Home Forums Reloading Shotshells Lead shot price future?

Right now lead shot like #8 is running at least $50/bag and most places are sold out even at these high prices.

For anybody who actually knows the metal markets, are prices likely to stay up here (like over the next 5 years) or do you forecast a price decline?

Commodities in general have been falling, and futures appear to be continuing that trend, though less than 10%

https://www.lme.com/en/metals/non-ferrous/lme-lead#Trading+day+summary

HTH, Dutch

Helpful. Thanks!

I know steel prices are high right now. Scrap lead around here is bringing $.70/lb so a 25 lb of scrap lead is worth $17.50. I am not looking for shot to drop too much in price for awhile.
I remember buying bags of shot for$8.50 back when I was starting into shooting skeet back in the 80's. When I quit shooting skeet heavily around 2005 or so it was going for around $22 per bag.

@pullit....I too can remember buying shot for $15 per bag when I started reloading shotgun back in the late 1990's, man if I knew now what I knew then....LOL

When I first started reloading in the year 1965 at 12 years of age. A 25lb bag of chilled lead shot was $4.75 and .25 tax. 12ga. AA's at the Winchester range were $2.45 box and paper were $2.35 box. Occasionally at the discount stores Federal papers were sale priced at $1.88 and reloaded nicely on my lee loader. I forget what primers and wads cost, a round of Skeet or Trap was $2.25.

I remember those days, including making $1.25 per hour wages.

On the original topic, my opinion is, sub $40 shot will never happen again.

Have to agree with dale06 on price of shot. Mb

lets just wait and see what happens this January 2023 ?? i have high hopes myself on everything including the Whitehouse.

Pete shot has been steadily going up since the last virgin lead smelter in the country shutdown. Goes to Mexico as ore and comes back refined at a much higher price.

I worked at a lead/silver mine and mill. Ore doesn't get shipped anywhere it stays on site and is pulverized into a slurry and chemically floated and then dried into an lead silver concentrate. After its concentrated it goes Mexico, Asia, or Trail BC.

I can't figure why lead is fetching such scalping prices. Most is recycled and we are good at keeping it in re use and recirculation. The prices now are depressed for it but suppliers are scalping folks. People buying lead are getting ripped off. I think the high demand of ammo has allowed the supply scalpers to get these insane prices.

It's odd that the interstate near me has a road cut and there's an 30 ft wide vein of lead silver ore exposed. It's incredible it's just sitting there.

EPA has shut down just about everything in the US so anything with lead is going to cost more for sure.

[quote=pullit]EPA has shut down just about everything in the US so anything with lead is going to cost more for sure.[/quot

> that`s why a change in the Whitehouse will change everything slowly back somewhat and if you read this and voted for Biden you are part of this problem too ! lead will go down in price $40.00 + a bag maybe less ? many of us prepared for this B.S. by stock piling for what we needed for a few years .

I want a shot maker that I can use to make shot from the zinc wheel weights I have collected.

Trail is just over the border and it is the worlds largest lead/zinc smelter.

No you can't. Zinc will clog up the dripper tubes in short order(been there done that). You have to use clean lean lead free of any zinc. I run an Oasis shotmaker. I pour 6's-7 1/2's-8's and 9's. I get free WW's from from my car repair dealer. You can use WW's with zinc to cast bullets and be ok. I've been making my own shot for 6 years. It works as good as the factory stuff. I use it for skeet/doves/quail and rabbits. Cost nothing but a little electricity and my time.

If anyone is interested a LGS has several hundred pounds of shot, #5;#6;#71/2; #8 & #9 that he is selling below present market.
Contact:
Seay Pawn & Gun
903 609 5450
He also has several thousand 209 primers at good price.

I've never known shot prices to go down once they go up. You ever notice how the price of a barrel of oil supposedly controls the price of a gallon of gas but once a quart of oil goes up the price does not drop when gas prices go down ?

I started in the winter of 63. Components were cheap and Mom & Dad usually loaded me up at Christmas time or for my Birthday.

These days I worry more about my health and how much longer can I get out to pull the trigger than prices.

I remember buying loaded shells for $2 or a hair less a box as well. Those were the day, but to be honest, with what I was making at the time vs now, they are cheaper now....