Reclaimed lead shot score!

[Helka]

Was at the range yesterday and one of the Directors approached me and asked if i wanted a good lead score. Knows I cast/reload. There is a shotgun pattern board against a hut with a hole in it. There was a lot of lead shot on the ground/grass but i wasn't going to try and pick that up. He walked around the back of the hut to the door and inside was a contraption that collects the lead from outside (Pipe shooting?) anyways i was able to get just over 23lbs of lead shot. Cant wait to melt it down. I did try and read some threads but curious how i should treat that lead as? COWW or SOWW or somewhere in between? Currently i use SOWW and COWW 50/50 mix w 2% tin for all my casting. I do have a collection of reclaimed boolits that i need to melt down as well. Only about 20lbs there.

[lightman]

Most shot is hard and a lot of us add a small percentage of tin to it. Shot was one of the hardest things that I have melted. The oxidation and the graphite coating seem to insulate the lead. I had to mash a lot of the shot against the side of the melting pot to crack them.

Nice score by the way!

[Helka]

All of this shot is like flat pieces. I will try and get pics up tonight if it.


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[lightman]

Being flat or deformed should make it easier to melt.

[Winger Ed.]

I had to mash a lot of the shot against the side of the melting pot to crack them.


^^
Back in the 90s I got a couple of hundred pounds of shot from the scrap yard and this was how I melted it down.

I make a lot of soft alloy for .38s and .45s. I'd melt a pot of more or less pure, and toss in a hand full of it to help the fill out.
Or use just the shot for .30 cal. rifle boolits going about 2000 fps or less.
For .45-70 405s running along in the 'low teens' I'd mix in about 1/3 or so of it with pure Lead.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’ve never experimented with it, but have always heard it was very hard. I think arsenic is often added. I’ve also heard that it’s hard to melt down because of the graphite. I think, as Ed said, it’s probably best to slowly mix it into an alloy that’s already melted.

[Dusty Bannister]

I once purchased a good amount of shot that had been used in a carnival gallery. It had either water or oil added to it to reduce the lead dust. I let it dry for a few years and as I tried to melt down small amounts there was a lot of snap crackle and pop until it got heated up. BNE tested to find pure lead. No tin or antimony. This was the next size smaller than BB buck. Just be alert the first time you melt a bunch so you are not taken by surprise.

[Helka]

Thanks for the heads up


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[rking22]

Look in the stickies for the spreadsheet for alloys. The carnival shot, bb size usually but there is some in the #2 range as well, is pretty much pure lead. Shotgun shell shot, say 6 to 9 , will have lots of antimony and very little tin, like none. I have used a good bit, I use the spreadsheet to make it into Lyman #2, needs tin and plain lead added. In my experience it cast horribly straight up. It needs tin from somewhere. And I generally batch melt it with a plain lead plate of the correct weight and some pewter for tin. Load it in the pot(50lb batch) and bring up to heat, lots of dross with reclaim lead!, flux often and freely.

[Helka]

Thanks


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[David2011]

If there is Cowboy Action Shooting in your area you might be able to trade that shot for softer lead at 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of lead per pound of shot. Shot has become very expensive and most CAS shooters load their own shot shells. They usually only shoot 10 yards so deformed shot will still work for them.

[Helka]

Sorry for the late picture. Finally got around.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211128/c7b96ca91e62aa87f6bcdbb24b28b3a2.jpg


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