I am interested to know where you may be getting your lead.

Some sources I try to utilize:
Roofers: the older houses have pure lead stove and vent pipes.
Plumbers Supply: good lead but expensive
Other shooters: I buy most of my lead from friends, but I know they would prefer I get it elsewhere.

Wheel weights are no good for Round ball and I don't like shooting them for BPCR. There is no real way to tell how much other material is in the mix. Bullet consistency is hard to maintain with wheel weights.

Hospital renovations can be gold mines for bullet casters. There are many lead paneled rooms associated with X-ray  Rooms.

Cable Sheathing usually yeilds good lead.
I welcome any Ideas you may have as I go through alot of lead.

My club is actually in Mass. which is a shotgun only state for deer hunting, so a month or so after the season i go and pick up all of the 12 guage slugs off of the berm.  They usually percolate up and are easy to see. Spring is also a productive time.
I dry them out completely and mold into ingots.  I don't know the exact alloy but it is very soft.  Soft enough to scratch with a thumbnail.  I would imagine its purta' near pure.
I do know that it molds and shoots wonderfully well.

Thanks Rogerball,

I hadn't thought of that.
Unfortunatley we here in Texas have minimul slug usage at the ranges.

Sharpknife

Check with a welding supply company. I went to one here on a recommendation, and sure enough they had pure lead. As scrap. For free. I told them I'd take what they had, hoping for a few pounds. They had over 1200 pounds. They were glad to give it to me, since they didn't have to haul it themselves then. I happened in there a few years later for something else and they asked if I wanted another 800, so I took that off their hands as well.

Now, I don't weld, and if you'd seen me try you'd know why I don't, so I don't have a clue why a welding supply store would have scrap lead, but it might be worth a look around your location.


Cpt. Redleg

There was a thread around here a while back where a guy was making his own bullets out of .22lr casings and lead wire...  He mentioned where he got the spool of wire but i can't remember.  Does anybody still have that link?  

Quoted: Check with a welding supply company. I went to one here on a recommendation, and sure enough they had pure lead. As scrap. For free. I told them I'd take what they had, hoping for a few pounds. They had over 1200 pounds. They were glad to give it to me, since they didn't have to haul it themselves then. I happened in there a few years later for something else and they asked if I wanted another 800, so I took that off their hands as well. Now, I don't weld, and if you'd seen me try you'd know why I don't, so I don't have a clue why a welding supply store would have scrap lead, but it might be worth a look around your location. Cpt. Redleg

Cpt. Redleg

I will check with our local welding supply.

Funny I spent 5 years as a boilermaker / code welder and never thought to ask the welding supply folks.

Thanks for the tip.

Sharpknife

If you have a chrome plating shop in the area they usually have scrap lead laying around. and it should be pure.