Where is the best place to buy Weights?

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Dzydvl33

Contributor
Messages
133
Reaction score
82
Location
Fresno, CA.
# of dives
25 - 49
I recently purchased some BCDs for my wife and eye. we have used them a few times and are renting weights when we go diving. I was looking into buying weights and figured I would ask. Where do you buy your weights?
where is the cheapest place to buy weights? so far I've found them to be about $4 a pound.
would a DIY be a less expensive route? have any of you done this? if so where did you get your shot?

Added after OP: We are looking for soft weights.
 
Last edited:
I found someone selling a bunch of lead shot on Craig's List for just over $1/pound. $2/pound is my upper limit but not all that easy to come by. I've seen soft weights on Craig's List but didn't pay much attention because I want hard weights.
 
After doing some shopping around on craigslist and looking around on line I am leaning towards going the DIY route.
I found this site www.rotometals.com I can get 50 pounds of shot delivered for $90. Doesn't seem to bad to me. I like the idea of being able to make my own custom weights and really dialing in my weight.

what do you guys think?
 
I recently purchased some BCDs for my wife and eye. we have used them a few times and are renting weights when we go diving. I was looking into buying weights and figured I would ask. Where do you buy your weights?
where is the cheapest place to buy weights? so far I've found them to be about $4 a pound.
would a DIY be a less expensive route? have any of you done this? if so where did you get your shot?

Added after OP: We are looking for soft weights.
I bought empty weight pouches online. I forget where, either amazon or lesurepro or scuba.com or whatever google turned up. Then went to my local skeet/trap shooting range and bought used lead shot. If memory serves, each weight cost under a dollar all together - even 5 lb ones.


50 lbs of shot for $90 is a LOT more than I paid. Do you not have any local shotgun ranges? I think I spent around 50 cents a pound.

Keep in mind, you're going to have to clean used shot. It's dirty and you'll trail a cloud behind you if you just fill the bags with used shot and then dive. Wash them in a bucket or some other water, or find another way to wash the shot prior to bagging it.
 
I bought empty weight pouches online. I forget where, either amazon or lesurepro or scuba.com or whatever google turned up. Then went to my local skeet/trap shooting range and bought used lead shot. If memory serves, each weight cost under a dollar all together - even 5 lb ones.


50 lbs of shot for $90 is a LOT more than I paid. Do you not have any local shotgun ranges? I think I spent around 50 cents a pound.

Keep in mind, you're going to have to clean used shot. It's dirty and you'll trail a cloud behind you if you just fill the bags with used shot and then dive. Wash them in a bucket or some other water, or find another way to wash the shot prior to bagging it.

Shotgun range. That's a great idea! Thank you. there are a few around here. I'm going to have to make some calls.
 
Shotgun range. That's a great idea! Thank you. there are a few around here. I'm going to have to make some calls.
The ranges around here sell used shot as a matter of course. They clean the range and repackage it. The used shot is usually available in pretty "retail" looking packaging for super cheap. I only tell you to let you know that you won't be making an odd request of the range when you call. It's regular business for ranges to resell the stuff. It both recycles the shot and earns them a small bit of extra money.

Just be careful you don't spill/drop the shot when you're filling the pouches. It's a little heavy for most vacuums and obviously you don't want lead pellets rolling around your house. Guess how I know :wink:? It's something best done outdoors if you can find a place to do it - just in case.
 
Go to any sporting club with an outdoor range, and you can easily collect a bucket full of lead in a few minutes just by sifting it out of the sand. Then melt it down.
 
Go to any sporting club with an outdoor range, and you can easily collect a bucket full of lead in a few minutes just by sifting it out of the sand. Then melt it down.

I suppose if there was any steel shot mixed in it would just float to the top when melted.
 
Craigslist.

There's also Ebay sellers and they get around the high shipping costs due to the weight by sending them in priority mail boxes that are one cost regardless of how heavy the box is.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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