The End of The Lead Bullet

[Garufa]

The plan now is to ship the ore to China ( Eek! ) for smelting and then for it to be shipped back into the US for use. I am wondering if that will drive up bullet costs substantially or because of cheap Chinese labor, keep costs about the same. Who knows as of yet.

 

The sad thing is it probably will be cheaper for manufacturers.  Consumers won't see a cent of that savings.

[bersaguy]

Ok , I know it in dangerous when I try and think about things but here goes. They are trying to totally eradicate lead to be used in this country and are closing down the last of the smelting plants. I am wondering where all the hospitals are going to get the tons upon tons of almost pure lead they need monthly to operate their MRI machines. In most cases the tons of lead must be replace at least every 90 days because it becomes ineffective for what it is designed to do. Does this mean they won't be able to use MRI machines in hospitals any longer???............Just wondering......... :shrug: :shrug:

[Oh Shoot]

Ok , I know it in dangerous when I try and think about things but here goes. They are trying to totally eradicate lead to be used in this country and are closing down the last of the smelting plants. I am wondering where all the hospitals are going to get the tons upon tons of almost pure lead they need monthly to operate their MRI machines. In most cases the tons of lead must be replace at least every 90 days because it becomes ineffective for what it is designed to do. Does this mean they won't be able to use MRI machines in hospitals any longer???............Just wondering......... :shrug: :shrug:

 

MRI doesn't use lead shielding in the machine or for techs. CT scanners require lead shielding for techs just as in normal xray rooms, but I don't see anywhere that the lead "wears out"?

 

- OS

[Garufa]

MRI doesn't use lead shielding in the machine or for techs. CT scanners require lead shielding for techs just as in normal xray rooms, but I don't see anywhere that the lead "wears out"?

 

- OS

 

Lead pipes do and I imagine there are still more than a few old houses in this country plumb with'em.  It might explain a thing or two.  ;)  

[seez52]

Ok , I know it in dangerous when I try and think about things but here goes. They are trying to totally eradicate lead to be used in this country and are closing down the last of the smelting plants. I am wondering where all the hospitals are going to get the tons upon tons of almost pure lead they need monthly to operate their MRI machines. In most cases the tons of lead must be replace at least every 90 days because it becomes ineffective for what it is designed to do. Does this mean they won't be able to use MRI machines in hospitals any longer???............Just wondering......... :shrug: :shrug:

 

I suspect obamamie care has already cut most of these out by 2017--- no worries.

[seez52]

I"m on some of the government liquidation emails and occasionally they list a variety of surplus lead items. Sometimes is sheet stock, bricks and sometimes steel encased lead. Most of it is located on the east coast ship yards. I've always wanted to get some of it, but the lots are usually huge.

[bersaguy]

MRI doesn't use lead shielding in the machine or for techs. CT scanners require lead shielding for techs just as in normal xray rooms, but I don't see anywhere that the lead "wears out"?

 

- OS

Well, then I'm confused but like I said, it's dangerous when I think but I know a guy that use to have a few large blocks of pure lead and he said he got them from a Radiology firm that replaces them in hospitals about every 90 - 180 days and when they put then in the bed of his truck they loaded three blocks on a pallet with  a tow-motor and when he got home he had to use a saw to cut it up in chunks he could pick up. He is the second person I have heard the almost same thing from. The other guy got his from a company that services Radiology units in hospitals also. That is all I know but I have been told the same thing from two different people that do not know each other................ :hiding: :hiding: :hiding:

[Oh Shoot]

Well, then I'm confused but like I said, it's dangerous when I think but I know a guy that use to have a few large blocks of pure lead and he said he got them from a Radiology firm that replaces them in hospitals about every 90 - 180 days and when they put then in the bed of his truck they loaded three blocks on a pallet with  a tow-motor and when he got home he had to use a saw to cut it up in chunks he could pick up. He is the second person I have heard the almost same thing from. The other guy got his from a company that services Radiology units in hospitals also. That is all I know but I have been told the same thing from two different people that do not know each other................ :hiding: :hiding: :hiding:

 

Maybe he was salvaging from a nuclear power plant!

 

- OS

[bersaguy]

Maybe he was salvaging from a nuclear power plant!

 

- OS

Anything is possible for sure but the stuff don't glow in the dark so who knows.  I just know that what they use it for. One of them makes Jig fishing baits and the other one make bullets for his reloads.  The lead is so pure they both have to add wheel weights to it and create Babbitt lead in order to use it................. :dunno: :dunno:

[tnguy]

If I had run across any source of cheap lead at any time, I might make it a priority. As it is, reloading is something that seems like it might be interesting but would likely be yet another thing I just don't have time for.

