Gonna build a shot maker

[singleshotbuff]

Gentlemen,

I just got off the phone with the local lead shot supplier. He's selling 25# bags for $29.00 right now, up from $20 last summer. He also told me that the first week of august he'll have to up the price to $39.99!!!

That's enough for me, I'm going to have to build a shotmaker. I can't afford to shoot clay targets at $40 a bag for shot. I've read a few threads here and on shotgun world, I think I can make the machine myself. I have an almost limitless supply of soft range lead I can use from an indoor range. Do you think I'll need to add anything to range lead to get good shot?

Thoughts and input welcome.

SSB

[Springfield]

Good Luck. From what I have read soft lead doesn't work too well, wheelweights or something else with some arsenic in it works better. Plan on making some sort of shotmaker myself, soon as I get a round tuit.

[singleshotbuff]

Springfield,

Thanks for your input. I have a fairly steady supply of WWs too, I was thinking that if the range lead doesn't work out, I may mix it 50/50 with WWs. This is the alloy I use for handgun boolits. When dropped into water, it is HARD. Not sure if it'll harden if dropped into brake fluid or anti-freeze, which I have read are the best for shotmaking, I guess I'll find out.

Have to do something, not gonna pay $40 for shot when I have free lead.

SSB

[scrapcan]

I don't have the time at the moment but I have a set of instructions for a flamer burner model. You can also look on the reloaders guide site for my user name and there is a discussion about shotmakers.

I think you could build one easy enough, except for the nozzles in a littleton type. But the good news is you can buy the nozzles. you can buy littleton nozzles or best shot maker nozzles.

[Lucky Joe]

manleyjt,

I wonder if I could possibly also get a copy of those prints.

[scrapcan]

Lucky Joe,

Send me a PM with your email address and I will try to get them off to you.

Singleshotbuff,

sent you a pm and an email. let meknow if you got the info.

[singleshotbuff]

manleyjt,

Got the PM and the e-mail, thanks so much!!

Very interesting stuff. I'm fairly sure I can make something that will work.

SSB

[scrapcan]

AS far as making an electric unit I think you could do that also. you could start with a piece of aluminum plate or a pirce of aluminum channel. if you use a plate cut it to a d shape and put a rim around it. on the flat side put a piece of angle iron with a lip about 1 to 1.5 inches long for the nozzle to drip on. you can then tap a hole to hold it all to an elctric burner element. then fab up some kind of stand. If you use channel then all you need to do is make the angle lip on one end. same scenario.

Use aluminum for the heat transfer properties. you need the heat and it will not be enough lead to have the worry of using aluminum as a lead pot, which should never be done to the danger of pot failure.

for the nozzles you could make your own or buy a set form littleton or stewart. if you make your own you can use a brass pipe plug (or steel for that matter). You need a bore and a through hole. The through hole is what gives you the shot size. the nozzle on a 71/2 nozzle from littleton is the same size as the smallest tip cleaner in a standard torch tip cleaner set.

You just need to make sure that the hole drops close to perpendicular to the lip on your pot. the drop then rolls down the lip and into your coolant. Coolant choice makes a big difference as to the shape of your final shot. I made a couple of nozzles by hand using a hand drill drill and drill bit type torch tip cleaners. It works but is a tedious affair.

if you make the francis brothers shot pot the flame builds surface tension in the drop. I have not made the francis brothers shot pot so cannot attest to it's abilities. It is made out of mild steel if I remember correctly.

Anyway that is a few of the thoughts that I had.

[scrapcan]

forgot to mention that we used ww and lead mix. have also made straight lead but it is hard to get hot enough to get good shot. As stated in other posts a littlearsenic makes "magnum"shot or Hard shot. WW have some arsenic and makes good shot.

[Lucky Joe]

manleyjt ,

Thank you, PM sent.

[Blammer]

whoever gets one built, I'd happily trade 50 pounds of lead for 25 pounds of #8 shot.... It's pretty much all I'll need for a year or two...

[Jetro721]

for all you guys wondering about making shot, i've been doing this for years, and yes wheel weights are good for this but so are alot of other things, you got to know your metals and that will make alot better shot and any lead so you can use it.

[Jetro721]

and to reply to the add for making shot for people yes i do.............. if it is wheel wgt they bring me i give them half of what i get from thier stuff............. if it is other lead it depends on what i have to add to it to get it hard............. arcenic is not the harder in the shot it is called antimony

[felix]

Yes, arsenic does indeed make the shot harder, but is more toxic for the purpose than it is for antimony. The arsenic is required, however, to make the shot round by making the formed teardrops coagulate into balls on their way down from the drop point in the tower. ... felix

[Sam Carp]

I have a littleton shot maker, wheel weights work fine in it and I drop into sierra anti-freeze. Shot at the Bass Pro Shop was over $60.00 at the first of the year.

Sam

[Bullshop Junior]

Gentlemen,

I just got off the phone with the local lead shot supplier. He's selling 25# bags for $29.00 right now, up from $20 last summer. He also told me that the first week of august he'll have to up the price to $39.99!!!

That's enough for me, I'm going to have to build a shotmaker. I can't afford to shoot clay targets at $40 a bag for shot. I've read a few threads here and on shotgun world, I think I can make the machine myself. I have an almost limitless supply of soft range lead I can use from an indoor range. Do you think I'll need to add anything to range lead to get good shot?

Thoughts and input welcome.

SSB

You are lucky! I was up at sportsmans the other day and the cheapest shot was $47.99 for 25 LB of #8, and it is going UP UP UP! The cheapest shotgun ammo was estate #4 @ $8.99 a box. That stuff is junk. Will never get it again, NEVER!
At the last gun show there was a guy who had like 250 LB, for $8.00 a BAG! And to make it worse it was #2 and I had NO money! TO BAD, TO BAD!!! I hope he is at the next one!!!
Daniel/BS Jr.

[rmb721]

manleyjt: I sent a PM

[heathydee]

Here is a picture of mine.Been doing it for years. Stainless steel bolts used to make the drippers as anything else tends to erode after a bit of use. hole size is about.024" and this gives size 8 to 9 depending on the level of molten lead. Lead has to be pre-melted,fluxed and then either cast into ingots or poured into the trough. Gas fired. The burner is made from a piece of 1 inch square hollow section steel tube of which one end can be seen underneath. The trough was TIG welded up out of 6mm aluminium plate. My coolant of choice is a mix of soluble oil and water at about 1 to 20. Go for it and make one!

[357maximum]

WOW, Nice Unit ...color me impressed...what is the production rate on that bad boy?

[heathydee]

When I set up I like to devote a day to the process,beginning by removing the drippers and cleaning them.While this is happening I have lead in a large homemade pot melting on top of a large gas ring.This takes about an hour to melt and by then the drippers are cleaned,re-installed and everything is set up with about 115 pounds of molten lead in the pot, which I failed to mention is on a stand about 18 inches high. A tap in the pot is cracked and lead flows into the shotmaker which has been pre-heated by its own burner.The bib of the shotmaker( where the shot bounces down ) is well chalked and also benefits from an occasional sanding with 600 grit wet and dry paper.The bib is placed just clear of the 5 gallon coolant container which is filled to the brim and sits in an overflow tray.Shot starts to flow.Sounds like birds chirping. About 60 to 70 pounds per hour after the initial set up.
The coolant becomes err ? warmant after a couple of hours and needs changing . I have about 12 gallons which I cycle through .The coolant does not deteriorate.I have been using the same stuff for about ten years.
The shot is screened and dryed in the sun, or if it is winter I put it in stout bags which I carry around in the car for a few days until it drys.
In a day I would expect to produce about 250lb of shot.

[357maximum]

Thanks:-D


added to the to-do list[smilie=1:

[725]

Very, very impressive. You got to love the ingenuity and craftsmanship. Well done.

[scrapcan]

That is a very nice looking flame driven shot dropper. Can you tell us more about making the nozzles?

Actually it is not all that different from the francis brothers document sthat were sent to me and that I have passed to others. The main difference is that the francis uses the flame to create surface tension in the lead drop to make it round.

Anyway tell us more about your flame driven shot maker.

[heathydee]

There is not a lot more to say about my shotmaker.13 drippers wide.The width of the device is the same as the rectangular coolant tank.The framework is made out of 1" angle iron and the shotmaker is free to pivot up and down in order to bring the bib down to be almost touching the surface of the coolant.
I will try in the next couple of days to assemble the whole kit and caboodle and post a few pictures

[Lucky Joe]

Nine posts!!!!!! where in the heck have you been. That is a nice rig, thanks for showing it to us. Looking forward to the pictures.

[heathydee]

Here is the setup.

[heathydee]

In the above picture the lead in the cauldron has just begun to melt . 5.00 PM local time.Here is another picture with a 12 inch ruler to give an idea of scale.

[heathydee]

Okay the time is 5.30 local time and all the lead I have is melted and fluxed in the cauldron .It is a mix of roofing lead ,wheelweights and range scrap.I estimate about 65 pounds.

[heathydee]

The burner under the shotmaker is activated.

[heathydee]

Local time 5.40 shot begins to flow.Very hard to see.I have to apologise for my cheap digital camera.

[heathydee]

Local time 6.10.It has been running half an hour and the coolant is just warm.The lead has almost ceased flowing.

[heathydee]

Local time 6.15. Coolant drained.

[heathydee]

The shot is rinsed under the garden tap and then run through this homemade screen which is drilled full of 2.5mm holes. Shot size is dependant first of all on the size of the hole in the dripper and secondly by the level of lead in the shotmaker.The higher the level the smaller the shot ,however if the level is too high the droplets run into one another and a large misshapen blob results.The screen is simply to remove those.

[heathydee]

Here is the shot bagged and on the bathroom scales. I read 26.1 kilograms which translates to just over 57 pounds of shot .Not bad for an hour and a halfs work and 5 bucks worth of propane gas. After it has dried I rumble it with a pinch or two of graphite powder and it is ready to go. This batch counted out to 450 pellets to the ounce. I have been using this shot for skeet shooting for the last 10 years and have never felt as though it has been responsible for a missed target.I hope these few posts help.

[Lucky Joe]

heathydee,

Thank you for taking time to take and post the pictures. The fact that you have been using this for 10 years speaks for it's value. I'm sure you will have more questions from me and others here. That is a nice setup.

[PatMarlin]

That's the coolest rig I've seen so far... :drinks:

You could easily make a coolant cooler to by cycling the coolant throught a radiator with a fan blowing through it for instance.

I wonder how the non toxic pink glycol would work?

PLEASE keep posting!!!

[PatMarlin]

One thing that would be a great help is if you could take a closer pic of the nozzles mounted on both sides.

One way to get a good or better picture out of a cheap camera is mount it on a tripod, and then hold the tripod as an extension and steady yourself. Breath deep, let half out and squeeze.. :mrgreen:

[heathydee]

The drippers were made from stainless steel bolts. 8mm shank ,13mm across flats.The closest imperial equivalent would be 5 sixteenths with a half inch head.First the head of the bolt was gripped in a 3 jaw chuck in a lathe and they were drilled nearly all the way through with about a 5/32 drill.
Next a simple jig was made out of a piece of angle iron which allowed me first, to run a 1/4 endmill across the head of the bolt at a 45 degree angle in order to give a flat surface on which to drill the bleed hole ,and then drill the bleed hole itself to a size of .024".I broke quite a few drills in this process.The drill press I have only does about 2000 rpm and the sums indicate 5000 rpm would be better.
Brass spacers hold the drippers away from the trough. The shot drops about 3/8 of an inch on to the bib ,bounces two or thee times and into the coolant. Too fast to see individual pellets.
No dimension appears to be critical other than bleed hole size.

[PatMarlin]

OK so you're saying the hole runs straight through the bolt right? Partially 5/32" then finished at the end with a .024.

So if that's so, this means there's always a supply of lead on the feed side of the nozzle bolts, as the bolts sit up a bit?

