#12 Shot

[Old Jim]

I recently was converted to the dark side and therefore needed some dead soft lead. A friend had a quantity of #12 shot. He offered to trade it for WW with the understanding that the shot was very hard to handle and did not melt well.
#1- I poured a cup full of shot into a pot of molten lead. It floaded and stared at me. No melting at all.
#2-I soaked 2 cups full in press room solvent. Poured the whole mix into a cold pot. I burned the solven off. When the pot went dry melting began within just a few minutes. Room was full of solvent vapors for two days.
#3- The reasoning being that the probable culprit that was retarding the melting of the shot was graphite. You shouold be able to wash it off? I soaked a bucket (45#?) of shot over night in dishwashing liquid and water. Rinsed it throughly, with a large amount of dark dirty water running off. Put it in a dry pot and it began melting the minute it went dry. No vapor, no sweat.
What I learned. If it helps some one, fine.
If everyone else already knows this then I have just re-invented the wheel.

[porkchop bob]

Jim, thanks for this trick. It is the first time I have read it. Bob

[357maximum]

I have just re-invented the wheel.


If someone did not do this from time to time we would still be bouncing around on stone. You imagine what a custome set of granite 17 inchers would cost?

Good tip, vibrating it in your vibratory case cleaner (outside with the lid off) will also work...but you idea may be better.

[Old Jim]

357maximum, I'll try that next.

[Junior1942]

Man, #12 shot is worth a whole lot more money than wheelweight alloy.

[45 2.1]

I recently was converted to the dark side and therefore needed some dead soft lead. A friend had a quantity of #12 shot. He offered to trade it for WW with the understanding that the shot was very hard to handle and did not melt well.
#1- I poured a cup full of shot into a pot of molten lead. It floaded and stared at me. No melting at all.
#2-I soaked 2 cups full in press room solvent. Poured the whole mix into a cold pot. I burned the solven off. When the pot went dry melting began within just a few minutes. Room was full of solvent vapors for two days.
#3- The reasoning being that the probable culprit that was retarding the melting of the shot was graphite. You shouold be able to wash it off? I soaked a bucket (45#?) of shot over night in dishwashing liquid and water. Rinsed it throughly, with a large amount of dark dirty water running off. Put it in a dry pot and it began melting the minute it went dry. No vapor, no sweat.
What I learned. If it helps some one, fine.
If everyone else already knows this then I have just re-invented the wheel.

Old Jim-
#12 shot is hard to find around my area. I have been trying to find some to load handgun shotshells with. Want to send me 25 lbs or more in a flat rate box and we'll work something out for payment?

[rockrat]

Shoot, just put a couple of 25lb bags in a 50cal can and send it flat rate($10) to me and I will cast up some linotype into small bars and send your way in trade!

[HTRN]

For those who don't know, Ballistic Products (http://shop2.mailordercentral.com/bpicart/products.asp?dept=68) sells #12 shot(and virtually every other size and kind of shot on the market). for $20 for a 10lb bag.


HTRN

[357maximum]

What are you guys using the mosquito shot for? I am really curious..
Michael

[HTRN]

What are you guys using the mosquito shot for? I am really curious..

Shooting mosquito's, duh!:mrgreen:


HTRN

[Jumptrap]

The idea behind #12 was rat control inside buildings...like slaughterhouses, chicken farms, etc. It'll kill a rat but not shoot the building down and generally wont ricochet and hurt somebody. 2 ounces of #12 through a 10 gauge makes it damned near impossible to miss a pack of rats in a feed bin:)!

[KCSO]

#12 makes a good load for demonstration and exhibition shootinig also.. You paste blue rocks at 10 yards with one of these from an open choke and you get a cloud of smoke.

Carpetman, how old were you when you graduated from a stick to a gun for rat killin's?

[Old Jim]

#12 was also used by the old English country gentlemen for a sport called garden shooting. Take your small bore double, your bearer, servant with drinks and snacks and shoot butterflies, dragon flies, bees etc.
Jumptrap, An employee of mine brought me a 9mm shotgun to look at. Story is that they were made for indoor rat shooting. Became very popular in the early 1900s. some of the guns were highly dressed up with ivory and engraving for the ladies to shoot. I didn't believe it but MidWay had some 9mm shot shells for it a few years back. May still have.

