Possible lead/gold mine?

[halfded]

I was out shooting yesterday, and when I was grabbing my target to head back home, I saw a few lead slugs laying on the surface of the berm.

Being a new to the hobby reloader, I got to thinking about how much lead must be in that berm. I've been shooting in the same place pretty much since I've been shooting guns regularly. I've shot probably thousands of rounds of jacketed and non jacketed bullets over the course of about 5 years now.

Aside from the safety benefits of cleaning out what must be a fair size chunk of lead/copper to prevent ricochets, I was thinking that the lead might be useful on the trade market to get something a little more useful to me; primers, bullets, etc. I'm not into casting and lead poisoning is too much of a concern for me to start, so I'd just throw it away otherwise.

Is there a market for chunks of unearthed lead, or am I just taking the average reloader's resourcefulness too much for granted?

BTW, this is not at a shooting range anywhere, it's a dirt berm in the woods behind my house. I'm reasonably sure I'm the only person that uses it.

 

[MissouriBullet]

Range Lead Value

I'm thinking the current value is about $.50/lb. for ingoted, clean range lead.

Brad

 

[bullseye308]

It has value but you would have to pull it out and melt it into ingots to sell it. The copper jackets will float and can be taken to the scrap yard & sold. You could probably find someone locally to help out for a percentage of the lead. If you were close I would do it.

 

[Walkalong]

Folks have been scrounging shot bullets from berms to melt and recast for years. After a good rain is a good time to look.

It would be a lot of work to salvage just to sell it. I bet you won't make minimum wage.

 

[edSky]

At one of the state ranges here I talked to the Range Master and he said there are machines that will scrape the top few inches of ground of and recover a good majority of the lead. He toured a plant in Oklahoma that reclaims lead and said it was a pretty solid system. He said that they also recovered a lot of shotgun pellets and they are pretty much just tumbled and packed in bags. He also said that pistol bullets at 100 yards don't go too far in the dirt, making it easy.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I would think ranges would have to "clean" their berms somewhat regularly, prevent ricochets, prevent ground contamination, and also ensure proper thickness & height of the berms.

Another good source for free lead are tire weights.

 

[rondog]

Wheel weights are the best, but they're hard to get ahold of. I don't think even I am anal enought to pick bullets out of the berms, and I'm pretty anal.

 

[Roccobro]

Some states (like CA) have regulations on lead in the berms. "Clean up" with all the "hazards" involved can run into the millions of dollars after oversight from EPA. Another reason ranges are closing rapidly on the Left Coast.

Justin

 

[putteral]

Well I am anal enough I guess. Each week before I shoot I walk the berms for free range lead. Always get there just before they open. Wind up with a couple of pounds each week. Most of the pistol shooters at our range use lead (like me)