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Thread: All the free WW's I could get!

  1. #1
    Boolit Master .45Cole's Avatar
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    All the free WW's I could get!

    I had my truck tires balanced and I asked if I could keep my WW's (as they are old WW they will be lead). The guy asked if I wanted any more like a handful, I told him as much as I could have, and he told me to come by whenever I need it and I can clean him out. Best of all, the assistant manager comp'ed the balancing! I probably owe then some beer.
    Are most of the WW's still lead, or about 75/25 (lead/zinc)?

  2. #2
    Banned

    tomme boy's Avatar
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    A lot depends on the area and the shop. One shop I get them from, it is about 75% zinc. Another shop it is about 75% lead. I think it depends mainly on the customer base.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master
    bangerjim's Avatar
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    I was just at a salvage yard locally and they have probably 2 tons of COWW's in big boxes and 5 gal buckets. I have no interest in them because smelting them is too messy and time consuming. I did that years ago!

    In just "sampling" them, I found that probably >60% are now Zn or Fe.

    Most of us can forget about free anything today. And with the last lead smelter in America being closed down due to EPA, lead will be getting even harder to find and more costly!!!!!!

    banger

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy shaper's Avatar
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    I go to a recycle yard for all of my lead. They now have a spanish guy that seperates the lead and zink when he has nothing else to do. My last 5 gallon bucket was 126 pounds that I didn't have to seperate.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    The last bucket I got was mostly Fe, rubber and very few zinc. The rest was lead and still a good amount of those were stick on.
    I guess we need to mold plastic boolits soon as the lead foundry looks to be picked on by the man and his tree hugger liberals.

    Mike

  6. #6
    Boolit Master Garyshome's Avatar
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    I need more, don't have enough yet!

  7. #7
    In Remembrance


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    The last free 3/4 full 5 gal. pail I got last week from a car dealership was still about 75% lead clip on to 25% Ze and other trash.Robert

  8. #8
    Boolit Mold T-Dogg's Avatar
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    Is there an easy way to tell if they are lead or zinc? Scratch test, or are COWWs too hard for that?

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy dave roelle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by T-Dogg View Post
    Is there an easy way to tell if they are lead or zinc? Scratch test, or are COWWs too hard for that?
    best way is the side cutter test----------you'll always be able to cut or dent lead----not so zinc or iron

    Dave

  10. #10
    Boolit Master novalty's Avatar
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    My father-in-law has a local salvage yard where he has been picking up his and my wheel weights. They have a person that will sort out the lead. A couple of weeks ago he ordered another 100lbs for himself and 100lbs for me, and he said they told him the price was $0.63/lb. Has some extra money, so I told him to order another 100lbs for me. So they added it to the order. Went to pick them up this past weekend, and they told him it had gone up to $0.70/lb. We figured it was still a fair price--since they had a batch of lead that was already melted into bars in the batch. Anyway, we went home to sort out my 200lbs and his 100lbs. They recycling yards does exchange any zinc or steel weights that get missed in the sorting for lead ones. So we sat down and started separating out our orders, we ended up with 80lbs of zinc and steel weights. Needless to say we weren't very impressed with their sorting ability this time. The last 200lbs I got had only 4 to 5 pounds of zinc/steel that were missed.
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  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy
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    i found out my buddy from high school has a tire shop! went by there today and got a bucketfull for free and its 95% lead. he said the little independent tire shops will have a lot more lead weights than zinc or steel compared to chain stores.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
    TheGrimReaper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jakec View Post
    i found out my buddy from high school has a tire shop! went by there today and got a bucketfull for free and its 95% lead. he said the little independent tire shops will have a lot more lead weights than zinc or steel compared to chain stores.
    Hey!!! Now that is AWSOME!!!

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    Yes sir i thought so too!! Im casting some 158 gn swc with thoses ww as i type this!

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
    GOPHER SLAYER's Avatar
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    With a little practice you can tell by looking that a ww is lead or zinc. I can tell the difference while sitting in the car without getting out. Zinc has a silver sheen to it, lead is dull in appearance. I have not seen a lead ww in Komifornia in years.
    A GUN THAT'S COCKED AND UNLOADED AIN'T GOOD FOR NUTHIN'........... ROOSTER COGBURN

  15. #15
    Boolit Master Slow Elk 45/70's Avatar
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    WW are soon to pass from our sources.....IMHO
    Slow Elk 45/70

    Praise the Lord & Pass the Ammo

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Last bucket I bought weighed 140 lbs.I had to go through and sort it. I found about 30lbs was steel,and zinc. I took that back and got it replace with lead.I paid $40 for a 140lb bucket.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check