Sources of lead?

[Davem]

I haven't cast any bullets for a long time. I always used wheel weights I'd get around town for free. In any event I tried the other day and some melted and some didn't- created a mess and then I was told all sorts of other metals are now being used for wheel weights.  Well- where do you get lead?

[Drydock]

Most of my casting I buy bags of shot.  Rotometals and Buffalo arms for precision mixs.

[bear tooth billy]

Have you tried junk yards. xray rooms are lined with pure lead.
A local stock car racer made weights and gave me one that weighed 130
lbs. keep looking


                        BTB

[Froogal]

I buy mine from Roto-metals. 50 pounds in a flat rate box=free shipping.

[LongWalker]

Twenty-five years ago, I was able to keep up with my custom bullet-casting business by scrounging lead.  These days, my sources have mostly evaporated.  Wheelweights and junkyard scrap can be a source, but if you shoot much the cost and time add up.  My most recent lead-scrounging run (August 2021) cost me a tank of gas for the truck ($60), a tank of propane ($20), and an average of $1.75/lb for scrap lead--PLUS 3 days spent driving around, melting/cleaning lead, etc BEFORE I COULD START CASTING BULLETS. 

Don't know about anyone else, but my hobbies are casting bullets and shooting, not scrounging and smelting lead alloys.  This year I'll still be scrounging, but I'll be buying lead from Rotometals https://www.rotometals.com/  I'll try to put together a group buy with some others to get the price down some, but even if I can't it is more cost-effective to do it this way. 


 

[Froogal]

Twenty-five years ago, I was able to keep up with my custom bullet-casting business by scrounging lead.  These days, my sources have mostly evaporated.  Wheelweights and junkyard scrap can be a source, but if you shoot much the cost and time add up.  My most recent lead-scrounging run (August 2021) cost me a tank of gas for the truck ($60), a tank of propane ($20), and an average of $1.75/lb for scrap lead--PLUS 3 days spent driving around, melting/cleaning lead, etc BEFORE I COULD START CASTING BULLETS. 

Don't know about anyone else, but my hobbies are casting bullets and shooting, not scrounging and smelting lead alloys.  This year I'll still be scrounging, but I'll be buying lead from Rotometals https://www.rotometals.com/  I'll try to put together a group buy with some others to get the price down some, but even if I can't it is more cost-effective to do it this way. 

The only scrounging I do anymore is picking up the spent lead from my backyard range, and when I have a coffee can full I will turn it into ingots. Takes 2 to 3 years to fill up that coffee can.

[Coffinmaker]

I don't remember the name of the place, but there is a Boat Yard in Oregon that scraps Sailboats.  Melts the lead keels down to ingots.  Good sized ingots.  Might be worth some research.

Play Safe Out There

[Ranch 13]

I get alloy from Buffalo Arms and John Walters (walters wads). They're both cheaper than rotometals.
Chilled shot works ok if you can get it at a decent price, but with the antimony in it it will age harden, which doesn't present a problem with handgun and most smokeless rifle bullets, but it can be a real pain in long range blackpowder rifle.

[Jeremiah Jones]

I recently bought a 5-pound ingot for $5.  It was at a family old school (buildings were probably built in the 1950s) hardware store. It was shoved in the back in the plumbing area, left over from the cast iron pipe days.
I was buying some PEX, saw it an asked about buying it. Score!!

[Davem]

Thanks all. I'll try buffalo arms