Fired up the old shot maker tonight.

[JeffinNZ]

Team.

10, maybe 15 years ago I saw a shot maker in a gun shop. It was cheap enough and I bought it to go in my "that'll probably to handy" stash. Sure enough, now that shot is a RIDICULOUS price the shot maker is a life saver.

It's a NZ made Game King and the exact model featured in a Shotgunners Digest or such like in the late 70's or early 80's. I found the article in the book in our club library only a month ago. Anyways, the maker has one nipple only and this is a # 7 size so suits me fine. The maker quoted 12lb an hour so not super quick but given that once it is running it need not be watched continually it works well. I drop an ingot on the top of the chute and go away for 15 minutes then come back to the change the cans of anti freeze, add an ingot etc. If you look closely in the photo below you will see a pelletl dropping from the nipple, the shadow of one on the 'shelf' and one about to hit the fluid. In full operation it makes a lovely 'ticking' noise.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/DSCN3306.jpg

Here is the end result from WW alloy with a splash of tin thrown in for good measure:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/DSCN3305.jpg

I understand that fabric softener works just as well as anti freeze and is a whole lot cheaper so I will give that a run at some stage.

Anyways, the shot works just fine for breaking clays and one day I will make another nipple to drop 4 shot for game.

[Lloyd Smale]

looks like it would be realitively easy to add a couple more nozzles to that unit. Sure wish it was sitting here! Ive allways bird hunted with 6 shot. I ran out and looked at the prices and decided that id be hunting with my stash of 7 1/2 for a couple years!

[2_Smithereenz]

Where could a guy get his hands on one of those? I tried making my own from a cast iron skillet and welding tips, but it didn't go so well. The welding nozzles kept clogging up and got more of an ooze or popcorn shot from it.

[JeffinNZ]

Lloyd: I would be interesting to know how many nozzles the unit could keep up in terms of maintaining enough molten lead. I suspect 2 might be the limit.

2 Smithereenz: Not sure you will find one other than the very expensive Littleton.

[heathydee]

A 240 volt version of that machine was sold in Australia about 25 years ago which featured 2 drippers . I had three of the devices myself to increase production . A lot of them were used by clay target shooters of my aquaintance some of whom added a third nozzle . Problems surfaced becasue the machine did not have the heating capacity to maintain the flow from three drippers . Two worked just fine .

Heath

[scarry scarney]

Magma engineering makes the Littleton shotmaker, check their website, $450

[NZSarge]

Darn that looks nice Jeff.......if you send it to Auckland, Ill even give you half the shot... :-0 ... )

[Reg]

Is that little guy still being made ?

[Norbrat]

I understand that fabric softener works just as well as anti freeze and is a whole lot cheaper so I will give that a run at some stage.

When these were used back in the 80's here in Oz, one magazine article reckoned diesel worked well.

[JeffinNZ]

Can't fault anti freeze. Green, clean, no smoke, perfect shot, lasts for ever.

[Stephen Cohen]

When these were used back in the 80's here in Oz, one magazine article reckoned diesel worked well.

I remember reading same article, were showing our age now.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup something like that for around a 150 bucks would sell like hotcakes!

[geargnasher]

I'm kind of surprised that Lee Precision hasn't come out with one that mounts on top of a vibratory tumbler or something. Their 10-lb pot would make a decent shotmaker all by itself if it had a hole drilled in the base plate and a can of antifreeze under it. :kidding:

Gear

[Y2K]

Now Gear, BE NICE. Some of us enjoy challenges (Drip-o-matic). LOL

[Fishman]

That's fascinating! A far more practical size for those of us who don't shoot a ton of shot a year. Could you give a few more details? Does it just melt lead andit drips out or is there something more to it? That looks reasonably easy to duplicate.

[Longwood]

Some ten gauge and flatbar and I would have one in about two hours.
the next ones would take about 45 minutes each to make.
I bet one of those cheap Harbor freight weed torches would work great as a heat source.

[Sweetpea]

Looks like a practical little toy!

I don't see much need to add tin to the mix, though... seems like the shot would end up less round while being more expensive.

I may be wrong... would someone more experienced care to comment please?

[JeffinNZ]

Looks like a practical little toy!

I don't see much need to add tin to the mix, though... seems like the shot would end up less round while being more expensive.

I may be wrong... would someone more experienced care to comment please?

That just happened to be the composition of the bucket of alloy I picked up. I suspect a spot of tin would be good for helping the flow through what is a tiny nozzle however.

Gear's comment aside (which I thought was very funny and not unfair) Lee could do well to make something like this. I might contact them and ask.

[rexherring]

My dad and uncle had one with 4 nozzles. They would pre melt WW's and pour into the shot maker to keep it from cooling. They just water dropped the shot (about 4 feet) into a 5 gal. bucket on the floor and switch buckets when about half full. They did a 55 gal barrel of WW's in one afternoon. Both of them were big time trap shooters and just used the 8 shot nozzles. You could get bigger ones for field shot too. After they ran out of WW's, they sold the unit to another trap shooter and I think it's still being used somewhere.

[686]

at 12 lbs per hr. that would load about 14 boxes of 12 ga 1 1/8 oz loads every 2 hrs. that may ebe enugh to shoot a while.

[gfisher]

Youtube video of some guys prototype shotmaker using a Lee 10# pot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwrel&NR=1&v=ThlCzyOkwr4

-George

[mtgrs737]

A 1200 watt 240 volt electric stove burner element works well for a heat source. No need for the reostat to control the temp, just run it wide open. You would also need a thick steel or cast iron pan with a ramp on the dripper end that is about 1" long for the shot to bounce /roll down before it goes into the coolant. Keep the coolant as high as possible so that the shot will not distort into a teardrop form. WW alloy works well due to the arsenic in it that will help the drip to stay round. Go to "the better shotmaker" websight and have a look, that is the brand I have, it has 7 drippers and for smaller shot like #8 or smaller you can get double drippers and have 14 dripps going. I make hundreds of pounds of shot with mine and it shoots good enough that I consistantly shot 24's and 25's from the 16 yd line in trap if I do my part.

[Longwood]

A 1200 watt 240 volt electric stove burner element works well for a heat source. .

I bet with the correct strainers, two or more sizes of shot could be made at one time.

[shotman]

jeff put your anti freeze in a pan and let it sit in the sun. It will evaporate some of the water and make it thicker. the small pin holes is because the fluid is to thin. You need WW for the arsnic content, they can be mixed 50/50 with range lead. DONT add tin. Its ok for boolits but not a shot maker.
Answer to 2 size shot
yes but a pain to sort unless you buy the screen s and they are not real cheap