[Scrounger]

#12 was also used by the old English country gentlemen for a sport called garden shooting. Take your small bore double, your bearer, servant with drinks and snacks and shoot butterflies, dragon flies, bees etc.
Jumptrap, An employee of mine brought me a 9mm shotgun to look at. Story is that they were made for indoor rat shooting. Became very popular in the early 1900s. some of the guns were highly dressed up with ivory and engraving for the ladies to shoot. I didn't believe it but MidWay had some 9mm shot shells for it a few years back. May still have.


Many captured Mauser rifles were converted to 9MM shotguns and sold in this country after WWI.

[Jumptrap]

#12 was also used by the old English country gentlemen for a sport called garden shooting. Take your small bore double, your bearer, servant with drinks and snacks and shoot butterflies, dragon flies, bees etc.
Jumptrap, An employee of mine brought me a 9mm shotgun to look at. Story is that they were made for indoor rat shooting. Became very popular in the early 1900s. some of the guns were highly dressed up with ivory and engraving for the ladies to shoot. I didn't believe it but MidWay had some 9mm shot shells for it a few years back. May still have.

Jim,

Winchester made a few 9mm shotguns years ago. Personally, I always thought a 410 double would be quite fun. i recall as a boy, shooting dragonflys using a 22 revolver with shot cartridges......lots of fun!

[dk17hmr]

We were at a Flee Market over the 4th of July (Twin Lakes? here in MI), one of the vendors had 2 German made 22short over 9mm shot combo gun. He didnt have a price my guess is he wanted enough to pay for a small house.

[HTRN]

Jim,

Winchester made a few 9mm shotguns years ago. Personally, I always thought a 410 double would be quite fun. i recall as a boy, shooting dragonflys using a 22 revolver with shot cartridges......lots of fun!

CZ (http://www.cz-usa.com/products_shotguns.php?m=1) has 410 gauge doubles, both over/under's, and side by sides.


HTRN

[rockrat]

Used to shoot dragonflies and grasshoppers, but used regular 22's , not shot. Little tougher to shoot the dragonflies on the wing with my Ruger MKI.
Need the shot to use as a bullet core on converted magnum brass when I make varmint bullets for my 50 cal. Use #9 shot now but wonder how the #12 would work.

[Thin Man]

A few years back, I was going to a remote wooded area with a friend who warned me that the area was known for a high snake population. With that in mind, I carried a S&W M-60 3", loaded with Speer shotshells I had loaded with #12 shot. As luck (?) would have it, one large crawler came out into the field where I was standing. It was traveling from my left to right, about 15 feet in front of me. However, when it got directly in front of me, it turned and started moving with increasing speed directly toward.....me! I started backing away and found that Mr. Snake was closing the distance between us. With revolver already in hand, I made the only prudent decision that came to mind - four rapid shots. Have you ever heard a revolver go full-auto??? I think this one did. At the sound of that first shot, the snake stopped all movement - not even a muscle tremor or reflex. After the sound from that last shot had passed, I glanced left, then right (looking for another target), then down at the revolver. One shot left, so why carry extra weight, and that last shot also found the snake. I was/am more than a little impressed by the performance of the #12 shot on snake. Then, about a year ago, one of the magazine writers published an article where he praised the #12 shot head and shoulders above the #9 for snake control. My earlier experience supported his conclusion that #12 is bad medicine for bad snakes. Hope y'all can load up with some of this - it DOES work!

Thin Man

[StarMetal]

Thin Man, I live in SE TN and I don't have to go to remote wooded area to see snakes, we have alot of copperhead, timber rattlers, and eastern diamondback rattlers. BUT I don't go around shooting all the snakes I see. I think it's easy to make a quit analysis if the snake is poisonous. One most have triangler head, they have elipical pupils, the pit vipers have that extra pit hole on the nose, and usually they are very colorful and patterned. Copperhead have that, well, copper head. All snake are benefical, including the poisonous ones, as they eat large qualities of rodents, like mice and rats. More then likely if I come across a rattler, and he's not right around my house, I'll leave him be. I think copper heads are more aggressive and I plum don't like them. I won't go out of my way to kill them. Now black snakes I love. When mowing I'll try to avoid chopping them up at all costs. I know alot of folks are deathly scared of snakes and that's ok. Me, I don't like bugs. Snakes I don't mine, but don't get me wrong, I'm not going to play around with the poisonous ones. Also in most states there's a fine for killing rattlers and copperheads as they are disappearing because of folks killing them for their beautiful skins and just flat to kill them.

