Making my own fineshot. . .

[Dick Dastardly]

Does anybody else make their own fineshot. I've got an old Littleton shot maker with two spiggots. Makes about 50 pounds of shot in a good afternoon. I use the shot for the trap league and my Cowboy Action shooting. Works great with WW metal.

DD-DLoS

[lar45]

How high do you have to drop from?
do you put soap in the water to reduce the surface tension?

[Dick Dastardly]

This thing is wierd. The shot drops only a few inches into diesel fuel or kerosene. The results are nice round shot, but I have to clean off the petrolium distillates before I put graphite on the shot.

I've tried dropping into water, but the results were disappointing. Kerosene seems to work best. Jet A ain't bad either.

DD-DLoS

[waksupi]

I have some friends that have a shot maker. the production ramp is about three feet wide, and they can make a bunch of shot in a weekend. They use moose milk to drop the shot into.

[Dick Dastardly]

That might work. The water would handle the heat and the Ballistol would provide the luberication. Also, cleanup would be very easy.

Thanks,

DD-DLoS

[RugerFan]

Dick,
Please describe your graphite application.

[Dick Dastardly]

After I get the shot cleaned up, I shake it with some powdered graphite in a shot bag. Not sophisticated, but it works and the shot doesn't clump up either. Runs thru the Mec Grabber great too.

DD-DLoS

[JeffinNZ]

What ratio of cutting oil to water is recommended for the solution?

[waksupi]

Jeff, I'd have to ask the next time I see one of the guys. I imagine it was fairly diluted, as you are only reducing the surface tension. I seem to recall it looked fairly well thinned out.