On the box tubing you used for a gas manifold (which was very clever by the way), how did you drill that out? Size of holes, spaced, how many?

[Three44s]

heathydee,

That series of posts with your pictures are awesome .......

...... and you are to be commended for your ingenuitity doubly more so!!!!!

Thank you very much!

Three 44s

[heathydee]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Here is arough drawing of the dripper.
There is probably no need to make a burner .I am sure a gas ring obtained from the nearest barbecue shop would do just as good a job as long as your trough is constructed out of aluminium because of its excellent heat transfer properties.
Over the next couple of days I will do a rough drawing of the trough showing the dimensions I have used .

[Texasflyboy]

Quite impressive and well done.

May I ask why you use an open trough to feed the drippers? Was there a reason for this based on experience or something else?

My guess as to why you use a trough is to keep the pressure on the .024" hole consistent and not pressurize the orifice with too much weight of molten lead.

I'm thinking I may have to build one of these as a companion to my lead pot....

Tom

[PatMarlin]

I see now. I was wondering about the holes coming out the center. You used your end mill to cut in the flat notch, then drilled it with the small bit.

Stainless and alum would be the way to go for sure, but I bet that stainless .024 was hard to drill like you say.

I sold my aluminum welder dangit!

[PatMarlin]

Still would like to see your box tubing burner. I need to make a burner, as we don't have BBQ shops up here.. :mrgreen:

[heathydee]

Here is an image of the burner.Holes are 2.5mm. I welded one end shut and the other is where the tap is held in by a set screw. The gap underneath is to allow air to mix with the gas. The tap and gas jet were purchased from the barbecue shop.

[heathydee]

Here is a rough dimensional drawing.The unit is 9" wide.The 4" extension on the back oof the trough is used to melt ingots when I am not using pre melted lead.

Texasflyboy.
Yes.The open trough is to more easily monitor the level of the melt.Too low and the shot gains size.Too high and it clumps together and forms blobs.A more consistent result is arrived at by using pre-melted lead .Generally if I have a lot to get through I begin by melting up a full cauldron and casting it into ingots.The next cauldron full is used to begin the shotmaking and the ingots can be added as the level of melt drops,bearing in mind that adding too much cold lead at one time can halt the process.
The unit will work by just adding cold ingots but you have to hover over the thing every minute to keep track of the level .

[heathydee]

Borrowed the wife's camera! Bless her.Close up of the drippers showing a frozen pellet about to drop.
CORRECTION. The pellets fall 3/8" to the bib not 5/8" as I stated in an earlier post.

[PatMarlin]

Gracias Senior.. :drinks:

[scrapcan]

very nice.

Pat,

an intersting way to make a burner feed is to use tweco wire feed tips. If you use the tip to introduce the propane into the square or round burner lik eheathydee has made the pressure from the jet will pull the airstream in for mixing. I have not made a low output burner using this method, but I am sure it will work. I have built some burners for a forge and a couple others for big heat applications.

Here is a link to a great page by Ron Reil on forge burner design. Take a look at the T-Rex burner page, these are some monster atmospheric burners for their size.

http://ronreil.abana.org/sitemap.html

t-rex burner page
http://www.hybridburners.com/

[PatMarlin]

Thanks for the Link Manley.

I've got plenty of tweeco tips... :drinks:

[clayslayer27]

heathydee what is the distance of the lip from the drippers

[heathydee]

About 3/4 inch. Not critical.An 1/8 either way would not matter.

[fallout4x4]

so if I can get about a hundred pounds of number 8 shot for about a buck twenty five a pound I should go for it huh? Sounds like its going for two bucks/pound for the rest of you guys.

[turbo1889]

Any chance you could get round buck-shot out of one of these rigs ???? I'm thinking OO size ???? or is that just way too big to ball up correctly without an insanely tall drop tower ????

I send a lot of buch-shot down range and I'm getting tired of either paying high way robbery prices for an itty bitty box or casting it two darn balls at a time.

[PatMarlin]

You need to get you a "Do-it" mold for those buckshots.

[shotman]

you can make buck shot but the cooling tank would have to be deep and the lead temp would be more of an issue also hole size would increase in dripper guessing about 4 times? rick

[6pt-sika]

you can make buck shot but the cooling tank would have to be deep and the lead temp would be more of an issue also hole size would increase in dripper guessing about 4 times? rick

Now I would be intrested in making one of these things to make OO or O buck !

And I think perhaps it could be of 2 to 4 holes , as 25 pounds of this at a time would be plenty !

[6pt-sika]

I just talked with my friend from the gunclub that has the pair of Littleton Shotmakers !

And he's up for letting me try to make some new drippers for buckshot to use in his setup !

So what size hole should I make for OO buck ? .098" maybe ?

If #8 shot is .024 . That times 4 would be .096" and a little extra just to be safe would be .098" or am I off a bit ?

[6pt-sika]

Now I am also wondering ?

In the past I have read about and shot Hevi Shot buckshot . If I am not mistaken this stuff is supposed to be harder then normal shot , hence the reason it patterns better from lack of deformation .

So I am thinking if I use Linotype which is supposed to be about 20 on the hardness scale , that should be better then WW's which usually are about 9 or 10 !

Now am I looking at this thing correctly or not ?

[HTRN]

I think that shot size vs. hole size will require some experimentation - Remember, 7 and a half is approx. 350 pellets to the ounce, while 00 is 8. That's about 43 times the volume per pellet. So start there, but it may be that shot that big is too large to make in these small shotmakers.

You can however, cast them - Lee makes .330 sized molds (http://www.grafs.com/product/190498)

This has got me very interested. It should be simple enough to machine a ladle out of aluminum stock, and then attach a ring or disc heater(Mcmaster Carr has a good selection of 'em) and controller (http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14) to regulate heat. You don't even need to make the nozzles as Magma will sell them. Use a cheap bottom pour pot like a Lee(if you don't have one on hand already) to feed it as a premelt...

Dammit! I didn't want another project!


HTRN

[heathydee]

The largest shot I have ever made successfully is sized about .110". This needs a set of drippers drilled about .040". The level of molten lead in the tray has to be as low as is practical . If there is too much flow the droplets run into one another and form mis-shapen blobs.
As regards the height of the lip from the coolant I have found the closer the better is the way to go . Raising the lip will result in molten droplets flattening and being less round , as will coolant overheating.
Coolants are a whole story in themselves. I have used diesel fuel with electrically powered shotmakers and it works well - cleanup being the problem . I have heard that near boiling water can be used but I could foresee a very nasty accident happening in my workshop .
Soapy water is another one I have not tried. My current coolant is a soluble machining oil "BP Fedaro M "mixed at about 20 to 1 with water. That is one litre of oil to twenty litres of water. I have been using the same batch of coolant for 15 years .It is stored in plastic drums under the bench and brought out as required. It does not appear to have deteriorated at all over the years.

[beyersgrt]

I see a new building project in the making.
I want to make no 7 and 71/2 shot. What would the size of the dripper be?

What flux would you use?

__________________________________________________ ________

Cartidges aint fun 'til they go BANG

[Mister Tom]

Just a note on the drilling of stainless. Try to use cobalt (or M42) twist drills and you will have much greater success over HSS drills. Stainless is soft but is considerably abrasive when being cut and tends to build more heat on the cutting edge. Cobalt tool steel is not much more expensive and adds to the toughness and hot-hardness of the drill considerably. Make sure to slow down RPMs, use gentle steady feed pressure and use plenty of cutting oil or coolant. Pecking the drill also helps to clear the chips. Cutting stainless at 50sfm with a 5/32 drill should be around 1200 RPM. For the .020-.040 drills, most equipment will not run fast enough, as Heathydee mentioned. I hope this saves some broken drills (and well placed cuss words)!

[rszkutak]

I am looking to make #5, and #6 shot. Does anyone have an idea of what size hole to drill on the front to accomplish this? I hate to buy one of the nozzles from magma to get the size from it, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

I am kicking around using your design for the nozzle, however I am going to make it a double hole exit. Of course you will have to use larger "bolts" and a larger bore inside the bolt but I am planning some good solid heat on it.

For my alloy I use foundry ingots, when i cast normal bullets and heat treat them they come out 22 BHN. I wonder what the BHN of magnum shot is?

[PatMarlin]

Start small and work up.

[heathydee]

I am looking to make #5, and #6 shot. Does anyone have an idea of what size hole to drill on the front to accomplish this? I hate to buy one of the nozzles from magma to get the size from it, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

I am kicking around using your design for the nozzle, however I am going to make it a double hole exit. Of course you will have to use larger "bolts" and a larger bore inside the bolt but I am planning some good solid heat on it

About a .030" hole should be close enough to get you started , bearing in mind that the shot size can be manipulated up or down by playing around with lead level , and thus pressure , in the trough of your shotmaker . The double holed dripper is an idea worth pursuing . When next I have some spare time it is something I wish to do with my machine. It currently has 13 drippers but doubling that to 26 would be well worth doing . Best of luck .
Heath

[hoosierlogger]

I used a .024 for my 7 1/2 nozzle and it comes out pretty close to the right size. I made another set of nozzles too, but I cant remember what size bit I used. Buy plenty of bits because you will break one or two. Also use lots of cutting oil while drilling.

[jppr26]

im having troubble with the one im making all i get is a steady stream of lead with droplets having a tail, what is a decent angle for the pot end of it. and should the plate that it dribbles onto be sloped or flat with the pot

[heathydee]

im having troubble with the one im making all i get is a steady stream of lead with droplets having a tail, what is a decent angle for the pot end of it. and should the plate that it dribbles onto be sloped or flat with the pot

If the lead is coming out of the dripper in a steady stream without forming droplets there is too much pressure behind it . If the droplets have a tail they are falling too far. The inclined ramp needs to be at about 30 degrees . It is not critical . Five degrees either way will not matter. The ramp needs to be smooth and free of imperfections and the droplets should bounce two or three times on their way to the coolant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=App1keMEMVc

[Flash]

I tried this once and never hung in long enough to perfect it but mine was a Saeco bottom pour furnace and a short length of aluminum rain gutter. The Saeco was adjustable to have just a dribble or a decent flow. I used screen material from a local quarry and wound up with pretty decent sized shot around #2 but the sizes were all over the place. I just recycled what i couldn't use.

[L1A1Rocker]

This looks like an interesting project.

Thanks for all the photos and the video. That is truly an excellent dropper.

[PatMarlin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjdHWLi5mNk&feature=related

[jppr26]

so i need to have just enough lead for it to dribble out, the more lead in the pot the more presure which will make it pour out in a stream. am i correct?

[heathydee]

so i need to have just enough lead for it to dribble out, the more lead in the pot the more presure which will make it pour out in a stream. am i correct?

In a word , Yes , but there is an ability to vary the size of the shot by manipulating the lead level . I run mine with the lead level just short of the point where the blobbing starts . This gives me 8.5 to 9 shot. If I lower the lead level half an inch the size produced is 7.5 to 8 .

[jppr26]

another problem im haveing is the lead is sticking to the ramp, and running sown in a stream, it is not staying in the individual shot pellets, do i need to lube the ramp with something?

[heathydee]

another problem im haveing is the lead is sticking to the ramp, and running sown in a stream, it is not staying in the individual shot pellets, do i need to lube the ramp with something?

I use ordinary blackboard chalk on the ramp . Also , the ramp needs to be as smooth as possible . I regularly give the ramp a dressing with an orbital sander using 600 grit paper .

[Faret]

another problem im haveing is the lead is sticking to the ramp, and running sown in a stream, it is not staying in the individual shot pellets, do i need to lube the ramp with something?

Bullplate lube works too just let it burn on.

[jppr26]

how high do the dripers need to be from the plate mine are about 1/4"

[heathydee]

how high do the dripers need to be from the plate mine are about 1/4"

About 3/8 inch .

