Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting lead, where to find it?

New to casting. Where to find it, how much to pay.Is it worth having it mailed to me? Thanks!

I use wheelweights for my casting of both pistol and rifle bullets. You will need pure lead for casting bullets/balls for muzzle loaders.
I get the wheelweights from the tire dealers and avoid shipping. The last time I bought some they were much cheaper than buying alloy from a foundry but if you choose to do that, Handloader Magazine usually has some advertisers.

Welcome to the casting fraternity.

WW metal is the best, most universal. Lead is really high right now, the highest in history. Still, there are tire shops that will still part with them. They really want someone to pick them up on a regular basis. Personally, I would not pay over .30 cents a lb. for used weights. Foundry alloy is still an alloy, it varies. By getting enough WW you can make your alloy very consistent by melting in large batches. There are lots of good folks here who will help when you need it, just ask!

bigbear, where are you located?

location has a big part to do with how easily it is to get WW's.

I can get all I want from my local tire shops for free.

as far as having it mailed.

Flat rate boxes at the post office are your friend! Just tape em up really really good!

What calibers/cartridges are you going to start casting for?

Bigbear
You are coming up on prime wheel weight hunting season.
All you need is a pair of channel lock pliars. The best hunting is found at dusk at any large shopping mall's parking lot.
Jim

Hey arkypete,if your luycky enough to be on the L.A. freey system here in Cal. around 3:45 to 6:35 they seem to be just falling off the wheels. Dave

I haven't cast bullets in years, but have still tried to stockpile lead and wheelweights to make my own if need be!

Once as a boy I went with my dad to a military pistol range that had been around for a couple decades. We had to dig down several inches, but eventually found all the spent, jacketed bullets we could carry.

That was a great source for pure lead.

The fellows here who get the wheel-weights regularly apparently know managers who are friendly and predisposed favorably towards guns and shooting. Sometimes tire stores I've inquired at sell their wheel-weight scrap to me, some others have been damn-adament in saying "No!" It promised to some environmetally-friendly scrap yard.

I usually get it in 5-6 gallon buckets, about 1/2 full or so. Used to be $20-$30 or so. Price should have really soared since then.

Almost forgot - my dad melted his lead with an old blow-torch (and steel pot) he got from my grandfather, that's now mine. I've used a Coleman Butane stove to melt and clean lead or wheelweights myself.

Silver solder and linotype are sources for lead too, altho not always in large or reliable quantites. After my father passed, I melted his diving weights into ingot, too.

I dont' think you'll find linotype around much anymore.

A source few find or think of is medical buildings renovation or abandoning. All the X ray ares have 4x8 sheets of lead lined sheet rock. New hospital they built here messed up, I managed 4 full sheets of the scrapped sheetrock.

The old hospital is being converted to ISD building, that xray room is ripe at some point too!

Jeff

I got my wheelweights from any tire store that would give them away. They are dirty and you need to flux it and skim the dirt out of it quite a bit.
I got my linotype from a friend who worked in a small printing shop. They bought an old linotype machine and got the linotype with it. More than they needed.
I got my pure lead and bar solder from an old high school buddy who is a plumber, he scrounged it when they made the transition to plastic pipe.
I have a lifetime supply and haven't had to buy any since I bought the linotype back in the 80's.
whelennut

Got about 980# of dead soft lead from an office remodel about 8 years ago (CEO who was worried about corporate spying, had his office and adjoining conference room lead lined). Paid $0.09 per pound for it.

Got about 200# of wheel weight lead from a friend who was moving and didn't want to take it with him. For Free.

Don't know what current prices are for any of it. I'm sure I would be shocked . . . I think I'm set for a long, long time.