Scrap Lead Availability

I'm in the process of gearing up to cast boolits. I visited every tire retailer within a 10 mile radius of my house today (8 stores), and not a single one was willing to part with scrap tire weights, even when I offered to pay fair value. Reasons ran the gamut, from "we send all that stuff back to our distributor", to "we have a contract with a scrap metal dealer", to "we no longer do that because of concerns over liability".

Keep in mind that I live in Massachusetts, which essentially means I live on another planet. But, has anyone else run into this problem?

Also, any recommendations for alternate sources?

Suppose I may have to break down and purchase from retail suppliers like Midway or Buffalo Arms!?

thats the normal all over the US But there are still lots of sources available but none free. There are people selling on Castboolits.com there are people selling on ebay and you can start calling the scrap yards for it.

Iasked the local Firestone dealer and was told they have a contract tat was done by corporsate with Interstate Battery.

try to find a small town "non-mainstream" junk yard. The type that lets you go out back and look for the parts you need. They are usually more friendly when it comes to letting you go out and pull a bucket full off wheel weights off the junkers.

Try going to shops that work on large trucks (semi's and box truck) you may not get much but the weights are larger. I have been saving all I could get for a few years because I new that lead weights were being phased out. All of the new wheel weights as of the end of 2011 are now a new alloy and not lead. So soon being able to find any lead wheel weights will be a thing of the past.

If you can find a old saile boat that is junk it is full of lead! Hundred of pound of good lead.