For those of you that cast your own bullets.
Where do you buy your lead and about what does it cost per pound?
I was looking on eBay and found a couple of people that had lead for about a dollar and change per pound.
I've been considering making my own round balls for my cap and ball pistol.
A pound of lead will make about 50 135grain round balls which works out to be about 2 cents a shot for the lead balls.
Currently a box of 100 lead balls costs about 15 dollars.
I realize this sounds like a lot of work but I'm looking at it as a hobby.
I can get the lead ball mold for 20 bucks and the melt furnace for 65 so I really wouldn't have to make a great deal of my own lead balls to pay for the equipment.
Thanks for any info and advice.

WOLF

I still pick up the lead tire weights I find in parking lots and give them to my father to melt down. It makes me feel so green.

I get wheel weights for free from a local tire shop. If you can't find a shop that will donate lead to you there is another option I can think of. If you live in the north end of 'Bama, say hartselle/decatur/huntsville area, you could try the guy who cleans up the range at Swan Creek. He mainly picks up brass and re-sells it but he also digs the fraking bullets out of the berms and melts 'em down and sells lead too. I got a card from him last time I ran into him at the range, so you can shoot me a PM if you want his contact info.

I live in a small town ajoining Gadsden so driving to Decature would tend to cancel any savings I might see.
Thanks for the suggestion about the tire places, there are several local that might be a good source of lead.

On a related note, I carried my son and daughter to the range this afternoon when I got home from work.
Neither has fired a gun in their lives even though both have had both military and LEO taught classroom type firearms safety training.
I may have created a couple of monsters as both shot my Navy Colt surprisingly well on the 50 foot range.
Both were 12 for 12 in a man sized target, not all center mass but all in the black and holding about a 10 inch group for 80% of the shots.
My daughter isn't really comfortable with guns but my son wants to go back to the range soon.
Oh well, probably all for the best that I'm looking into casting my own bullets but it's all good.

WOLF

Honestly I used to order precast lead bullets, however I now only use FMJ and I haven't looked back. My price went from $.32 per bullet down to $.20 a bullet even using fmj's.



Bullet

Tire shops and see if you can get the crimp on wheel weights, the adhesive ones make your life much more a pain when melting. Also make sure the weights are actually lead, a lot of shops have gone to "green weights" that aren't lead. Any place that does range cleanup/berm clearing can sell you a ton (quiet literally) of lead at good prices. Lastly battery recycling places are an option, though they usually charge more as they have to process the batteries first to get the lead out.

-Jenrick