Lead reclamation

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pukey

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Has anybody had any experience with lead reclamation from a trap field ?
Is there any mining companies in Canada experienced with this type of mining ? Any body willing to travel to southern Ont ?
Now that I've have seen a company that can supply a curtain to protect the site, how can I clean it up ?
 
Not sure that any mining company would be interested but I've heard of retirees working a range with gold panning equipment such as a sluice box and selling the shot back to the members.

Don't know anythign about the curtain you mention but apparently the shot falls mostly in a distinguishable band at a certain distance from the shooting position.
 
I know an environmental company in the edmonton area spent thousands of dollars reclaiming a retired range in the Edmonton area a few years back. All the soils were sent to a contaminated waste disposal landfill as the lead levels were far higher than what government legislation would allow. I'd be interested to hear if there are solutions out there though as this is the line of work I am in as well.
 
Hamilton Gun Club has been mined, in the last few years. Usually, it is a win win situation with the club and the miner making some money from the sale of the reclaimed lead. There needs to be a sufficient build up there for the project to be worth while. I've only heard of American companies that do this. I understand that current methods recapture about 85% of the lead. Some sites are not suitable due to the contour of the land.
 
Geez
There would have been a tremendous amount of shot from the Strathcona to be reclaimed, if it were feasable. I remember an article in the Edmonton Journal talking about the thousands of shotshells that were fired out there as they wanted to turn the place into soccer and softball fields. That gal's article should have said the hundreds of thousands of fired shells. There was a lot of shooting on that fine facility in the years it was open. FS
 
Reclaiming lead News Release

Below is a news release about the Hamilton Gun Club


For Immediate Release
September 16, 2010
Metals Treatment Technologies, Arvada, Colorado

Hamilton Gun Club Cashes In Lead Shot

The Hamilton Gun Club is turning expended lead shot from their trap and skeet fields into gold, so to speak. Canada’s oldest gun club (established in 1882) has been at their current location in Stoney Creek, ON since 1953. The club shoots 1.3 million clays annually and features 15 trap and 3 skeet fields plus a sporting clays course and a five stand range.

"We've always known there are hundreds of tons of lead just sitting there
and we've attempted to reclaim it ourselves but our efforts were never very effective", said Ken George, president of the 128 year old club.

“We searched for years trying to find a firm that specializes in lead recovery but to no avail and then we were approached by MT2 (Metals Treatment Technologies) who offered to investigate our site and determine the potential for lead recovery.”

MT2 Firing Range Services Canadian Representative Dave Roberts toured the grounds and gathered soil samples for analysis. At their laboratory facility in Arvada, Colorado, MT2 determined the potential for lead recovery was very favourable and an agreement was arranged.

“The Hamilton GC site posed some challenges,” stated Roberts. “The soil contains lots of clay and some pretty nasty vegetation plus we had to schedule work around Mother Nature, rain and club activities.”

Prior to starting in August, MT2 geologists and engineers developed a strategy and methodology to extract the maximum amount of lead as efficiently as possible. Using specialized equipment and technologies developed through years of experience, MT2 started filling drums with lead shot. The results have made Ken George a happy club president.

“We’ll have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on all kinds of club improvements and activities. I’m sure our Board of Directors will have no problem spending the extra money!” claimed George.

This is the first time an environmental services firm has committed themselves to clean trap and skeet club ranges in Canada.

Based in Colorado, MT2 is the leading provider of firing range environmental services including lead recovery, recycling and treatment. Their client list includes hundreds of trap and skeet clubs throughout the US plus the Department of Defense, law enforcement agencies, CIA, FBI, and EPA. Contact droberts@mt2.com Visit www.mt2.com
 
It's done in the US all the time. Outfits come in and mine the site, clean and sort the shot somewhat. Reclamed shot is sold by the bag which is much cheaper than new shot and is loaded and fired again.
 
I seem to recall a very large trap club in Ohio had an EPA order to clean up. The large flat ranges were ideal for large rotary sifting drums like the type used for screening compost in landfill sights.

Anything larger than 7.5 shot was spun and sifted, then returned to the site. Anything finer than 7.5 was returned to the site.
 
Barrie Gun Club has people come in from time to time that they dont gotta pay for cuz the company just sells it all off to get their profit.
 
Jeez Zner! I had your message at the bottom of the screen and this bug came up on my screen. So, I poked it to get rid of it and it kept running. Got me...!!!:p fred
 
We had it done at the Saskatoon club in the early 80's the top 4'' -6'' is all that needs to be cleaned to retrieve the shot I do not remember the company that did the work but I remember buying 5 gal. pails of reclimed shot at a very reasonable price oh if I Only new then what i no now.
 
Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of shotgun range clean up?
How many samples need to be taken in a fallout area to be deemed a proper sampling?
What size samples? 6" x 6" or 6" x Sq. ft. ?
What number of lead pc per sample is considered hazardous? or does each sample need lab testing for levels?
Are there gov't safe and unsafe levels for soil listed some where?

Clean up Mining may be an option for a 100 year old club. But a 30 year old small club it is a liability needing a solution.
Any knowledgeable help would be of interest
Thanks guys
 
Go and talk to the guys at the Calgary Firearms Centre.

They have done lead reclamation there before, stripping off a 60' wide swath in front of the trap fields. I don't have a whole lot of info on it (BS'ing with Martin at the Club), but seem to recall it being basically a wash; didn't make anything, but ended up getting enough that it didn't cost anything. And at the end of the day it's good for the environment, and gives the residents around a warm and fuzzy that the gun club isn't entirely evil.
 
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