[xfoxofshogo]

Hello if some one is makeing the boolts for the dripers let me know

Im thinking about tring carb jets ther brass and chep and i can get all size will that work

sorry i was in a rush and i drop words some times

[waksupi]

well if some ones makeing the boolts for it let me know im tring but im thinking a bout tring carb jets ther brass and chep and i can get all size it thay work

In English, please.

[xfoxofshogo]

Hello if some one is makeing the boolts for the dripers let me know

Im thinking about tring carb jets ther brass and chep and i can get all size will that work

sorry i was in a rush and i drop words some times

is that to your likeing

[xfoxofshogo]

well i built a one dripper shot maker and it makes 8-9 shot no mater what the lvl of the lead is.
and i have a trun off rod on it kind like a lead pot.
it all so makes it drip not run and i can make go it fast or slow it down to drip slower and it makes 8-9 shot. all the time
now all i have to do is get a good tank and some coolint even tho the water and dot3 works it makes a big mess.
i like to just wash it down if spill so i buy some all

ps its late and im sleepy so if you cant read this sorry

[merrden]

Hi: I would like a set of your shot maker plans. I am a machinist so nozzles pose no problem. I just need hole sizes to match shot sizes and specs for the nozzle. Meerrden@comcast.net. Please advise. Thanks much.

[Lonegun1894]

I dont know for a fact how relaible this is, but I have read that the size of the shot produced is 3x the size of the hole it drips from. Can anyone confirm/deny this?

[WVHunter129]

I also would like to have a set of plans. I want to start making my own shot, and I want to make approximately #4's or #5's, #6's would be fine as well, somewhere in that ball park. I already have close to 800 lbs of lead, I cast my own bullets for my handguns and two rifles. So I am no stranger to lead preparation, fluxings, etc. I have been casting now for about a year. If you can send me some rough plans I would appreciate it. My email address is wvhunter129@yahoo.com Thanks in advance.

[olafhardt]

Seems like this ought to be a sticky.

[JSAND]

heathydee, I would appreciate a copy of your plans, my email is jsande130@gamail.com. Thank you in advance.
jsand

[heathydee]

All the plans that there are , are there in the thread. The shotmakers will work with variations in angle , bib length , dripper height and types of coolant . The only critical size really is in the bleed holes in the drippers .
Also the level of lead in the trough has an influence on the size of shot. As a general rule , the larger the bleed hole , the lower the level of melt . Bleed hole sizes range from .040” which will make #5 or #6 shot down to holes of around .023” for #8 or #9 .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=App1keMEMVc&list=UUdza0w1OiFq1ByUehsRXzdA&index=12

If you looked at the link I posted to the video you will have seen #8 shot being produced . The droplets are falling about 3/8” and are bouncing two or three times on their way to the coolant . The fall into the coolant needs to be as short as can be managed without the bib touching the coolant . A longer fall to the coolant does nothing to improve shot quality . Pellets flatten out and assume a disc like shape .
A lot of guys get into trouble by not cleaning and fluxing their lead before attempting to make shot . Dirt and debris will find its way into the bleed holes ; clogging them and halting proceedings . Many years ago an electrically heated device known as a Shotmaster was available . Two drippers only . I bought several very cheaply from guys who could not get them to work - the problem being dirty lead .

Sorry I cannot help more with plans . Best of luck .

Heath

[fishin_bum]

Lead Shot Maker- The Never Ending Project! Ok, so last week I decided to make a shot maker, easy enough I whip out a dripper pan with drippers in about 3 hours, went to the garage and tested it out on the hot plate I use to make ingots on. The heat wasn't right with the hot plate but it worked (kind of) This week I decided to make a burner for it. Once I constructed a burner and attached it to the bottom. Now I need some thing to mount it on. I have an old BBQ grill that I was planning on making a forge out of, well after some cleaning and modifying replacing wheels and rebuilding the gas fittings. I am ready to build a coolant tank and an overflow tank. I feel like this project has taken life and is growing faster than my kids. I just wanted to make a few pounds of shot so I can try out the 12ga reloader that I have had new in the box for 4 years. The bright side; this unit will be totally contained on a small BBQ grill and its portable. I will post pics when I complete it.

[boltaction308]

I am thinking about making a shotmaker as well. I want to use electric and electric heater cartridges are available on ebay.

Question, why does the lead have to bounce off of a plate before going into the water. I would think dropping straight into the water would make a more round shot pellet.

[heathydee]

Question, why does the lead have to bounce off of a plate before going into the water. I would think dropping straight into the water would make a more round shot pellet.

Dropping directly into coolant will result in the pellets having tails .

[grubbylabs]

heathydee, what are the odds you would sell me a set of drippers for less than I can buy them from magma?

[dverna]

I was really interested in making shot when I started shooting a lot of Trap. I was reloading 15k+ rounds a year. That is over 1000 lbs of shot per year. First problem, where to find even half that much WW alloy. Then the time and effort. The homemade junk (yes, most of homemade shot is junk - at least the stuff I have seen) would only work for practice singles or first shot of doubles.

I decided that I was better served by buying a ton at at time when prices took a dip. If I want to shoot cheaper I load 7/8 or 1 oz of good shot instead of 1 1/8 oz of "junk". My standard practice load is now 1 oz of magnum 8 shot for singles and doubles.

If you do not shoot a lot, is it worth the bother? You can get 400 1 oz loads from a $40 bag of shot. If you shoot a lot, WW supply becomes a problem. And WW will only get tougher to get. I see WW going for over $1 per pound. That is $25+/bag. You still need to get shot making equipment, screens, coolant, washing set-up and time to wind up saving $15/bag and have an inferior product.

There is the joy of doing it - if that turns your crank. There is also the great feeling of being self-sufficient if things go crazy. But for me the economics and performance loss did not make it worthwhile.

[grubbylabs]

Being in the recycling business I have a supply of lead, so If I can get the shot maker to produce good shot, which some seems to think it does, then I think I would be ahead. My only down fall is I don't have the tools to make the drippers, every thing else I think I can manage.

[heathydee]

heathydee, what are the odds you would sell me a set of drippers for less than I can buy them from magma?

