Lead Shot to make boolits

[500MAG]

Have any of you used lead shot to melt down to cast boolits? I have a guy selling #8 lead shot and has a few hundred pounds to sell. He wants $1 a pound. Is it soft lead? What is it worth?

[Hang Fire]

Short answer, yes. Chilled shot is slightly hard, but can be alloyed to make harder.

But, what a waste of good shot if done.

[btroj]

For a buck a pound buy it all.

I love shot as an additive. The arsenic in it makes water droppi far more effective as a way to increase the hardness of a low antimony allow.

That is a great price for shot right now.

[500MAG]

For a buck a pound buy it all.

I love shot as an additive. The arsenic in it makes water droppi far more effective as a way to increase the hardness of a low antimony allow.

That is a great price for shot right now.
So, I should just use it as an additive? Wow, a few hundred pounds of additive I'm gonna need a heck of alot of ww's.

[btroj]

It can be used straight, I just don't do that as it is too expensive to use like that.

Wheel weirs usually contain some arsenic already so it isn't needed for that. Most of my lead is lead pipe, monotype, and range scrap. All these can use some arsenic for better hardening thru water dropping.

I have a few hundred pounds of monotype. I figure it will last me better than 10 years. That is a good thing. View this shot the same way. It is an investment.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I dropped some lead shot in the melting pot once and it just floated on the top of the molton lead. After a while I scooped it out and pitched it. I thought maybe it was the graphite coating on the shot.

[popper]

Also has antimony in it. I'd get it all, assuming you have the $$. It will melt and mix OK the coating will float and you flux it off.Get Bumpo's calc and see what you can make of it. Probably have to add some tin.

[300winmag]

If you pass I will take 200lbs shipped, 4 med flat rate box's 2 bags each box.
Thanks
300winmag

[500MAG]

I have to give the guy a call. He said he has two 5 gallon buckets full. That doesn't sound like a few hundred pounds.

[300winmag]

I have to give the guy a call. He said he has two 5 gallon buckets full. That doesn't sound like a few hundred pounds.
5 gal bucket full of #8 bulk, my guess 200lb. ? is who is going to carry it. LOL

[StratsMan]

TWO 5 gallon buckets full of #8 shot??? Be sure it's first run shot, not scraped/salvaged off the ground at a range... Not that I wouldn't use that, but you may be paying for rocks, too...

Also, a full bucket of loose shot will weigh much more than 200#.... I'd double that....

I do sometimes put shot in my melt. I've never cast pure melted shot, just used it to harden the melt.. I use magnum shot because the antimony level should be 4%... hardens up the alloy, if that's what I need...

[FergusonTO35]

I've been wondering about the feasibility of "magnum" shot for boolits. They are selling it for roughly $1.05 a pound at Sportman's Warehouse in Lexington right now.

[jhalcott]

I tried to melt OLD shot scrounged from a local trap range. It took a LOONG time to even get soft! I added some WW ingots and they melted in a few minutes.(the ingots). I did use the WW/shot alloy but haven't tried itsince.

[avogunner]

Not too long ago I came into a good deal (meaning FREE) on a few hundred pounds of reclaimed shot. Like stated above, it is a little ornery to smelt down but once you get it there, add a little tin (I like about 2%) and it's a great alloy. Works well for my .30-06 (311299). For 45 ACP, 45LC, and 38 spl, I cut it 50/50 with range lead. Again.... a good alloy.

[243winxb]

Graphite-Coated
CHILLED SHOT
(American Standard)
with Equivalent Hardness Factor of:
2% Antimonial Lead Alloy Graphite-Coated
HIGH ANTIMONY MAGNUM LEAD SHOT
(American Standard)
with Equivalent Hardness Factor of:
4-6% Antimonial Lead Alloy http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/IMG_3306B.jpg The barrel will look something like my 45 acp. http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/IMG_4494.jpg More photos here > http://www.photobucket.com/joe1944usa

[375RUGER]

I like to shoot 7 1/2. But for $1/#, I could shoot 8s.
You can trade it here for something else or get cash for what you want.

[5shotbfr]

i melted a few hundred pounds down to cast boolits with .. both quenched and air cooled boolits seem to be very similar in hardness as wheel weight .. boolit weights are nearly identical as well

i didnt have any issues with smelting but i did start with just a bit of wheel weight in the bottem of the pot

[44man]

I have 3 shot shell loaders that get little use today. Shot is so expensive it is not worth it when we have no birds to hunt here. To shoot clays for fun does not fit SS money either.
That shot can find a good home in exchange for WW's, I am sure.
The last catalog I have shows P.O.R. for lead shot. To give an idea, copper plated is $36 for 10#. Then postage! :veryconfu