[chances R]

Not sure what bersaguy is referring to.  I've worked around xray dept. my whole life.  Walls, doors, and control booths are lead-lined, but NEVER have we 'rotated' the lead.  In the old days we reclaimed a lot of silver, but the lead stayed.

[Hershmeister]

The issue isnt the lead smelters, rather the fact that once the US military goes "green", you'll have the risk of the EPA declaring lead bullets a health hazard and then ban their sale. This will cause the price of ammo to skyrocket. Now the military is price insensitive - they'll buy at whatever price.

[Sidewinder]

Looks like we're darned if we do, and darned if we don't! We're screwed folks! Maybe we had better study up on spear making!

[Dave Nowlin]

Well I read an interesting article from Bill Wilson of 1911 fame the other day.  For compact 1911s he recommends 160 grain copper bullets.  These projectiles come from Barnes Bullets and when loaded properly will yield about 1,050 fps from a 4 inch 1911.  This load has lower recoil than a standard pressure 230 grain load, even though the 160 grain load is +P.  It works better with the 4 inch and shorter barreled 1911s.  That will do for self defense and I already have quite a few 200 grain SWCs.  So I suppose I am O.K.

[Guest TankerHC]

Article last week. Look it up. The owner of the smelter stated this will drive the cost of ammo up. He stated that yes about 180 million pounds of lead is recycled and used for ammo. What people do not seem to realize is that 180 million pounds is out of the market because no non recycled lead is now manufacturer in the US. The whole intent of the change in the agreement that he had already come to with the epa was not to save the environment but to move lead production outside the United States. It's moving to a dirty plant under no regulation. The agreement he had come to was changed and the cost would be an additional 100 million. 180 million pounds of recycled lead goes to ammunition, all new lead manufacturing is gone. US companies will make up for the loss through recycled lead. That will reduce availability to the ammo manufacturers driving the cost up. Lead coming in from overseas is and will be regulated through the EPA, and they will designate who it goes to further driving up the price of ammo. In the interview he asked "Why do you think the government has really been buying up billions of rounds? ". I'm on my phone or would find and post the interview. He explains how the lead market works. You can't pull all of the new lead out of the market, move production overseas, have to re import it heavily regulated and expect prices to remain stable. It doesn't work like that. The company's that have been buying new lead will move to recycled lead when possible. Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2

[seez52]

Article last week. Look it up. The owner of the smelter stated this will drive the cost of ammo up. He stated that yes about 180 million pounds of lead is recycled and used for ammo. What people do not seem to realize is that 180 million pounds is out of the market because no non recycled lead is now manufacturer in the US. The whole intent of the change in the agreement that he had already come to with the epa was not to save the environment but to move lead production outside the United States. It's moving to a dirty plant under no regulation. The agreement he had come to was changed and the cost would be an additional 100 million. 180 million pounds of recycled lead goes to ammunition, all new lead manufacturing is gone. US companies will make up for the loss through recycled lead. That will reduce availability to the ammo manufacturers driving the cost up. Lead coming in from overseas is and will be regulated through the EPA, and they will designate who it goes to further driving up the price of ammo. In the interview he asked "Why do you think the government has really been buying up billions of rounds? ". I'm on my phone or would find and post the interview. He explains how the lead market works. You can't pull all of the new lead out of the market, move production overseas, have to re import it heavily regulated and expect prices to remain stable. It doesn't work like that. The company's that have been buying new lead will move to recycled lead when possible. Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2

Exactly.

 

And I'm trying to figure out what the Chinese will be contaminating their exported lead with. Everything else we get from them they contaminate with lead, but you just can't contaminate lead with lead it ain't right.

[Ted S.]

I liked the few lead rounds I've user better than the fmjs I usually get... Edited December 22, 2013 by Ted S.

[Oh Shoot]

I liked the few lead rounds I've user better than the fmjs I usually get...

 

???

[Ted S.]

? Sent from somewhere in the cosmos using magic...and bacon. Edited December 22, 2013 by Ted S.

[Oh Shoot]

? Send from somewhere in the cosmos using magic...and bacon.

 

Post suggests you think FMJ means no lead in the bullet?

 

- OS

[Ted S.]

Nah, meant bare lead. No copper jacket. Sent from somewhere in the cosmos using magic...and bacon. Edited December 22, 2013 by Ted S.

[Lumber_Jack]

So let me ask this. If primary lead consumers could use recycled lead why were they not doing so prior to now?

[TripleDigitRide]

I already use the solid copper DPX ammo for defensive purposes, but being forced to use solid copper for range time could get expensive.