Lone Eagle 839 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2013/10/end-of-an-era-last-us-lead-smelter-to-close-in-december.aspxIn December, the final primary lead smelter in the United States will close. The lead smelter, located in Herculaneum, Missouri, and owned and operated by the Doe Run Company, has existed in the same location since 1892.The Herculaneum smelter is currently the only smelter in the United States which can produce lead bullion from raw lead ore that is mined nearby in Missouri's extensive lead deposits, giving the smelter its "primary" designation. The lead bullion produced in Herculaneum is then sold to lead product producers, including ammunition manufactures for use in conventional ammunition components such as projectiles, projectile cores, and primers. Several "secondary" smelters, where lead is recycled from products such as lead acid batteries or spent ammunition components, still operate in the United States.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How long before this catches up with ammo prices? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChileRelleno 7,071 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Not long at all... You can bank on that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deadeye 325 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 stock up on lead if you can I bet the price goes way up Quote Link to post Share on other sites
XD45 7,124 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
garnaz 215 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Does anyone use tire wheel weights for reloading? If this can be done will start saving them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
patriot 7,197 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Be advised: Some are zinc, not lead alloy. The lead ones make great bullets for low to moderate velocities. One little bit of zinc in the pot RUINS the alloy. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerry52 893 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Most of the lead is produced by China with the US being 3rd . there will not be a problem . http://www.ila-lead.org/lead-facts/lead-production 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
XD45 7,124 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Yeah cause being 100% reliant on imported materials from countries that hate our guts is fine. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wolverine 10,360 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Most of the lead is produced by China with the US being 3rd . there will not be a problem . http://www.ila-lead.org/lead-facts/lead-production There will be if we keep devaluing the dollar by printing more baseless cash. We are painting ourselves into a corner by abandoning manufacturing and producing worthless cash. Eventually our economy will crash and burn. Then we'll need those lead bullets. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lone Eagle 839 Posted October 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Most of the lead is produced by China with the US being 3rd . there will not be a problem . http://www.ila-lead.org/lead-facts/lead-production There will be if we keep devaluing the dollar by printing more baseless cash. We are painting painted ourselves into a corner by abandoning manufacturing and producing worthless cash. Eventually our economy will crash and burn. Then we'll need those lead bullets. Fixed it for ya. Clock's ticking, but few are listening. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
XD45 7,124 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Day by day, hour by hour, second by second... The country I was born in is slipping away. "If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth. And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except a sovereign people, is still the newest and most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man. This is the issue of this election. Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves." Ronald Reagan 1964 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhodes1968 1,638 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 We have already lost the ability to produce tanks in any quantity so now we cant even make ammo. Something more here than appears. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maxwelhse 1,285 Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 So... Here is the question... What do we do to help stop it from happening? If we could all band together and shut Mao down, maybe we can all band together and keep this place operating? I don't have any ideas myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shandlanos 1,470 Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 This really doesn't mean as much as it seems to. If it was suddenly needed for military purposes, a couple dozen smelters would be back up and running in moments.We still recycle a huge amount of lead in this country. It's still fairly cheap to import lead from other countries with less stringent environmental and human health regimens. We'll still have plenty of lead available.I wonder if this also means we'll be closing lead mines - or if we'll be shipping massive amounts of lead ore across oceans to be smelted abroad and returned... If that's the case, it's just so inefficient I can believe our government would go for it. Sort of like the ships headed to Brazil loaded with American corn ethanol passing the ships headed to the US loaded with Brazilian cane sugar ethanol (true story. We ship each other giant quantities of fuel ethanol, and shippers and traders make loads of money on a pointless exercise). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Nemo 882 Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 Start raiding dive shops for weight belt weights. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maxwelhse 1,285 Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 This really doesn't mean as much as it seems to. If it was suddenly needed for military purposes, a couple dozen smelters would be back up and running in moments. That is actually my concern. Collectively as gun owners (all of us, the fudds, the plinkers, the sportsman, the paranoid) don't have TRILLIONS of dollars of BORROWED money to literally restart a dead industry. Uncle Sam's Visa can buy all he wants, that doesn't mean we'll be able to. It seems far easier to do something now... ...I just don't know what that thing is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sim_Player 1,939 Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 90% of lead in the USA is recycled now. 10% imported doesn't sound to bad. It might be uneconomical to produce it domestically now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunfun 3,931 Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 So... Here is the question... What do we do to help stop it from happening? If we could all band together and shut Mao down, maybe we can all band together and keep this place operating? I don't have any ideas myself. Market pressure. When imported lead becomes prohibitively expensive, domestic mines reopen. Just like other minerals. It's a sad day though. I buy scrap lead whenever I can afford it. I may start digging up the berm in my public shooting area and sifting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
