(?) Wha? Wrong impression given. No strife with wife. and she's supportive of my manias as I am of hers. Plus she shoots with me and that's a real plus in my book, (She loves the Seecamp she got for her birthday). She sends me off to hunt whatever, and cooks what I drag home. My stress is just about splitting limited time over too many projects. I'm doing bedroom remodels to her spec's. Wainscoting, chair rails, color scheme, ceiling tiles. All good, But takes time.
Always happily married (37 yrs.) Grayscale
Welcome aboard Grayscale!
16ga is my favorite shotgun caliber. I have the gear to cast shot and reload the empties but haven’t run out of factory rounds yet. One day the empty cases, shot maker and Hornady 366 will cross paths.
PS. I need a 16ga slug mold to round out the kit.
Take care,
Robert
"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
- Albert Camus -
Progress Report.
Small shot is easy. Large shot is hard. I made multiple trials of larger dripper sizes yesterday. In most cases the bismuth would stream rather than drip Except at the start and finish
of a melt. This with the lowest practical heat setting on the ladle. When just starting to flow, and with melt level dropping below the dripper inflows, I was getting 2's 3's and BB's from a .040 dripper I drilled out from a smaller aperture. This tells me that the larger shot are do-able with adaquate control. So flow rate vs head pressure vs aperture. I puzzled on that all evening, then woke this morning at O dark thirty with an epiphany. And then couldn't get back to sleep darn it. Will gather more materials and do more testing this coming weekend. If Anything works I'll report details.
Always Experimenting, Grayscale
My experience with this machine is, if you want larger shot:
- use 1 a single hole dripper (block the other outlet off)
- extend the drip ramp allow shot to bounce more than once for entering free fall
- have adjustable base under the shotmaker (raise base to increase feed rate, lower to decrease feed rate)
- TC the melt in the pan so when you find the optimum temp for your alloy you can repeat it.
- TC the coolant tank and have a re-circulation pump (best temp I found was just under 100 degree F)
Scott
Scott
You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.
Progress report Two.
After several attempts, have made a prototype adjustable dripper. Testing tomorrow. It may fall flatter than day old beer, but if it works....
Always testing, Grayscale
will be watching...
Any technology not understood, can seem like Magic!!!
I will love the Lord with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind.
Progress report Three,
Works well as a flow rate control, but drop size still dependent on aperture vs temp vs ?. More drill bits arriving soon for further testing. At minimum its nice to
be able to turn the flow on and off. And I finished installing the ceiling tiles, oh my aching neck...
Always busy, Grayscale
Progress Four,
With a (.036) aperture I can reliably produce #6's, Yay, I've reinvented the wheel. .038 and .040 produce 6's with an small admixture of 5's and 4's. Moving up to an .045 produces a mix of 45% #6,
45% mixed 4's and 5's and 4% 3's, 2's and 1's with the remainder blobs and rejects. Temperature seems to be less a factor than head pressure as the larger shot are produced at the end of a run when
the melt is dropping below the dripper inflow. The dripper design seems to work, now I have to address controlling head pressure over the duration of the run. But that will have to wait. Last duck season I loaded Roto Metals #6 Bis and it was outstanding. I set out to make # 6 Bismuth at a lower cost and I'm there. I've got 50 lbs. of Bismuth ( Hallmark Metals fleabay store $310 & free delivery)
its just over a week till the beginning of dove season and little more than a month till duck season. I gotta make shot and load shells for myself and a few friends. But I'm not going to stop thinking about
making larger shot and I'll get back to it in the spring. If larger pellets drop as an uncontrolled part of a run then I just have to figure out the random factor. When I do, I will present a full report with images.
Going Hunting, Grayscale
Note: 1 1/8 oz. size 6.5 Bismuth at 1250 fps is a real dove smasher.
Happy Hunting, Grayscale
That sounds like a wicked dove load !!
I didn't think dove would be that tough to kill ..... never tried dove hunting.
Last edited by dsh1106; 09-07-2019 at 09:00 AM.
Scott
You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.
I haven't hunted dove since high school years. My shotgun at the time was a full choked model 12 Winchester made in 1917. (I still own it) As I remember I just used low base loads most of the time with a few Pheasant loads if I was cash poor and had some laying around. With the heavier loads there wasn't much left of the bird. grayscale I've enjoyed reading about your dripper tests. Gp
Not hard to kill, but fast and erratic, great practice for duck season and very tasty too! Could have used a lighter load but my old (my Dads) Browning A5 runs best with a slightly heavier load and I love hunting with it. 1 3/8' oz. loads are great for ducks over decoys.
28 lbs # 6 made on Saturday, Keeping busy, Grayscale
Wah! 44 lbs. # 6 made with an additional 2 lbs. of incidental 2's and 4's. Picked up a harbor freight tumbler and my Marty's Arms T shot mold arrived yesterday!!
It's all coming together. LOOK OUT GEESE!!
Thinking predatory thoughts, Grayscale
Load note, Duck and goose begins in less than one week and I have my heavy goose load. From Lyman # 5, 2 oz of hand cast Bismuth T shot in a Remington 3 1/2 inch mag. ( Insert evil laugh ) Patterns 96 percent through a Modified choke at 40 yards. Punches through 3/8's plywood at 50 yards. Now that's a wicked load.
Cackling with Glee, Grayscale
Have at 'em, grayscale, I see duck plucking in your future!
"We take a thousand moments for granted thinking there will be a thousand more to come. Each day, each breath, each beat of your heart is a gift. Live with love & joy, tomorrow is not promised to anyone......"
unknown
Thanks for the thought Centershot but unfortunately,
it was My turn for a dose of irony, Woke up Friday morning to get on the road and found that my flu shot had worked, I had the Flu. Haven't gone anywhere for days.
My partners got seventeen ducks and Eight (!) whitefronted geese between them. (*&^%$#@) Oh well, the season, around here starts in a week and and a half,
I'll be better by then.
Hacking with the crud, Grayscale
I am happy to report that my home brewed shot works a treat on ducks, limited out in an hour and a half. Then I took a nap on the bank while waiting for my friend to get his limit. (He didn't, but that's just luck) I woke up to him calling to geese, the only opportunity of the day. Two whitefronts passed between us at forty-five yards altitude. My two ounce t-shot loads have now accounted for their first goose with the hope for many more. They do speak with authority at both ends of the gun! Knee deep in feathers, Grayscale
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |