Range scrap journey

[Brassmonkey]

I did that range scrap thing once, spent a few hours each night over a week in the winter. then I seen how a fella In Florida does it and I’ll never melt range scrap again unless I can do a ton at a time. Worst part is that I never put it in ingots. So it needs melted again before I can melt it again to cast bullets. At least I got a few years supply for my efforts and propane use.

[BK7saum]

Range scrap isn't too difficult if you start with a layer of lead on the bottom. A weed burner on top is also a help. my bottom pour pot is almost 14" diameter and about 13 or 14 inches tall.

I usually only run it about one-third to half full before pouring ingots, maybe 160-200 lbs per batch.

The outdoor range lead from a dirt berm leaves a lot of encapsulated bullets. i never bother to cut or break them open.

The last scrap I haven't started on yet is pulverized by the bullets striking ar plate. It should go a bit easier, I hope. Just waiting on some cooler weather.

[Budzilla 19]

I appreciate the concerns for my safety as far as putting cold scrap in a hot pot! It was dry, and I put the lid on as a safety measure. I didn’t just throw it in there for sure!
BK7saum, I agree with not being difficult, just time consuming! 1” pool in the bottom, not go over 6” deep, let it heat up, stir it up, shake the molten stuff out, pour out the jackets, skim, flux, repeat. Till it’s deep enough for a dozen redneck gold ingots, then start the process over. But, that being said, I’m glad I’m done with it, for now.
Thanks for the replies, my cast boolit brethren, I do appreciate all of them!

[fredj338]

Couple of months ago, I got a chance to get some range scrap from a local range. Soooo, I gathered up some 600+ pounds of range scrap, brought it home, and began the processing procedure!
As hot as it’s been down here inSW Louisiana lately, I would start early morning, then just do what I could stand till it gets too hot!
I finished yesterday, here’s the results:
450+ pounds of 8-10 bhn Redneck Gold ingots. Tested with a Cabine Tree tester.
Approximately 200+ pounds of bullet jackets. Sold 120 pounds already to the scrap yard. ( used that cash to buy components) the remaining 80-90 pounds still gotta go to the same yard. Here’s the result:

Attachment 329301

Can’t see it in the photo, but each ingot has a hard stamp on it! “RS”
No cheat sheets for me! Just stamp the blasted things as to what they are, no guessing involved!
Good casting stuff, I think I’m about to a lifetime supply. ( y’all believe that about enough lead? ) Hahahaha!!!!
In that blue drum, the 450+ pounds is sitting on top of another 400 pounds I acquired from an earlier range scrap project.

I love seeing it in its final form.

Nice job but 600# is only 21,000 45acp (200). That could be 20y or 3y depending on what eles I am shooting. Good job though.

[Budzilla 19]

Fredj, that’s a whole bunch of 45-200 grainers , for sure! I have slacked off on 45’s lately, ( I’m not mad at em anymore like I used to be)but it’s the rifle stuff for me now! The processed stuff came out to 450 pounds, soo at my present thirty caliber casting, mainly the Lee C312-155 2r boolit, it’s about 19,091 rounds. Probably all the rifle slugs I’ll ever need. But, like I said, if I get a chance, I’ll probably get some more.
Thanks for the good words.

[imashooter2]

Unless you want to buy it by the box through the mail, indoor range scrap is the way to go in these parts. I’ve done a pot or two in my time… the take was certainly worth the effort.

[dverna]

Goes to show if a person is willing and able to do the work, cheap lead is out there.

[Budzilla 19]

Imashooter2, that’s an awesome pile of ingots!
dverna, I agree 100%! True statement! You got to put in the work. Plus, the fact that it’s free! By free, I mean the scrap is free, only cost is propane for processing, I don’t count my labor.
I’ll do it again, probably.

[BJung]

I cast in small lots of 50#-100# at a time. I retrieve my range scrap at the end of the day and take home 4 small rice sacks home. Rice sacks are strong. At home I pour the range scrap into a large oil pan and fill the pan with water. All the wood chips float to the top and I remove that and fill a rice sack with the debri to be dumped. The lead is stirred, and the dirt fills the water, which I pour out and refill. I stir the lead to bring up the wood and wash out the dirt. Both flow down my driveway into rags which capture both debri and dirt. Then I pour the cleaned range scrap onto an old shower curtain to dry. Afterwards I separate the lead by FMJ and jacketed lead and anything else left over like the flakes and powdered lead, then separate them into Amazon envelopes. Most of my lead are stored as bullets because of time. As ingots, I stamp them "J" for the jacket sourced lead. I use to make fish sinkers with the rest but may cast ingots and stamp them "S", test for bhn and use those for 9mm or 40cal TC bullets. The "J" ingots become wadcutters and .45-230 RN bullets. "J" ingot lead performs 2nd best for hollow point bullets. "P" lead which is sourced from pellets perform the best for hollow point handgun bullets. I get pellet lead range scrap and keep them separate. I also put commercial hardcast bullets to the side and plan to use those to increase the bhn of y bullets. I have also "T" stamped ingots sourced for .22lr. They haven't expanded well for .38 hollow points but maybe another caliber. Adding tin helps but that costs money.

[lightman]

Good Job! A nice pile of ingots makes the work worth while.

[2TM101]

I buy all my lead from guys like you. Formerly Ebay, but now all off this site.

[WILCO]

Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Forrest r]

Fantastic!!!

I actually prefer range scrap myself. I do the same thing #150 batches makes #100+'s of ingots & also using a small deep frier basket to remove the rocks/jackets/etc. Then I sell the copper jackets for $$$.

Been doing this since the 80's supplying all my cast bullets/sinkers/jigs & split shot needs.

[The Appalacian]

I like range scrap......

[Kraschenbirn]

Over the years, I'd estimate I salvaged nearly a ton of of range scrap from our club range but since the old handgun berms were bulldozed and rearranged to provide more firing points for the 'tactical' guys it's not worth the effort. Right now, I've enough Pb/COWW/Lino on hand to keep me shooting for the next four or five years...and, considering my age, that may be all I'll ever need.

Bill

[fredj338]

If your range has a plate rack bay, that is where you can get a lot of 95% useable alloy. Just pick up the flattened bullets, jackets are usually gone.

[CScott]

I collected range scrap 200 lbs at a time from an indoor range I visited every two weeks on my sales route. When I retired (quit my day job) I melted it all down and I still have over a ton of one lb ingots.
Then I had a lead blood level test and the number was 29 which is high. A year later it was a lot lower, 4 years later it is normal. My sense is that casting ingots is more toxic than casting boolits so take every precaution you can!
C. Scott

[danmat]

I like range scrap......

Are you using the bolt cutters to cut the fully encapsulated jacketed bullets?

[The Appalacian]

Are you using the bolt cutters to cut the fully encapsulated jacketed bullets?

Yes. Even the Berry's that only have a thin copper plating. Things melt out cleaner and faster if I cut them or at least break open the jacket as I throw them in the pot. The job can be done with side cutters but worn out hands with carpal tunnel like the bolt cutter better.

The bolt cutter has a dual purpose as well. I use it to quickly and efficiently test wheel weights as I sort those.

Once I cull out all the steel weights with a magnet, I pinch the edge of the "lead" ones with the bolt cutter. Anything that will NOT cut is either steel that I missed, or it's zinc. Anything that dents with a pinch goes in the melting pot. Pretty much fail safe and the fastest way I've found to sort them without peering at each one with tired old eyes.....

[The Appalacian]

Here's a different kind of "range scrap" probably unique to the southern Appalachian mountain regions. My scrap yard calls it "shooting match lead". I buy it to alloy it into wheel weight metal.

What it is, is bird shot smashed flat in an indoor shooting range bullet trap, in an old barn or retired feed store, somewhere back in the nowhere.

The game is much akin to shooting the star out of the target with the full auto Tommy BB Gun at the county fair to win your lady or kid a stuffed bear. But with the bird shot it's one shot through a super full choke at I think 27 feet, to take out a red dot from the center of the target.

I dunno, last one I went to 30 years ago they paid $2 a target, got handed a special match shell by the match director, and winner takes half the pot for that round. It's run like a turkey shoot. 10 shooters at a time. The point is enter as many rounds as you can and win as much money as you can. Guys that do those matches on the regular have as much $$$ in those long barreled scoped 12 gauge shotguns as I have in my long range precision rifles.

Guess they're still shooting those matches because I can buy the lead at my scrap yard for 50 cent a pound by the feed sack full. It's mixed with a lot of fluffy paper bits from the targets but a trip through a collander fixes that.

75 pounds worth this last weekend......