That reclaimed shot had lots of steel and dirt in the bags.
That reclaimed shot had lots of steel and dirt in the bags.
Just an update....2 bags eagle shot now 179.00 at rotometal. What a deal.
"My main ambition in life is to be on the devil's most wanted list."
Leonard Ravenhill
I’ve been sucking it up and buying monthly.
Dad said cokes used to be a nickel and for a dime you could get a coke and a hamburger.
Lead is a commodity and while it may fall in prices it will never go back to the good old days
eh...maybe.
Walmart is selling me 100 pack of 12 gauge ammo for $24.
that same box around here at gun stores will cost me at least double....and Im talking big gun stores that are more like dept stores with tons of other products to make money off that dont need to gouge me on the consumables for my hobby.
I know nothing about Rotometals other than Ive heard the name mentioned a few times...but if theyre charging more than competitors are, that tells me they are charging more than they need to...and in my mind, personally, I call that gouging.
Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
"I don't have hobbies - I'm developing a robust post-apocalyptic skill set"
I may be discharged and retired but I'm sure I did not renounce the oath that I solemnly swore!
Wow right now I'm paying $45 plus tax/ 25lbs bag of Eagle lead shot right now only #6 is available but they usually have 4 or 5 different types and those are California prices. 10 or more for $44 per bag. Only shipping is not an option.
I used to be a dealer. Had my own sporting goods store. So, prices go up and down. Biggest factor I saw was shipping costs and the impact on pricing. Heavy items like shot I purchased through special dealers. All shot orders came via freight trucks and orders only happened quarterly. Only way to keep costs down. I remember ordering hard shot from roto metals in 2012 for 99 bucks. Two 25# bags and free shipping. I ordered 100 pounds. Now here we are today...... Last lead mine in the US ( in Alabama ) closed by the Obama administration more than 6 years ago. So, cost goes up and ole Joe cranks up fuel costs....its time to smell the coffee. Buy bulk shotshell by the case or buy a shot maker along with scrap lead and use coww or alloy from roto metals to up the hardness in your own shot making operations. Which is what I did. I got #5 an #7 drippers.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I've done enough business with Roto-Metals that my mailman hates me......I buy from them when I want known quality components.
Last edited by Ural Driver; 05-24-2021 at 07:50 PM.
NRA Benefactor
No complaints with Roto, free shipping over $100.00 ,certified alloys and good service.
Last year I bought some shot at a LGS. I fell in love with a rifle while I was there and it ended up coming home with me. The shot was cheaper at the LGS but I would have spent less if I had bought shot at Rotometals.
Last edited by Half Dog; 05-24-2021 at 08:19 AM. Reason: Can’t spell
The sooner I fall behind...the more time I have to catch up with
Crazy times. Years ago, my Stewart "Black Max" shotmaker was a great investment.
COME AND TAKE IT
Let’s Go Brandon!!!!
Not to put my oar in the water, unsolicited, but just to “add to the pot,” so to speak, I just placed an order for 198 lbs of “magic alloy” with Missouri Bullet Company, cost including shipping $499. Comes to $2.52/lb shipped.
Magic Alloy
6Sb2Sn92Pb Antimonial Lead
Modern equivalent of Lyman #2 Casting Alloy
Commonly also known as Hardball or Magnum alloy
Foundry Bullet Alloy with Certified Analysis 66 lbs. @$2.28/lb.
Price: $150.48
I am hoping to be able to use this, judiciously, by mixing it with lead from lead water pipe to get a little more hardness and malleability than pure lead.
8mmFan
I just hope the ingots aren’t too big to fit in my Lee Pro4.
The website pics and description show you're buying 8# bar ingots, maybe 16# doubles that can be broken in two.
I had casting alloy in 3# mini loaf ingots of similar shape, but much shorter and not as thick as MBC's. Just a couple would fit past my 4-20's valve hardware, so to fill up I had to add more ingots after the first ones melted, making sure not to add more than the pot would hold, and, once casting, pre heating the ingots to avoid chilling the melt.
The Pro IV has a nominal 10# capacity per the Lee website. Knock off a pound or two to avoid spillage from skimming or fluxing, adding in sprues and the like and being off level, and your pot will take one MBC ingot, and that from empty, and assuming the pot's hardware isn't in the way. You'll need to nearly empty the pot before another ingot can go in, unless you able to suspend a clamped ingot partially submerged in the melt. The melt will get hotter as the pot empties and colder as it gets a lot of alloy added to replenish the level (I'm not sure how feasible it is to preheat and handle an 8# ingot).
If you're going to mix new alloy from the MBC ingots, I'd suggest a bigger pot, otherwise you'll be sawing those ingots into smaller chunks to mix 8-9# batches. Some smaller ingot molds for your final alloy would be a plus. Lee and Lyman have 1# and 1/2# multi cavity molds that most home casting pots seem to be designed for. I personally have switched to Lakehouse's CastBoolit and RedNeckGold 4 cavity molds (sold here in the S&S) that drop, depending on fill and alloy, 2 to 2 1/2# flat bar ingots that will fit several at a time into casting pots, sit on the lip solidly for pre heating and are easy to handle for both storage and during casting.
Last edited by kevin c; 05-31-2021 at 07:00 PM.
Kevin and Kayala,
Thanks for the good info. I just got a message earlier today that the order shipped. I’ll be glad to have it.
One thing, Kevin: thanks for the good writeup. I learned something there. One thing you might check, though, is the capacity of the Pro 4. I think it holds 20 lbs., not 10. At least mine seems to.
Thanks again, guys.
8mmFan
My apologies that I misunderstood you. I thought you were talking about the Production Pot IV rather than the Pro 4-20.
With either, I still wonder if the MBC ingots would fit past the hardware. One at a time, maybe, which would mean melting two 8#ers sequentially to fill the pot from empty (I'd worry that sticking a 16# ingot in end on might be a problem if the bottom melted through and the top fell over rather than sliding into the melt). Two at once, I'm not so sure there's room.
Please let us know how it turns out!
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |