Cost of Lead and Alloy

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  • Last Post 28 April 2008
CB posted this 24 February 2008

Today was my clubs annual garage sale. One of the fellows I shoot with was relaying a tale of one of the local commercial casters that supply a lot of the pistol shooters use. Precision Bullets is the name I think.. We call him the pig farmer, cuase he raises pigs on the west side of the state

Anyhow he was saying how the cost of cast bullets has gone from $35.00 per 500 to $70.00 per 500. He also said the pig farmers alloy source used to cost him around $388.00 a ton in bulk, now the same alloy costs $3800.00 a ton. Not that I believe the amount cause I know it is around 1400.00 a ton.

He said that China is stock piling copper, lead and other semi precious metals. This I do believe.

If anyone is looking for an inexpensive source of lead look no farther than your own gun club. At mine we mine out around 5 tons a year from the rifle and pistol ranges and we estimate there is around 300 tons scattered over the skeet and trap field since it has never been mined and it has been in service since the early 40's.

Most of the lead from the rifle range is lino or ww. The pistol range is a variety of different alloys.

I have around 2 tons in the garage from this activity and I take the time to separate out the gas checked bullets and that alloy has been running sround 20 bhn, which is good enough to use in competition.

Makes me think about going in the pistol bullet business at 60 bucks per 500... I could afford a new toy that way!

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CB posted this 24 February 2008

Some of the 'range lead' can be difficult to clean up. Once it starts to oxidize, the crusty stuff really makes a lot of junk on top the melt. I've had as much as probably 30% junk to skim off. Doesn't seem worth the effort after you finally get down to the melt, to good stuff, but hey_its lead!  .>.............Dan

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CB posted this 24 February 2008

I agree it can be messy and a bit difficult to clean up with a lot of scrap. However in the 4 batches I have cleaned up so far since we mined, has yeilded over 200 lbs of useable alloy, 75 lbs of copper that I hocked for 3.75 a pound and paid for all of my propane for the next year..

I still have over 2 tons to do and I have orders for 357, 40, 45 45LC bullets and that will yeild enough cash to buy a new toy to play with. Got my eye on a 45/70 rolling block...:cool:

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454PB posted this 25 February 2008

Yes, I was in Sportsman's Warehouse the other day, and a 500 count box of 250 grain Lazer Cast .45 bullets was $75:shock:

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CB posted this 25 February 2008

I was in a Spotsmans Warehouse today to get some primers and their lazercast 45's where the same price! OMG!

Yep if you get a chance to grab up some lead at a fair price, do it!

If you can harvest your impact berms, do it and hord, hord, hord!

Until we stop selling everything to China, it is going to be getting  more expensive.

I had to pay 28.00+ for a thousand primers that only a couple of years ago where 17.00 a thousand.

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6pt-sika posted this 28 February 2008

I “used” to have a pair of friends that had tire shops .

And was able to get all of ones wheel weights for free ! He has since gone out of buisness so that source dried up and my other friend has his buisness for sale also , plus he gives the weights away on a first come basis !

 

I think all of the alloy I have purchased in my lifetime has been 50 pounds of Lino and a pound of 50/50 bar solder .

 

Sounds like I'm in for a rude awakening !!!!!!!!

 

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CB posted this 27 April 2008

Prices are going up on everything. I have to scrounge around many places to get lead. But generally gun organization members seem to give the best deals. I have gotten a lot of good help from people in the CBA.

In my area, people are stealing car and tractor batteries, not sure of why, lead is the only reason I can think of, and cooking down batteries is very dangerous. Plus I think lead is minimally used in batteries these days.

 

Jerry

 

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JimmyDee posted this 27 April 2008

I overheard a couple boys talking:  “ in Bolivar will give $8 for an old car battery!  Boat batteries and tractor batteries can get $12."

I'd hate to think that prices like that have got folks stealing batteries...

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CB posted this 27 April 2008

I was out at the junk yard a while back. A shady looking character was in the office there selling scrap of somekind and had to sign a registration sheet with ID. Guess its like the pawn shop business now, suppose to be able to track who-what-where is being bought and sold to control the thief!

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CB posted this 27 April 2008

Where I live, if you show up with salvage or scrape metals, especially copper at the moment, you had better have ID.

To tell you how bad it is getting, those grave markers for Veterans, a couple stole a bunch of them from a cemetary and tried to sell them to a scrape dealer, who just happened to be a veteran.

Right now tractor and truck batteries are vanishing, if they want lead, they have to show their faces in the motion detector lights and they will get lead!

 

Jerry

 

 

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devin1955 posted this 28 April 2008

I've had 2 catalytic converters stolen off my truck while it's sitting in my driveway. It's gotten to be an epidemic in some areas especially. It's even happening in broad daylight at places of employment and such. The precious metals they contain make them worth $50 to $100 each, and they can be cut off with a sawzall in seconds. Toyota's seem to be the biggest target. -Don

http://www.topix.com/city/redwood-city-ca/TI0QUTIGUCQU05FSV

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