So what do you think 5k lbs of WW is worth?

Probably about $2000. offer lower though

Assuming they are all lead, about $2000 sounds fair for that kind of volume.

Only problem is more and more WWs are getting to be zinc and steel. My local tire shop averages about 60% lead with the remainder being zinc/steel, and the amount of lead seems to be going down about 5% per year.

That's roughly 221,500 158-gr boolits, about .95 cents each. Yeah, less than a penny apiece. You'd have to subtract the weight of whatever zinc and steel is in the mix, but still a whopping good deal if you've got $2K and need a couple hundred thousand .38SPL slugs.

That's a lot of smelting to get the junk out of it. There's going to be the steel clips, zinc and steel weights, rubber valve stems, grease, oil, etc. For the extra work you're going to have to put in, I'd offer about .25 cents a pound, or maybe a little more, since they're delivering them. Once you get it smelted, it will cast good bullets without adding anything else in, so in the long run it's well worth the money and effort.

I checked what the only scrap yard in my area that will buy lead was paying last week, and it was .55 cents a pound for "clean lead". Wheel weights aren't considered clean lead. In the trade, it's called "dirty lead", since it has steel mixed with it, and more and more zinc and steel weights, so it's about half that. The other scrap yard won't even let you on their property with lead, so I only had one point of reference in pricing.

I've been trading for reclaimed shot, which is really clean, and getting it for the equivalent of .55 cents a pound, since it's a known quantity as far as lead/antimony content. By the time I get it, it can be used for reloading shotgun shells or for casting bullets, which is why I'm giving them top money for it.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Hmmm, wow. If I was offered 5k pounds of WW's to buy and only had to pay $2000.00 I would be doing dishes and cleaning the house for the next 2 years. Have you been offered to see these? How are they going to be delivered, in 55 gal. drums, 5 gal buckets, in a dump truck? I think a 55 gal bbl fulll weights right at 1800 lbs.. Good luck grubbylabs, hope you get'em.

My local junkyard is selling WW for 30 cents a LB when they have them, that would make those worth $1,500.00 plus a bit for delivering to me.

See what your local junkyard is paying to buy them and selling them for then offer about 1/2 way between the 2 and see what they say.


Michael Grace

WW's are around eighty cents a pound here.. pretty much. Figure in the waste and the two to five days of smelting (depends on your smelter/rig) etc and the dollar a pound for smelted WW ingots guys are asking kinda makes sense.

Heck I would love to have 50 lbs. I haven't been able to find any here.

Looking for ammo? I can get anything you need!

Around here anymore you have to go to a scrapyard and hope they'll sell to you. The main/best place has a 500lb minimum for them to bother.

Unsmelted ww are going around fifty cents per pound. Not worth more unless you really need them. You can get ingots for a buck a pound.

I am just trying to figure out who they paid to seperate them. Figuring about 125 lbs in a 5 gallon bucket, thats about 40 buckets.
And then I average about a 103 lbs with a true bucket of real 100% lead wheel wieghts.
Before the zinc and garbage was stanard anyway.
Last time I was given 4 full buckets, after sorting just trash I ended up with 3 good ones and only 360lbs (+- 5lbs) of finished product.
Since you are buying in bulk I would offer less and haggle if need be.
I may have missed it , but is there a delivery fee?

So what do you think 5k lbs of WW is worth?

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25¢ a pound. That's what our local scrap metal recycler is paying as of today. Five thousand pounds would be worth $1,250.

What does your seller want for it?

Otto said:

25¢ a pound. That's what our local scrap metal recycler is paying as of today. Five thousand pounds would be worth $1,250..

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How much does he sell it for?

I'm thinkin' anyone with two and a half tons of lead is looking to sell. Odds are they already know what the scrap yard will pay and are looking to get at least that much outta it. Even if it was my relation or good friend, I would at least give them what the scrap yard would. I would not ask them to take a loss from me. Now if they are in the business of makin' money and accept less than market value, I would keep what I need for myself and sell the rest at a profit. If the asking price is higher than scrap in the area, I would pass.

It's a heck of a lot of work and fuss, especially for that price. I'd still be half tempted to buy them anyway. it'd be better if they were less but you just saw/said what the market is.

Current price for lead is just over $1/lb

Well if your willing to send a check I am willing to use as many of the free flat rate USPS boxes as they will deliver.

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I don't think you would get them to ship a FRB full of ingots.

jmorris said:

I don't think you would get them to ship a FRB full of ingots.

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I get FRBs full of bullets, what would the difference be as long as it's still under 70lbs?

Last I checked seventy pounds was seventy pounds unless it's feathers and then I go teehee!