A lead and zinc scrap dealer told Fastmarkets that physical demand for lead scrap was being underpinned by robust buying activity from ammunition manufactures amid a rise in gun sales. Bullets contain lead in the nose on top of the brass shell casings, Fastmarkets understands.
Gun sales in the United States soared to about 2 million units in July, up by 134.6% from July 2019, according to an August 1 report from research consultancy
Small Arms Analytics and Forecasting. The report also pointed to a “massive demand [spike]… from March 2020 during the Covid-19 crisis,” noting that sales in January-July were nearly equal to the full-year 2019 total.
“There’s been a big pickup in first-time gun buyers... and this has created a lot of demand for ammo,” the lead and zinc scrap dealer said, pointing to civil unrest in cities such as...
