Using Hardened Shot to cast bullets

[Matrix]

I have about 100 lbs of #7 shot that has been sitting around for years. Given I don't shot trap anymore, the shot is of no use to me.
So, I have been thinking about melting it down to produce .358 bullets for my S&W 929.

Does anyone know if this will work OK or is there something I should be prepared for?

My immediate worries are;
Will hardened lead shot melt easily in my Lee pot?
Will the bullets be too hard for the intended use?

Any comments or experience you are willing to offer would be greatly appreciated.

[Petrol & Powder]

Yes it will work BUT, it may create a very hard alloy AND the graphite coating on the shot will result in a fair amount of dross on top of the molten alloy. The dross is no big deal but it does need to be skimmed off occasionally during the casting session.

I sometimes use shot to harden my alloy, but only when dealing with scrap. The shot is too valuable to use straight up. If you have a lot of shot, I would recommend trading it for lead ingots of the desired alloy rather than using it to make bullets.

[PJEagle]

My experience has been with chilled shot. I pick it up at estate sales once in a while. The chilled shot melts just fine in my Lee pot. I use it to harden the soft lead I pick up at the local scrap yard. My guess is that the shot alone would be harder than you would need. Someone else should be along soon who has more experience than I do.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Matrix,
Welcome to the forum.

Years ago, I came across a bunch of shot in a deal, I ended up making a trade for ingots of a good boolit alloy...because new graphite coated shot is worth more per lb than boolit alloy.

If you are gonna melt it, and if it's in the original bag, it should say the alloy composition. That will give you an idea if it will work "as is" for your application, or at what rate to blend it with another alloy that you have.

>>>ALSO, I would melt it in something else first, not in a Lee furnace.

[rking22]

I use reclaim shot from our gun club. It is a pain to melt, don’t put it in a bottom pour in other than tablespoon size quantities. The oxide creates an eggshell and takes lots of stirring and pressing to breakup. I tried straight shot , did not cast well at all, needs tin. I use 25# shot, 30# plain lead and , 1/2 # pewter( from memory) I use the spreadsheet in the lead alloys forum sticky. That spreadsheet gives comp of typical shot, chilled or hard. That mix is close to Lyman #2 and casts well. I mix they 50:50 in the pot, using an equal size ingot of plain lead. That mix is good in most everything I shoot, including magnum handguns and hunting rifles.
You can probably get 35$ or more a bag for it from shotgun guys. Where are you, might sell it on swapping and selling easily.

[Dusty Bannister]

Part of your decision could be based upon whether the bags are clean and intact and the shot without oxide build up. Good clean shot would be much easier to sell. On the other hand, ripped and torn bags, heavy oxide coated shot is not as desirable and may be harder to sell. You just need to get 30 posts of substance to the forum and then you could make the offer in the swap and sell section. If your profile showed your general location, a face to face deal might be to your advantage and eliminate the shipping cost.

[StuBach]

+1 on sell the shot or trade for good alloy.

You’ll get more value out of it that way with less headache.

[Winger Ed.]

+2 on selling it properly for what it is, and buying ingots.

[leadhead]

Last I heard, shot was selling for around $40 a bag. I would sell it.
Denny

[Martin Luber]

Shot that is hardened typically has arsenic in it to help it clump and form pellets in the shot tower. This is the opposite effect casters desire as we want it to flow and fill the mold. This is what tin does for you. I have melted reclaim and it was difficult. A lot of crusted molten balls that had to be pressed to get liquid and it cast poorly. A small amount is ok so I kept it to ounces per 10# melt.

Good luck

[Matrix]

Thank you all for the suggestions and advise. Since I have had this sitting around for 5+ years I didn't even think of it's retail value.
It seems the best course is to sell or trade for more appropriate lead.
Also, thank you for the comment about the Swap & Sell page. I wasn't aware that I could make that kind of trade on the forum.

[Dusty Bannister]

Just read and comply with the conditions posted in that section. It is a wonderful source of material casters may be looking for.

[Matrix]

Thanks Dusty. Will do.

[lightman]

You will probably need to add some tin to your shot to get it to cast well. Its still going to be pretty hard and you may even want to cut it will some pure lead.

I would not melt it in my casting pot.
About a year ago a friend scored about 400# of reclaimed shot that we smelted at my house. It was about the hardest stuff (as in difficult) that I have melted. Lots of oxidation and coatings to insulate it from the heat. We had to stir it a lot and mash it against the edge of the pot. My thermometer showed over 1000º at the bottom of the pot and there was still crust on top!

So yes, its going to be hard to melt and may clog up your pot.
And yes, its going to be pretty hard.

If its nice and clean you can probably trade it. My friends was picked up off of a range shortly after WW2 and was pretty heavily oxidized.

[quilbilly]

I do all my rifle boolits and some pistol boolits with a mix of 40% hard chilled shot and 60% pure with just a little tin added (not much). It give me excellent accuracy and very good expansion for hunting. I found that hard chilled shot is too hard and brittle for my purposes. I usually by the shot in bags from an LGS and it leaves a lot of dross when doing my alloy so I have to scrape it off the liquid regularly. If using a bottom pour pot, never run it dry or the dross from the shot will clog the pot up.

[Matrix]

lightman/quilbilly - Good reminders, thank you.
I have decided that it makes sense to sell/trade the shot and use funds to buy lead.
Just makes things easier and simpler.

[Petander]

I'm simply curious here: why to use hardened shot for trap?

Better pattern or better clay breakage maybe?

I'm asking because I make "Economy Slugs" by removing trap shot from factory ammo and putting in RB:s / slugs. The shot I'm getting is near pure and very soft. I've never found hard shot in our (european) 20 or 12 gauge trap ammo.

[porthos]

petander:

the reason for using hard shot for trap is; after the shot column clears the barrel the BBs tend to bounce around each other, which deforms them with flat spots. they do not fly as true in the pattern and spread apart causing a larger pattern with a lot of "flyers" outside of the main pattern. for 16 yard trap it dosen't matter. but for longer yardages (25-27 yards ) it matters a lot. hard shot keeps a more uniform pattern.

[Petander]

petander:

the reason for using hard shot for trap is; after the shot column clears the barrel the BBs tend to bounce around each other, which deforms them with flat spots. they do not fly as true in the pattern and spread apart causing a larger pattern with a lot of "flyers" outside of the main pattern. for 16 yard trap it dosen't matter. but for longer yardages (25-27 yards ) it matters a lot. hard shot keeps a more uniform pattern.

Thank you.

I load very hard tungsten for hunting,tight patterns with less choke,no flyers.

Our el cheapo euro trap ammo is cheap for a reason. But my practise slugs are pretty good.

[porthos]

exactly right !! cheap shotgun ammo leads to poor results