The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Cast Bullets we're done...Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| we're done... | Login/Join |
| One of Us |
the obama epa regulations changes resulted in the last operating lead smelter in the US closing Friday night. Compliance would have cost over $100 million. Lead will now have to be mined, exported, and then re-imported into the US. nice... | ||
|
one of us |
From a bullet casters point of view, I'm sure there's enough lead already available. I've got 2 or three tons of various lead alloys. The price of scrap lead will rise and salvage yards that refused lead alloys will start taking it again. I'd bet there's hundreds of tons of lead along the coast here in Virginia that had been in the keels of sail boats. The major problem with them is it's very difficult to pick them up and chop them into usable chunks. Jim "Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force." --Thomas Jefferson | |||
|
| One of Us |
I looked at www.rotometals.com about an hour ago. 52-55lb pigs of pure lead are $112.xx. Nearly doubled since July. Next question. If you are just making plinking bullets it's not a problem yet. Known, repeatable blend alloys require known metals. Got a hundred bucks and a month to send a sample in and get a response each time? I got a cast bullet rifle in 308 W that shoots in the .4's at a hundred for five shots every day. | |||
|
One of Us |
My cousin literally bought a junker sailboat for a dollar, split the keel and hauled a ton of lead to the smelter. MAde more than a dollar back. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Yup, prices will rise, both for pure as well as scrap. And more hoarding on the horizon. | |||
|
| one of us |
I'm not so persnickity about my alloy. I create a batch of alloy, say 100 pounds for my rifles and count that as good. Once I've shot up the 100 pounds I make a new batch. You can get one heck of alot of 3o caliber bullets out of that batch. Heck it makes a lot of 405 and 45-70 bullets. For my pistols I drop ingots of wheel weights with 24 inches of 50/50 soldier in a 20 pound pot, or use the same wheel weights with a hand full of linotype. I'm looking to hunt with these bullets, should I take up hunting again. Or I enjoy banging away at steel gongs at various ranges. Jim "Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force." --Thomas Jefferson | |||
|
One of Us |
The noose of regulation is hard to tell from the noose of tyranny. We gun owners are the first to really feel the effects of it. It appears that Healthcare is next. What they can't do with Law, they are doing with regulation and feeding scare tactics into the market. Sickening. "The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights." ~George Washington - 1789 | |||
|
| One of Us |
It does not matter too much to those of you who count it a success if the bullet impacts inside a 4x8 sheet of plywood at 100 yds. Those of us who prefer sub-moa out to 300yds need a known and repeatable alloy. Now the good news. A friend in the industry has informed me this afternoon that the smelting industry had a good idea what obastard was up to. They have moved other plants equipment as they got shut down over the past year to Mexico. Another industry left the US, and took the jobs with them. | |||
|
| one of us |
Hopefully you don't walk around too much in the rain, you liable to drown with your nose aimed skyward. Just because you have money to squander does not mean you are any better caster, shooter. It just means you enjoy wasting your money, and time. Jim "Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force." --Thomas Jefferson | |||
|
| One of Us |
hmmmmmmmmmmmm... I tend to stay inside when it rains. Did I tell you I own a jaguar convertible? I put the top UP when it rains. It's called common sense. My basic numbers for smaller caliber rifles (458 and smaller) are 1 moa or less at 100/200yds from a rest or my Miller One-piece Benchrest setup. I got lead bullet rifles that shoot in the high .3's at 100 from that rest. Some people are happy with patterns. Me, I like those itty-bitty groups when I spend $20 on gas for a trip to the range. regards, Rich | |||
|
| one of us |
Rich; That's wonderful. I can't be to impressed with Corvettes there's no place for the rifle rack, can't get many pieces of firewood in the trunk and after age 40 fellas look pretty silly in them. My standards for cast bullets is to shoot them using jacketed bullet data of the same bullet weight, without leading and keep them under an inch using a scope. However most of the rifles have iron sights or reciever sights, yes I know the are same. I'm satisfied with hitting a yogurt lid at 100 yards off the bench. I know that by your standards I'm a low achiever I'm happy with it. Never noticed that the critters knew the difference. Do they really die any faster with .3 inch groups? I've never been capable, shooting off hand, of consistantly hitting with in .3 inch of my aiming point. Jim "Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force." --Thomas Jefferson | |||
