get all you can at that price. As the zinc and steel percentage increases, make a call to move on when it’s no longer viable.
    Yep....it may be a good time to heavily invest in “precious” metals! memtb
    You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

    “LETS GO BRANDON”

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by memtb View Post
    Yep....it may be a good time to heavily invest in “precious” metals! memtb
    That is why I have many troy ounces of silver and gold. (You should have at least 10-12% of your net worth in precious metals.....and that is NOT lead.) Those metals will always be valuable. I would NEVER consider lead as a precious metal. There are tons of it out there for the buying. You just gotta know where to look! It is one of the primary metals used extensively in our society yesterday, today, and tomorrow and always will be, even though the stupid tree kissers and owl huggers try to get it banned.

    Good luck on your quest for the illusive galena goblin.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master

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    Keep looking and make sure you have enough cash on hand to buy big when the opportunity arisies. I bought 1400 lbs of wheel weights in one whack, yielded 900 lbs of ingots, about two decade's worth for me after blending with soft. Also keep an eye out for soft lead. You can always harden it up. Between water dropping and powdercoating, you can really stretch your supply of harder alloys.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check