Sorry Grubby , I am not in the business of making and selling stuff . Too many projects and too little time . Freight from Australia would kill too . If you need a few pictures of the drippers to help a local machinist you may recruit , send me a PM and I will be glad to help .

Also , bear in mind what Dverna has to say about shot quality . I only recommend homemade shot for skeet or first barrel trap .

Heath

[khmer6]

that youtube video is awesome. i saw another guy on there they built one and had for sale. wanted 5k for it. nice and fancy, but we dont need fancy in here

[mtgrs737]

You can buy drippers from Mr. Stewart at "the better shotmaker", or contact Magma engineering for some Littleton drippers.

I have a Better Shotmaker from mr. Stewart, and no deverna the shot it makes is not junk, and have shot many 25 straights at trap with it. You do have to build a coolant tank and make some screens to help size the shot along with a few other things to make good shot. It is fun to make good shot but it is also time consuming, so if you don't have the time then maybe you are better off just shooting factory loads.

[jimb16]

I have a Littleton and my shot is almost like commercial drop except for a tiny recess in the shot from cooling. After running the shot in a tumbler to graphite it, most of those little pits disappear. I use my shot for skeet. And like MTGRS737, I've shot a lot of 24s and 25s with my shot. I have not problem with crushing the clay birds with my home made shot. I've hit 4 25 straights in the past 3 weeks and 6 24/25s. I've only been shooting for 3 years and am still a work in progress.

[quasi]

I am not chep, I am porrr.

[Faret]

There is a guy on ebay that sells drippers. They work real well. Have 3 sets myself!

[Gmangh15]

I may just make my own. Between my father and I think we can do it

[shortbed454]

i know this is kind of an older thread. but if anyone still has the plans to make one of these shot maker, i would really appreciate it if they could send me a set. shortbed454@gmail.com the like from the video is no good any more. i have been casting my own 9mm boolits for a while and i would like to start making my own shot. i already made a set of dripers and i would like to have a set of plans for the rest. thanks in advance.

[PrecisionAmmunition]

Shortbed454 I have some plans I will post later.

[shortbed454]

thanks . cant wait to get started making my own shot.

[fastfire]

I too am interested in making a shotmaker, need plans.

[SpotHound]

The shot is rinsed under the garden tap and then run through this homemade screen which is drilled full of 2.5mm holes. Shot size is dependant first of all on the size of the hole in the dripper and secondly by the level of lead in the shotmaker.The higher the level the smaller the shot ,however if the level is too high the droplets run into one another and a large misshapen blob results.The screen is simply to remove those.

Where is OZ to get the screen?

[PrecisionAmmunition]

http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/236543-shotmaker-dimensions/

[mtgrs737]

Those considering making their own shot, do you have a good supply of hard lead or at least a way of hardening your soft lead, (3 to 6% antimony)? Do you shoot enough shot to justify spending about a grand on equipment? Do you have the time to make enough shot to justify the expense? Are you the type of person that likes to tinker and figure things out? If you answered Yes to these questions then you have what it takes to make good shot. Anyone can make shot but it takes someone willing to figure out how to make good shot, that is shot good enough to break 27 yd targets consistently. I cut open all kinds of target shotshells to check the shot quality and hardness and I can tell you some of the big name brands are disappointing.

Quality shot is a factor of the correct melt temperature, the correct viscosity, heat absorbtion rate, and starting and finishing temp of the coolant. Cooling a lead pellet drip too fast will cause it to explode like popcorn, you need it to slowly cool as it spins and drops thru the coolant. The reason for the ramp is to get the molten pellet to roll so it rounds up and enters the coolant where it spins and solidifies, this is how you get the most round shape. The shortest drop possible is needed because it will start to form a teardrop shape if it drops too far or flatten out if it drops really far. Also you lead alloy should not contain much tin if possible, as tin will reduce the surface tension, this is why they add arsenic to shot alloy which gives it surface tension so it will round up easier. Clip on Wheel Weights are the best to make shot out of as they have little tin, some antimony, and a small amount of arsenic. For long range shot I add 2% antimony to Clip on WW alloy via Roto-metal's 30% alloy this gives me between 4 - 5% antimony shot that rivals the best premium factory load shot.

I use Sun liquid laundry soap as a coolant, it is cheap on sale at the dollar store, has the right viscosity and heat absorbtion rate, and washes off with water. My coolant tank is 25 inches deep and is made from a military mortor can, it has a pipe fitting welded on the bottom, a metal V shaped funnel to bring the shot/coolant to the fitting and a ball valve to remove the shot and coolant when I am done running a batch. I use a 2 gallon plastic bucket with holes in the bottom covered with epoxied in window screen to catch the shot/coolant and separate the two. The bucket sits in a tote/tub to catch the coolant, then I sit the 2 gallon bucket in a five gallon bucket with lid that has had the lid cut out to hold the two gallon bucket so it can finish draining the soap off the shot. From there it gets washed off with the hose, poured out in sheet cake pans on the hot concrete driveway then sieved in homemade sieves and then graphite and polished in a vibratory tumbler. I store the finish shot in 2 liter pop bottles that have been cleaned and dried and labeled.

Your lead temps need to be about 650 degrees and you coolant temp will have to be figured out due to the type of coolant you choose. Clean lead alloy is of upmost importance when making shot.


Good luck to all whom choose to travel this road, it can be both frustrating and rewarding!

[PrecisionAmmunition]

I have about 150$ into mine it's all hand built and it works amazingly well. I use wheel weight lead and then quench it to add to the hardness. I can easily make 100lbs a hour. I plan to double the drippers to 14 total and make 200lbs a hour. I load 2500 rounds a month so it's worth it to me.

[Faret]

Ok finally laid off for the winter got time to put up pic's! Here they are.
http://tinypic.com/a/2uo2p/4

[PrecisionAmmunition]

faret need some more details on your machine please like the angle of the ramp off the front and then the overall angle you run you machine aswell. plus I see your using automotive coolant what mix are you running coolant/water? I am currently using fabric softener and it works well but on my most recent run all the shot balls have a tiny lip on them, still no issue in my loading machine or shooting clays.