Joe

[ace1001]

I use it in .45 for shotshells. I would LOVE to buy some 50# from you. If all the rattlers in Kansas died, their niche would be filled by bullsnakes and ratsnakes and I would be fine with that. There is a war between them anyway. Its like lamenting the demise of sandburrs. Ace

[wonderwolf]

[QUOTE= Then, about a year ago, one of the magazine writers published an article where he praised the #12 shot head and shoulders above the #9 for snake control. My earlier experience supported his conclusion that #12 is bad medicine for bad snakes. Hope y'all can load up with some of this - it DOES work!

Thin Man[/QUOTE]



I've read that article. That issue is actually up in my bathroom right now. I've done the gas check method but havnt used any #12 shot yet. I need to get some eventually. He used potatoes as a test target. seems to work alot better than those shot capsules

[Dale53]

I have experimented with shot loads for handguns for many years. #12 is MUCH more effective than anything coarser. The reason is simple. The pattern is MUCH more dense because you have much greater numbers of shot in the load.

Understand, this endeavor is a short range proposition at best. At short range, fine shot rules every time!!

If you don't believe me, just weigh equal amounts of shot 7½, 9, and #12. Then count the different sizes. It's an eye opener.

Dale53

[mrloring]

If you don't believe me, just weigh equal amounts of shot 7½, 9, and #12. Then count the different sizes. It's an eye opener.

Dale53

I can get more than three times the number of #9 shot in a 357 case as #6 shot. With #9 shot my reload 357 shotshells are small game/bird deadly out to 25-30 feet. I have taken a few sparrows at 15 feet and it did the job. I am preparing for the annual fall rat/mouse safari in my garage.


If you have any #12 to sell I would gladly buy some.

[Dale53]

#12 shot puts a LOT more shot in a handgun load than #9 will. Since a snake is only a menace if it is 10' or closer, the "benefits" of larger shot really don't come into play. However, the shot density of #12 at close range certainly does.

My policy on snakes is to leave them alone if they are far enough away to not be a problem. However, if they are around dwellings and are poisonous, then all bets are off.

I have experimented with shot cartridges in revolvers off and on for years. They are very useful for snake loads but not much useful for even sitting game at anything over 10-15 feet. Of course, if the small game is sitting, then a boolit is the answer. I'm pretty good on sitting rabbits at least to 25 yards. I really can't say I have shot many much over that as it is not common for me to see them (camouflaged as well as they are) much over 25 yards or so. Of course, if I had a rest available (tree or rock pile, etc) then I would have a pretty good chance a good bit further.:)

I have a TC Contender .410 pistol that is a whole 'nother thing. It patterns about as well as a normal .410 shotgun at 25 yards and will do the job on running rabbits at up to 25 yards or more. It is rather surprising.

Dale53

[Dale53]

mrloring;
>>>If you have any #12 to sell I would gladly buy some.<<<

Unfortunately, I have no #12 shot on hand at the present time. I have been too cheap to buy any (shipping is what kills it for me).

I would sure like to find someone local who has a few pounds to spare, tho'.

Note: I was once offered some #12 shot in a nice heavy duty bag. I was about to load it when suddenly, "something was wrong in Denmark" (WWII saying). I checked the shot closer and discovered that it was STEEL shot used for "Peening metal". Now that would have certainly done my revolvers a lot of good (NOT!!):( So, be careful out there, friends and neighbors!

Dale53

[Alferd Packer]

I love these old threads that are still around.
Number 12 shot will make snake burger out of a snake as well as a rat or mouse.
It is the preferred shot size used in .22 Federal snake shot as well as the Speer shot capsules sold for .38/.357 snakeshot shells.
One shot kills are usual.

[soleman1]

wish I had this with pictures so that it would be clearer
I want to shot #12
But I don't know how exactly