Lead Recycling By Clubs

[Hsing-ee]

When I shot rimfire pistol and full-bore rifle, there was some degree of recycling of lead (and copper) fired downrange, part of a 'clean-up' that happened every few years. Indoor 10m and 6 yard airgun clubs usually recycle too.

Are any of the FT & HFT clubs using funnels or trays to catch spent pellets fired at knock-downs? I just keep thinking it can't be good to be chucking alot of lead into the environment. I know its not the dangerous soluble form of lead, but its not natural to have it lying around and its also a resource that can be reused.

Any clubs catching their metal? There must be a few quid to be made from the scrap-dealers or cast-your-own brigade.

[Rich]

We are able to capture and recycle some of the spent pellets on the zero and plinking ranges. This accounts for more ammo than is actually used on the FT and HFT courses.

Our indoor shooting target holders are designed to catch the spent pellets and about once every three months the boxes are emptied and the contents separated. There's always bits of target card mixed up with the lead. We put the lot into a plastic bucket and then winnow off the dross with a vacuum cleaner hose plugged into the outlet port. The spent lead then goes to an angling club who use it to make fishing weights.

[Bloke]

We have a "sort of" agreement with a local airgun club, we give their members cheap membership to also use our range and we get their old pellets from the catchers. A few of our members also regularly rake our range sand for spent full- bore cast ammo and lead ball from the BP shooters. This is then separated and shared out for re-smelting, the air pellets mixed with the soft lead from the BP guns for new round ball, and the cast full- bore for remoulding as full bore ammo. The members who use this say the stuff shoots fine, with no problems to the guns etc and a nice saving in ammo, certainly the recycled .357 ammo works well for me, and is a real saving.

We also recycle used brass, mainly .22, as most of our full-bore shooters reload their own ammo. We only use a fairly small bin for cases, but it usually gets us about £40 from the scrap metal guy, which we use to pay for the petrol for the range lawn mower and put the rest into the target repair kitty.

[Gramps]

If you are recycling the lead from your ranges and then moving it elsewhere then to comply with the law my understanding is that you are supposed to have a waste disposal licence and comply with the regulations covering hazardous waste.

The licence applies to any business or commercial enterprise so if you sell it or have any sort of reciprocal arrangements this could be classed as commercial.

I may be wrong (I frequently am) but check first so as to avoid any potential for prosecution and a large fine.

I shoot at a firearm club with a large sand backstop. Virtually all the firearms used fire either lead .22 rimfire or cast lead bullets in 357/44 plus lead bullets from black powder guns. We employ a professional company to delead the backstop and the last few times we have used them it cost us nothing and we got money back.

[harvey_s]

We had a lot of trouble disposing of ours as it was contaminated with target card (all black of course) - local scrappies not interested, so we tried washing it - but there was still a lot of card trapped in it.
Its not good for river fishing weights as well cos' they don't use lead anymore...we ended up giving it away to a guy on here that cast sea fishing weights before the floor caved in

[Rich]

Target card is only black on one side . . . .

[kevin42]

No probs at my local scrappy, sweep it all up and take it down to him and get 60p per kilo.

Just don't fill buckets to the top as all you oldies might have trouble lifting it and if you can it don't do much for the bucket.

Kev

[Black Beard]

if you are selling it for bullet casting then please ban "green" zinc pellets. Only a tiny % of zinc will reduce castability.