[Faret]

My machine is put away in cold storage but I think I ran 18* on the lip which is 3/16 thick to hold more heat. 12-14* on the ladle which is 1/2 or 3/8 thick all mild steel. My machine is adjustable with the chain too. Fired by a 10# turkey burner in a square box made out of 3/16 plate 625-650 deg temp worked for me. Coolant is straight auto ethylene glycol antifreeze no water with I would guess 10% laundry detergent. Make sure your ramp is smooth and like a scissor edge on the end nice and sharp. I was getting around 100# an hour with 8-7.5 size shot with double drippers.

[Littleton Shot Maker]

if you guys need drippers I will sell some to you, with or with out hole for those want to turn new things or try to make double out of each blank??
Hell we even made aluminum drippers ans some stainless 316, $$$ there......

I'll sell you guys the pan alone that goes on top, you can save money there by not having to re-do that most critical part, and just build, source and make the rest.
We even have a pan that holds ten 10, (not 7) droppers with a lead dam and the back of the pan.....thicker metal than our standard pans, would use a 8 inch electric element or you can try something on your own, Propane?

[Ed1]

what would the size of the hole be to make #4 buckshot(.240)?

[Faret]

#4 buck would be too big. Look at a lee mold or Sharpshooter mold.

[Ed1]

I have the sharpshooter. I was lookin for a faster way.

[Faret]

I have the lee for the same reason going to make it a 24 cavity!

[Geezer in NH]

Use 2 of them

[kingemandigger]

Just a quickie - I was thinking that mixing a little bit of zinc (from those dastardly zinc wheel weights) into the lead (in small enough quantities as not to inhibit the dripping of the lead) would harden the shot and make use of any zinc laying around. Has anyone tried this or know how it would work.

[Faret]

I have been cutting my wheel weights no less than 75% with pure lead. Straight wheel weights just makes it too hard. Have noticed that targets break a lot better this way too! Sell the zinc back to the scrap yard or build a cannon and shoot it from that. I just need to find a mold!:-D

[Littleton Shot Maker]

ZINC will if not right away over some time plug up the droppers! ZINC is bad for bullets molds and for shot making-

CAN it be done YES- like anything with the right tools an enough money
HAVE I seen zinc bullets --YES they sucked
HAVE I seen with my own eyes zinc shot made? YES but it did not happen on a standard shot maker- It took way more heat to make flow right - the sizes where all over the place and the entire "unit- machine " was sealed up- the guy doing it was in full coverage body suit and air from a bottle - geared up like a BIO HAZARD.
WHY?? I don't know he was the expert ""IS"" but I would never do it even if I WAS being paid...

small amount of tin will harden pure lead- 1/20 makes for a hard enough alloy for shot.

[shootinfox2]

Alan, I noticed a slow down in dripper 3 & 4 today tried cleaning them out, but stoll slower than the others. I suspect heat,many ideas?
Do you have the double drippers in size 7.5?

Fox

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Fox
if you move the dripper from one location to another does it still run slow at that spot? AND does the original drippers now run better or the same?
dripper 3-4?? the ones in the middle?? those should run the best- most folks have issue with the first and last droppers (normally) if the temps get too low in the working area
IF the pan is sitting out to far the middle dripper can run slower but then all the other will too.

HOW did you clean them? If you know the hole size I recommend using a set of 'wire or pin gauge' tools- NOT a TIP cleaner or a piece of thin wire....start with a pin tool 1 or 2 sizes smaller-
GO in- then out - DO NOT go round and round trying to ream out the hole- your #9 will end up a #4 in a couple seconds---
Heat them - try blowing out debris - then if you have to- USE PIN GAUGE tool to pass into and them out of droppers.

IF you have to force it then back up- go to smaller tool. Heat it again, and the poke it out...

DO NOT TRY TO RE-DRILL THE HOLES you will catch the bit and snap off the bit in the hole and now it's trashed.....
FOX- you need more help- shoot me a call or email me direct- I don't go on the forum as much as I did before- busy kicking machines out these days and helping folks on the phone allot- winter always gives folks fits....when they are trying to make shot.

[shootinfox2]

Cleaned out all the nozzles. Replaced the middle two with new reserve drippers. They ran twice as fast as the outside drippers. Tried the fabric softener coolant with poor results. The shot was not falling through the coolant fast enough, causing vertical bridging up to the poor spouts.
cleaned all the drippers and got rid of the softener. Back to the orginal anti freeze tomorrow and I will post the results. The machine is working fine, but the middle drippers were running slow. I cleaned out the whole pan tonight and will see the results tomorrow. Made over two hundred pounds this week, but then the slow down. I was wondering about what you said about zinc. Should not be any in this alloy, but MURPHY?

[Littleton Shot Maker]

FOX
zinc is sorta like Cholesterol, a little bit , you may not notice. AS it build ups (in droppers) it begins to close down the drip hole, BUT it is also sticky- SO if you have zinc , normally all the drippers will have the same issue NOT just one or two...NORMALLY...
NOW, very high antimonial lead can do the same thing as the antimony start to 'scale' inside the droppers and have the same effect .... I say high Antimony as in YOU where using 7-2-93-or 6-2-94 or even higher like 10% Ant.

DO you have any colors in the lead?
Do you have any grey fluff floating in the smelting pot or your shot maker pan??

Should be no higher than 2/3% Antimony for the drippers to work - not plug and not scale up...

[mtgrs737]

Alan,

I add 2% more Antimony into my shot making alloy that starts out as clip on ww lead for handicap distance trap shooting. I have no problem with that alloy and I figure it is running 4 - 4.5 % antimony. For short range targets I use the COWW lead straight as it is about 2.5% antimony and it drips well and breaks 16 yd. trap targets with authority. Zinc is a real problem in a shotmaker, so I suggest being very careful when making shot alloy ingots for your shotmaker.

Best wishes!

