Cast Shot on Ducks

[Johnch]

I have a Winchester 23 , 28" Mod and Full that someone opened up to Mod and Mod

It was made well before I was born so I will not even try steel shot in it

So I bought some Bismuth / Tin Alloy 88 / 12 % alloy from Rotometals

I made a mold to try and cast #5 Shot ( ended up a touch big ) on the lines of the Lee Buckshot molds

So this morning was opening day of Big Duck and Goose hunting season
4 of us hunted a pothole on the edge of the marsh next to the creek

2 of us hunted each end of the 25 yard wide and 200 yard long pothole to get mallards
And planned on pass shooting the wood ducks as they flew the creek
I got 3 Wood Ducks and a mallard with the cast shot
The other 3 guys got 8 Wood Ducks 3 mallards and a Black Duck

The hunt ended early when one of the other guys shot a Trumpter Swan ( Spelling ?? LOL)

The police were called by the hunters on the other side of the creek and we called the Game Warden
As we ALL told him there were NO White Geese around and the BIG White birds were Swans and not to be shot
So that mess up will cost him $2500 fine Lawyer fees and court cost as that is a Federal Courthouse trip :(

Oh well
The times I missed wasn't the fault of the gun or shot ....ME LOL [smilie=1:

John

[richhodg66]

I've been wondering about this myself. I coach a JROTC Air Rifle team, and we were mandated to use non lead pellets, so I've been collecting the spent ones out of the traps. I'm afraid there may be zinc in them, but they are supposedly mostly tin and are quite hard.

The public land I hunt mandates the use of non toxic shot, even away from the water. How tough was it to cast good shot as small as#5?

[OnHoPr]

congrats John

It was the first opener for me in 17 years. It was a beautiful opening day IMO. It was also the first opener that I never saw, not even one duck. I had another first, at one spot I threw out the first dozen dekes and had 7 aqua keels land on their side out of 12. LOL, what a bite. I am Still trying to get gear together and functional for the rest of the season. Maybe I should of went to Lenawee county. How far are you from Lenawee cty? I could of shot some buckeye ducks.

[runfiverun]

bismuth and tin melts at such a low temperature the hard part would be getting the mold hot.
but it would cast like a champ.

I would invest in some larger drippers for my shot maker. [but I have one so no big deal]

[Johnch]

I've been wondering about this myself. I coach a JROTC Air Rifle team, and we were mandated to use non lead pellets, so I've been collecting the spent ones out of the traps. I'm afraid there may be zinc in them, but they are supposedly mostly tin and are quite hard.

The public land I hunt mandates the use of non toxic shot, even away from the water. How tough was it to cast good shot as small as#5?

Casting is Easy "IF" you pre heat the mold
I made the mold oversized and put it on a hotplate to get it up to temp
No clue what that Temp is , as the numbers on the dial for setting the hotplate temp are gone

Pour all 4 cavitys full
Wait 15 seconds and cut
Then repeat a BUNCH of time to make enough shot

John

[garandsrus]

With about 150 pellets per ounce, each shot represents a LOT of casting! Good luck with the season!

[SSGOldfart]

With about 150 pellets per ounce, each shot represents a LOT of casting! Good luck with the season!

Yep lots of fun casting them one question for you does a magnet stick to your shot? If not you may find yourself next to your buddy in court proving your shot doesn't contain any lead. When I was a Game Warden we tested for steel with a magnet,you could come across a few rookies out to provide their point, it's two tickets by the USFW standards. Some things could have changed but if you've ever worked for the government,Change is unlikely. [smilie=1:

[Geezer in NH]

Sorry on that as Bismuth , Heavy shot and others have been used for years any CO using just a magnet is dumb dumb dumb and may even get sued for his stupidity.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

It is easy enough to cast a lead alloy sheet about a tenth of an inch thick. Or use sheet lead for roofing, but that will probably be soft. If you search for "Whitney punch" on eBay you will find various models of a tool which will bite out little spheres. It is a pellet at a time process, but unlike casting it is a TV-watching job.

I haven't done it on this scale, but I have made 9/16in. lead balls with an Enerpac hydraulic press.

[Duckiller]

Before you use your cast shot for waterfowl check your State regulations. Many States don't require non-toxic shot, they require State approved non-toxic shot. Your home cast shot will not meet any State or Federal requirements. If you are going to buy loaded ammo I would highly recommend Remington Hyper-velocity Steel. It is 1700fps shot. Does bring down ducks.