storm6490 2,768 Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 Be advised: Some are zinc, not lead alloy. The lead ones make great bullets for low to moderate velocities. One little bit of zinc in the pot RUINS the alloy. Skim the zinc off before it reaches 675 or add some sulfur and skim off the cake. Poisoned lead cleaned easy! : Thanks to our enormous automotive and industrial industry, we have plenty of lead to last us 'till the end of time. Very little lead is imported into American anymore. Almost all of it is recycled as it is a very simple element to clean up and reconfigure. My guess is that the demand closed this plant down along with epa guidelines. Here is a cool video from a few years ago that shows the process of recycling. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerry52 893 Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 Be advised: Some are zinc, not lead alloy. The lead ones make great bullets for low to moderate velocities. One little bit of zinc in the pot RUINS the alloy. Skim the zinc off before it reaches 675 or add some sulfur and skim off the cake. Poisoned lead cleaned easy! : Thanks to our enormous automotive and industrial industry, we have plenty of lead to last us 'till the end of time. Very little lead is imported into American anymore. Almost all of it is recycled as it is a very simple element to clean up and reconfigure. My guess is that the demand closed this plant down along with epa guidelines. Here is a cool video from a few years ago that shows the process of recycling. The man speaks wisdom! don't sweat it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spartacus 1,619 Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 Another article on this: http://preppercentral.com/?p=4682 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sim_Player 1,939 Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 (edited) Another article on this: http://preppercentral.com/?p=4682 That article is a stretch. The title alone says alot. They are not an ammunition supplier, only a source of lead. Lead will not become scarce in this country for 100+ years. How many bullets can be made from 1 car battery? They can try to put pressure on the ammo industry but, end the end, they will fail. Rev olutionaries don't need corner-store bullets. I'm not worried. Edited November 6, 2013 by Sim_Player 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spartacus 1,619 Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 The title meant they are an ammunition industry supplier in the same sense that Goodyear is an auto industry supplier. The lead is a critical component of the ammunition. I'd not be worried about this one thing either if it weren't for everything else that's happening taken in context. The smelter isn't shutting down because it's not profitable, it' shutting down because .gov forced it to. That is plenty cause for concern. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MT Predator 2,294 Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 I have really only read of this other than here on what I classify as "tinfoil hat" sites. Where has this story been posted that is more mainstream/legitimate? I know, I know...mainstream media... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spartacus 1,619 Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 The antis are using the EPA to strong arm gun control and they are signing on to UN arms controls. They are doing whatever they can to side step congress and the Constitution. Probably part of what Obammy meant in his "behind the scenes" gun control comments. They are making good progress in CA unfortunately. http://www.nssfblog.com/you-cant-use-lead-ammo-you-can-use-copper-ammo-you-just-cant-mine-it/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Remek 771 Posted November 8, 2013 Report Share Posted November 8, 2013 The antis are using the EPA to strong arm gun control and they are signing on to UN arms controls. They are doing whatever they can to side step congress and the Constitution. Probably part of what Obammy meant in his "behind the scenes" gun control comments. They are making good progress in CA unfortunately. http://www.nssfblog.com/you-cant-use-lead-ammo-you-can-use-copper-ammo-you-just-cant-mine-it/ Ding ding! We have a winner! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uzitiger 193 Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 90% of lead in the USA is recycled now. 10% imported doesn't sound to bad. It might be uneconomical to produce it domestically now. The EPA will probably target recyclers next. The title meant they are an ammunition industry supplier in the same sense that Goodyear is an auto industry supplier. The lead is a critical component of the ammunition. I'd not be worried about this one thing either if it weren't for everything else that's happening taken in context. The smelter isn't shutting down because it's not profitable, it' shutting down because .gov forced it to. That is plenty cause for concern. The antis are using the EPA to strong arm gun control and they are signing on to UN arms controls. They are doing whatever they can to side step congress and the Constitution. Probably part of what Obammy meant in his "behind the scenes" gun control comments. They are making good progress in CA unfortunately. http://www.nssfblog.com/you-cant-use-lead-ammo-you-can-use-copper-ammo-you-just-cant-mine-it/ Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership WWW.JPFO.ORG sent me the article about the Obamonkey's 'stealth' method of gun control and they said one way to control firearms is to limit ammunition. They used the EPA to force the smelter to close or spend over $100 million on useless pollution controls. I see ammo prices going up especially .22LR rounds which cost $29 for a box of 500. California has been a police state for a long time but now they are getting tyrannical. I moved away 19 years ago and I'm glad I don't have to live under the state government's heavy hand. The McDonnell Douglas aircraft plant where I worked has been removed without a trace in Long Beach and the educated skilled people moved away to be replaced with uneducated illegals who will be a permanent DemocRAT voting base and an underclass. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Nemo 882 Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 I've got 100+ lbs of pure lead diving weights, and 15+ lbs of pre 82 pennies. The pennies are 1% less zinc than bullet jacket copper, and all I need is a swaging machine! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
montec 164 Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Based on the guy I buy my bullets from most of the lead that is used is from overseas anyway. A good majority is recycled lead. He isn't too worried about it. He just started casting his own bullets for sale. Rocky Mountain Reloading. aka.... rmrbullets .com Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spartacus 1,619 Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) Wall Street Journal - Lead Prices Expected To Rise "Some money managers say gains could be even bigger this time amid tighter supplies compared with a year ago. Lead production has been under pressure as more smelters around the world are shut down due to environmental concerns. The International Lead and Zinc Study Group estimates global lead supply will total 11.02 million metric tons in 2013, while demand is pegged at 11 million metric tons. The group predicts supply will fall short of demand in 2014 for the first time since 2009." http://onlygunsandmoney.blogspot.com/2013/11/wall-street-journal-lead-prices.html Edited November 11, 2013 by Spartacus Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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