Mtgrs737

[SSGOldfart]

Springfield,

Thanks for your input. I have a fairly steady supply of WWs too, I was thinking that if the range lead doesn't work out, I may mix it 50/50 with WWs. This is the alloy I use for handgun boolits. When dropped into water, it is HARD. Not sure if it'll harden if dropped into brake fluid or anti-freeze, which I have read are the best for shotmaking, I guess I'll find out.

Have to do something, not gonna pay $40 for shot when I have free lead.

SSB
you might want to rethink the coolent, and use fabric softer (cheap at wally world by the gallon)

[mtgrs737]

I had no luck with fabric softener as it built lead "towers" to the edge of the drip ramp. I use Sun brand liquid laundry soap from the dollar general store with good results and it washes off easily. I also use a deep coolant drop tank (about 23" deep) so that the shot has time to firm up before the next shot falls on top of it. I only make shot on days that the temp is over 65 degrees and shut down the process when the coolant reaches 120 degrees. Assure that your alloy is very clean and zinc free for best results. Some zinc WW's are very hard to tell from lead WW's so if you think one is a little light check to see if it is marked Zn.

Best Wishes!

Mtgrs

[Fritz D]

I just started making shot with a homemade unit. Some replies to this thread have talked about using sieves to sort shot into the various sizes . . . I've got a fine wire mesh strainer that I use to drain off the coolant, but I can't find any strainers/sieves that will allow me to sort the shot into various sizes. I would appreciate if anyone could post pictures of their sieves, homemade or commercial.

[Sitsinhedges]

I just started making shot with a homemade unit. Some replies to this thread have talked about using sieves to sort shot into the various sizes . . . I've got a fine wire mesh strainer that I use to drain off the coolant, but I can't find any strainers/sieves that will allow me to sort the shot into various sizes. I would appreciate if anyone could post pictures of their sieves, homemade or commercial.

If you use a consistent method of work apart from the odd blob the shot should be all the same size anyway.

[passyric]

I read somewhere in this Forum that by adding antimonium to lead, lowers the melting temperature of the alloy. If this is a fact, can I benefit from that and get a pot with not so hot droplets comming out and better colling capabilities when it goes down into the colling tank?
Also, how to mix the antimonium to lead as they have different melting points? Antimonium on Lead, or the other way arround?

[dondiego]

Wheel weights and linotype have antimony already alloyed in it.

[passyric]

Don Diego, thank you for your answer.
The idea here is to eliminate Tin and increase Antimonium and have a higher surface tension, and if the lower temperature thing is true, have a better colling properties.
I'm going only by teory, I cast regular bullets, shot making is my new retirement project, still in test fase with some teardrops, cookies shape and last time a round with skinny tail, some exploding from inside. That tells me this will be fun! My old lady will love, becouse I'll in the garage and not arround telling the same old stories.
WWs is the source arround here, linotype is a not an option. Antimonium is easy, but how to?

[Springfield]

http://www.ascscientific.com/sieves.html#dual

[bdbruce]

My understanding is that Regular commercial shot is 2-3% Antimony and Magmum shot is 5% Antimony. Around here in the San Francisco Bay Area 25 lbs. runs fron $39.95 to 49.95 for a 25 lb bag.
Anyone ever use "recycled shot" sold by Rotometals?

[dondiego]

I used to shoot a lot of trap and could sometimes get reclaimed shot mined from trap fields. It worked OK at the 16 yard line.

[mtgrs737]

I sieve my shot so that I get shot that is pretty much the same size so that my loads will be consistant in shot weight. I have bought some sieves from ebay but prefer to make my own from wire cloth purchased in 12" squares from Industrial supply houses like Graingers, McMaster Carr, etc. I use two by four lumber to make the frame out of wood, I use epoxy and staples to attach the wire screen cloth to the frame. I then cover up the wire ends with more wood so that I don't snag my skin on the frame. I have found that if given a choice I will choose wire cloth that is made of heavier wire but has a smaller number of openings as that will make the sieve more durable. Also graphited shot will sieve easier than non-graphited shot. Sieving is a lot of work but gives you more consistant shot drops, my drops are usually +/- 3 pieces of shot. Also, my shot is not perfectly round, typically it is .004" TIR out of round, I did make a batch that ran .002" out of round but cannot find out how that happened. I have not found that this little bit out of round effects patterns negatively or does not break targets just as good as perfectly round pellets. Shot size can also be effected by temperature of the lead in the ladle and the height of the lead over the dripper inlets. Faster dripping lead will tend to be larger then slow dripping lead. Coolant choice is also a factor, if the pellet cools too fast it will explode like popcorn. Tin in the alloy is not good as it reduces surface tension, arsenic in the alloy improves surface tension and that is why commercial shot has it at about .1%, Clip on WW's come in around .01% still better than nothing. I use a vibratory tumbler to graphite my shot, I put in about 5 lbs. at a time and set the timer for 20 - 30 minutes. I put in about a large pea sized amount of graphite per batch as more is not better in this process. The shot comes out polished shiny black in color and I have never had a build up of graphite in my loader and never a bridge in the drop tube either. I store my shot in 2 liter pop bottles as they are free, and easy to pour from. I attach lables to the bottles to I.D. shot.

Good luck to all here that journey down this road, it can be a huge cost saver depending on your source of lead.

Mtgrs737

[Vinne]

The Land of OZ knows their stuff. I have been making shot for over 20 years and one thing I can say is that COWWs work the best and shot is good if the coolant is not too cool or too hot. My coolant tank holds 2 gals of coolant and I can make about 25 to 30 lbs in the am but only 10 to 15 lbs with the afternoon heat in the shed even with the fans on. The shot don't like the winter months at all. The best times for me down in the south is April to July and November to January. I make enough during those times to get by and the other times of the year are too hot or too cold and a waste of time.

[ichthyo]

Has anybody ever tried a muzzleloader nipple for shot dropping? Seems it could be easier than drilling bolts.

[Faret]

Double drippers are too cheap off ebay!

[woodsjc83]

manleyjt:
could i get a copy of the shotmaker prints? Thanks in advance.