melting shot shell shot for boolit casting?

[bkbville]

Is shot shell lead good for casting?

I have some extra #7.5 shot I don't reload shells with anymore and thought I could contribute it to the cause...

I know it has antimony in with the lead, and it also has graphite. Does this create problems?

I figure $1/lb still works out to about 2c for a 150gr boolit.

[duckndawg]

How much EXTRA 7.5 shot do you have? Where are you located? And would you be willing to swap pound for pound WW ingots for your shot?

[duckndawg]

PM sent

[Shiloh]

What does a 25# bag of shot go for these days? $35-$40 ??

Shiloh

[JIMinPHX]

Going rate is $30-35 per bag here in Phoenix now.

Shot works fine for casting boolits. Use it like WW.

[bkbville]

Whoa... I have only about a 1/2 of a bag - maybe 10lbs. (left from when I switched to shooting #8.)

I wanted to do something with it before I knock it over and it spills on the basement floor.

My math was 7000grain/lb - or 460 x 150grain .30 cal boolits out of 10lbs of lead - about 2.1 cents apiece.

(Granted, a lot more than free WW, but still a lot cheaper than store-bought.)

So - no problem with the alloy for boolits?

[duckndawg]

shouldnt be a problem melt it and use it!!

[anachronism]

Magnum shot in our area is about $22.00/25 lb bag. Magnum shot is what you want for high velocity loadings because it also contains arsenic, which greatly improves heat treating. Chilled shot is pretty soft, so make certain you know which you have, and what you want to do with it.

[roysha]

The arsenic also contributes a great lot to the surface tension causing the drops to form into spheres more readily. Therefore, if you have the shot that has arsenic in it, mix it with other "lead" to keep from having problems with the mold filling out properly. I am under the impression that nearly all shot has a bit of arsenic in it to one degree or another depending on the manufacturing method, size and ultimate usage.

[44 WCF]

I've been using shot in my boollits getting couple bags used up that I bought at garage sale, got about 5 lbs left , but per the advice of an alloy supplier, I use only about 10%, in melt , seems to work fine both for air cooled and quenched. They told me could be difficult getting cavity to fill if used in rich type blend, that I don't know for sure.

44 WCF

[243winxb]

graphite is not a problem. It needs some tin added.

[troy_mclure]

at $22.50 for a 25lb bag, thats not much more than i can get pure lead for around here. it might be a way to get tin/antimony into the lead i can get.