tumbling buckshot

[bbs383ci]

i posted the other in the mold forum, about clipping buckshot after casting it. i am getting the sprues close but would like to try using a tumbler to smooth out the buckshot.

what type of media, if any, would i use for this.

thanks
dustin

[turmech]

I don't tumble my buck shot so I have no first hand knowledge. IIRC I think many report putting buck shot in a pastic jar and riding it around in the back of the car or truck and letting it tumble against itself. I would think a rotary tumbler would work the same with out any media.

I can't see a vibrating tumbler working but again I have not tried.

[John in WI]

I have been tumbling my buckshot recently, although to be honest I think I do it because it makes me feel better. No noticable change in patterns.

What most folks do is tumble it without media. Simply lead balls smashing together. Eventually the flat spot where the sprue was will hammer itself round. I like to tumble mine in an old rock tumbler for an hour or two, then throw in either some pencil lead (for graphite) until they take on an even dull grey, and sometimes even a bit of Johnson's Paste Wax after that.

My buck is cast from WW with some linotype, and it might be too hard for tumbling to work real well in terms of rounding out the balls. But it's the best way I know of to get a good even coat of lube on them.

Do this in the garage--it makes an AMAZING amount of noise.

[RMc]

Load hard cast buckshot into a rock tumbler with water. Tumble 2-3 hours or until a smooth polished finish results.

[Rottweiler]

I tumble my buckshot in a home made tumbler I built from an old propane tank. It looks like a miniature version of a cement mixer. About an hour with a little powdered graphite and about a teaspoon of JPW. Comes out shiny black and I can't tell where the sprues are/were

[bbs383ci]

Thanks guys I appreciate it.

[Nix]

I sell a lot of casting/reloading gear through my shop and I'll tell you a simple secret when it comes to tumbling buckshot: Pet-Store Corn Cob Bedding.

When you're just tumbling cast boolits, slugs and especially buckshot, you don't need a really fine media because there really aren't any 'nooks and crannies' to penetrate the way there are with brass and primer pockets. Instead you just need something rough enough to do the job and cheap enough that you don't burst into tears every time the media turns coal-black and needs to be replaced.

Your local pet shop will sell HUGE bags of corn-cob bedding that is exactly the same as the corn cob media you normally use on casings. Some brands may be a little larger but generally it's the same stuff. The only difference is you can buy 25lbs of the 'Pet' stuff for the same price as 4lbs of the 'gun' stuff.

Crushed walnut will work too, but it's so freaking expensive and really I reserve it for my brass cleaning applications.

When I tumble my buckshot I run a standard lyman turbo (1200 if I recall) loaded up with the corn cob stuff for about an hour (I have it plugged into one of those outdoor electric timers) and throughout a day I'll do 8-10 loads while I'm working on other projects. Just remember when you tumble shot, you don't do it by volume as it's much heavier and you can (and will) break your tumbler if you overload it.

[williamwaco]

Tumble shot? Sure. I can see that.

Tumble cast bullets?
Looks like that would ruin the bases.


.

[Nix]

Nah you just leave them in there for 30 minutes, enough time to smooth them out. I do it pre-size so that there's still enough material left for the sizing to leave a nice, clean, flat surface on the sides and avoid under-sizing them.

[HiVelocity]

I tumble my cast buckshot in the same media I tumble empty brass cases in, works fine. The buckshot does, however, turn black. After I let it tumble for an hour or so, take the buckshot out and roll around in a small container with 1/2 teaspoonful of JPW. Dump out on newspaper and let it dry. (Lol! Now, try to pick it up!)

Since I load only the single "0" buckshot, I stack 3 X 3, with a healthy dose of Blue Dot in a 2 3/4" case.

HV

[geraldsd]

Sorry guys, but what is JPW?

[bradh]

JPW = Johnson Paste Wax

[geraldsd]

Thanks...