Doggorloader Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 I'm not sure this is a hate rant but I know I don't like it. Went on my monthly trip to Beikirchs and I couldn't believe lead shot and shotshells as well as primers have gone up at least 1o % in two weeks. Shotshells were $31.00 a case and today over $34.00. Lead shot that was $15 a bag now $19. 209 primers over $22/1000. Pistol and rifle components have gone up but no where near as much and they told me it's going higher quicker than later. They can't even quote lead over the phone anymore. My spread sheet for cost of reloading on the shotshells now reads $3.86/box and I can buy them for $3.60. What do I do trash the press and ect.? It doesn't make sense to load at a higher cost than factory at least for 12 gauge. Are the Chinese shooting that much like they are using up the gas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 When the price to make them gets greater than you can by them for, spray your press down with LPS3 and wait for the pricing to turn around. I have a similar problem with 9mm. THey are just too cheap assyembled to reload. Unless you are looking for custom loads, which is one of the neatest parts of reloading, just bide your time and save some money. FWIW dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Look at the London Metal Exchange, LME you can see over the last year how it has increased! Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Don't forget transportation charges. Oddly enough, lead, being heavy, isn't cheap to ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Mmmnn....makes me glad I started scrounging lead out of the berms years ago. Got several paint cans full of recovered bullets. I've been thinking about casting for a while anyway....Maybe one of these days I'll get the el cheapo Lee bottom pour pots and some molds, and a lubri-sizer, just to get into casting. Did I mention that a 1 gallon can of bullets is heavy? Must've scrounged 'em when I was working out on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Since the beginning of 2001, the high for lead was an increase of about 250%. Might want to hedge a little in the commodities market to protect your ability to keep putting lead down range Many predict that we have just seen the start of a longterm bull market in hard commodities. Who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Well, at least the lead isn't going into the electronic industry. We have to deal with the stupid RoHS initiative in order to sell to the european market. RoHS cuts down on a bunch of things including being lead free. This doesn't apply to automobiles because you can't build reliable electronics without lead. I wonder, is it possible to recycle lead? There's plenty in the berms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggorloader Posted February 4, 2006 Author Share Posted February 4, 2006 Well, at least the lead isn't going into the electronic industry. We have to deal with the stupid RoHS initiative in order to sell to the european market. RoHS cuts down on a bunch of things including being lead free. This doesn't apply to automobiles because you can't build reliable electronics without lead. I wonder, is it possible to recycle lead? There's plenty in the berms. Our club is in the process of redesigning both the range berms and sporting clays course to prepare for the expected lead recovery requirement from the government. Can't say as to whether money would come in or out regarding the lead mining. We did soil testing from the berms as in weighing a given volume of soil from the front and back of the berm and the amount of lead is astounding. Getting the dirt out of the bullets in mass is the hard part I would expect. It still hurts to think of prices skyrocketing on lead when most of the sports I enjoy are based around projectiles made there of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPatterson Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 A lot of lead is still used in .223 now that the Military is going to heavier bullets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 I did some searching on the London Metals Exchange website. It looks like lead was averaging somewhere between 900 and 1,000 bucks per tonne during January 2005. It dropped down closer to 800 per tonne in June '05. Now it is over 1,400 per tonne. Try this link: http://www.lme.co.uk/dataprices_pricegraphs.asp No, I'm not really into futures and investing, etc, so I don't know what all the cash buyer, cash seller, 3 month to 27 month buyers and sellers is all about. I wish I could link the jump or the sharp decline in June of 05 to some outside event that would explain why prices changed drastically so quickly. Can you guy explain the change in prices? Mnnn.... makes going out to the berms after a rainy day with some 5 buckle rubber boots on more appealing. Da booolits just sit up on top of the mud all shiney like. They call to me, "Pick me up, pick me, take me home." They do, I tell ya.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildman Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Missouri used to be the lead capital of the world. The Herculaneum and Amex smelters produced 80% of all the lead used in industrial nations. Now, most comes, I believe, from South Africa. shipping charges have to be a killer. Recycling lead is a major source of income for trap clubs. Our local range usually lets it sit for 4-6 years, waits on high prices, then calls in the re-claimers. Last time, their share was $35,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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