Mixing Chilled Shot

[sixshot]

Friend just bought 1,000 lbs of shot from a trap range, I'm sure this has been brought up before but those of you who have used it, anything he needs to know for handgun loads? He also has pure lead & WW's available.

Dick

[GabbyM]

It takes a while in the melting pot to carefully flux out the graphite and other dirt. Then you are ready to go. IIRC magnum bird shot is about 3% Sb (antimony). He'll want to look that number up to check and then it will be an approximation. I would not dump it direct into my casting pot. Melt it outside in a big 50 to 100 pound pot over a gas cooker. Flux with lard or vegie oil and let it set at 750* or so for a while.

Alloy depends upon what bullets he is making. 38 Special or 45 acp it's good to go if the mold fills out without any tin. Which is unlikely. 9mm and 40 S&W I'd add tin and copper. The copper is optional and just a thing I like in there. Rotto Metals #3 Babbitt is the easiest tin copper source. Then you can water drop, heat treat or air cool. But first get it cleaned up and poured into ingots.

[Nose Dive]

GabbyM is on the cash..... dead on.... Always 'smelt' stuff and make ingots before adding 'unkown's to the casting pot...bad habit....bad for pot, boolits, gun,,, well...all is bad... Smelt first...ingot out in portions that fit your smelting pot and casting run...then go for it...

1,000 lbs of shot is a good big haul. As GabbyM suggests...and me too.... take the time and smelt out some ingots....I drop into muffin pans as these fit my little casting pot. And...shot I get, is always...always...'dirty'...trash...dirt,,,buts... paper... garbage in the shot...and this...you do NOT want in your casting pot....

So,,,I water wash my shot...on the driveway....then smelt away.... I 'start' with sawdust and sulfur...in the bottom of the smelt pot....add shot..other smelt 'trash' I pick up....then start the heat...LOW...AND SLOW....and do NOT fill the smelt pot...2" below top at least...at least.... bring up heat...see some thing begin to melt...stir...add some more flux....and come up slow on heat.... once all is melted...mix well...scrap sides and bottom...more sawdust and sulfur....keeping things below 750 or so...... and I agree with GABBYM again..finish with wax....and or...oil..... mix well.... stirring here is essential too..... I scored some toilet bowl wax rings from a demo site recently and they flux very well..... Nasty for sure...but I ain't eat'in my boolits and always keep lead and my fingers out of my mouth!!

Oh.... I too alloy my 'lead shot' smelt..... I like PEWTER..... get it where I can...Solder is good too...then ingot into muffin pans....

And, again,,as GABBYM,,, I cold water drop my boolits and age them for a few months....then size, lube..load... shoot....

And...get some WW's.... alloy with them! say 75% shot...25% WW's...water drop... should be good to go if water dropped for any pistol....

Or...get the pure lead he has...and some WW's...same 75/25 and water drop...size...lube...shoot!!

Nose Dive...

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

[scottfire1957]

You could also use the always recommended alloy calculator.