free lead score

[andrewtheelder38]

thanks to several friends who own or manage automobile repair facilities, I managed to score not one but two 5-gallon pails of free wheel weights today....both are about 80-percent full so i am guessing that i have (conservatively) about 150-160 pounds of free lead bullet casting raw material!!!!!!!!

If my math is right, I have enough lead to make around 5500 45 caliber bullets of 230 grains each!!!!!!!

score!!!

[offhand35]

Excellent find ! I had a full 5 gal bucket of WW that has lasted me bout 5 years. I have about 45 lbs of smelted ingots left, and started to look around for WW's at the places I had scrounged from in years past......and that is the key......years past.
NOW, they are all selling to recyclers by contract, and will not/cannot give or sell any to me.....

I do have a good source of 22 LR [only]  range lead, which cleans up to yield about 50% pure lead from the original weight.   I can make 1:10 TIN/LEAD alloy using this and 50/50 solder which is supposed to come out around 11 BHN. [My #2 alloy BHN's around 15]. That should work well for GC, paper patched, and non magnum handgun bullets.....

I have not made any up yet, but I am hoping this will be a decent alternative to using WW that I can't seem to get any more.