|
| One of Us |
I buy Eagle brand lead shot that I believe is from Peru. It costs $6 less per 25 pounds than the Lawrence brand shot, on the same shelf at Fleet Farm in Minnesota. Both are stated as magnum shot. I have shot this Eagle brand for a number of years and it works fine. Possibly lead for bullets will be imported as well. NRA Patron member | |||
|
| One of Us |
arkypete, not to sound uppity, but if you and your wife make it into the low six-figures a year, you can have nicer toys. Then, after you build a new home (and pay it off) to keep Mamma happy, you can have a Toyota FJ Cruiser, and a Jag XK-8 ragtop, and a killer 120 inch HD, and whatever Mamma wants to drive. And, God willing, you can go hunt Africa every other year. Custom rifles for the disciplines that interest you, and all that jazz... I have been lucky, God has blessed my wife and I very richly. regards, Rich | |||
|
| one of us |
The sky ain't falling. Lead cost is driven almost completely because of more cars being sold. As long as there are lead acid batteries in cars, the supply of lead will be constant. The price may go up, but the supply will be there because of recycling. Lead is the most recycled common commodity in the world by far. If the prices get high enough (unlikely in the near future) then someone may choose to buy and re-open the Doe Run smelter. Using very rough figures of what Doe Run produced, the $100MM would add about $100 per tonne for 10 years production. That is probably the total profit per tonne that DR was making. Lead currrently sells for about $2050/ton on the LME. It is easy to see why the decision to shut it down was made. BTW unlike the "sky is falling, nose in the air" drama queen poster, lead is over 25% cheaper now than it was in Jan 2011, and is about 15% cheaper than it was in Jan 2013. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Not exactly sure why the original poster said we were done. Prices have gone up on everything...(priced powder, primers lately?)...and yet people are still shooting. If we were "done" then I guess shooting would just about dry up since I would guess that 99+% of shooters use bullets containing, or made of, lead. So what about all the many other industries that use lead? Are they done too? Just hope an irrational statement like this does not start another hoarding frenzy like with 22LR ammunition. | |||
|
| One of Us |
It now takes an executive order to keep foreign lead out. And, those lead WW are a thing of the past in the US. Lithium batteries are becoming more common in new cars. I used to buy WW from the regional distributor by the 1600lb tub. Summer of 2011, 35-cents a pound. This spring I got the news that corporate had decreed that they turn in at least 90% used to get new. I also found at least 35% zinc, steel, and clips, by weight, in the last batch I paid 45-cents per pound for. Add in the propane, and it is fast becoming cost prohibitive to buy and smelt them. Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Roto-Metals hasn't gotten the news that lead prices are falling. There is a bit of good news (personally) in all of this. I found a local source for foundry pure 97% lead, and 3% antimony. About 90-cents a pound last week. Now, all I'm getting screwed on is the 2% Tin I need per 98lbs at $13 a 1lb bar. I think I'm going to fire up the Turkey Cooker and turn 200lbs into ingots. Rich | |||
|
| One of Us |
The largest use of lithium batteries in cars is in the high tech electric cars. You and I will long be gone before lithium replaces the lead/acid battery in internal combustion engine cars. Recycling car batteries is a huge industries and they smelt the recovered lead. Haven't you ever seen that recovery process on TV shows like How Do They Do It? Besides I have more lead then I'll ever know what do with. | |||
|
One of Us |
If the only lead available will be imported then we will soon see the prices of jacketed bullets rising as well. . | |||
|
| One of Us |
Rich, if you can buy pure tin for $13/lb., you would be far better off buying 100# of it and re-selling it. You could then buy all the alloy from Roto-metals you could reasonably expect to use... | |||
|
| One of Us |
I can buy all the 97% lead, 3% antimony I want at a buck or so a pound. That was my cost last Friday. I get my tin, 95% alloy from a friend who owns a plumbing business. $13 a pound for the last 43 lbs, also last Friday. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Idaho Sharpshooter--"Add in the propane, and it is fast becoming cost prohibitive to buy and smelt them." You don't smelt. Smelting is the process where they remove the lead from the ore. What you are doing is remelting. | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia