Lead shot

[skeettx]

To start this thing off,
we harvest indoor pistol lead and jackets
Then melt it down and strain off the jackets
Sell the jackets for scrap brass
Put the lead alloy in one pound ingots
The make shot with shot maker.
Sort it and graphite it
Then bag it
Then load it and shoot it at skeet, trap, doves, quail, etc
Mike

[6pt-sika]

I applaud you but that’s a heck of a lot of work . I had a shooting friend now departed that made shot . He enjoyed doing it but my god it took a lot of effort .

[376Steyr]

Lead shot disappeared for over a year, and I'm finally seeing some back on the shelf. A member had a shot-making setup for sale at my trap and skeet club, and I'm kicking myself for not buying it when I had the chance.

[Baltimoreed]

Just bought 2 bags of #8.5 for 100.00 from what turned out to be a kinda local guy I bumped into on a forum. Lived near my son about 45 minutes away. Last bag of #9 I found was months ago at the Raleigh show for 65.00 plus 10.00 show fee and 25.00 in gas. The #8.5 was a lot better deal and I got to hang out with my son for a while.

[Half Dog]

I have the time but no shot maker. I’m kinda wishing I had one.

[skeettx]

Some of the fruits of my labors

Mike

[dverna]

I have the time but no shot maker. I’m kinda wishing I had one.

Actually, you lucked out. Many wind up abandoning the endeavor after a year or two. It is a catch 22...if you shoot enough to save a decent amount of money, the process is too slow. If you do not shoot a lot, the savings are minimal for the effort needed. Bear in mind, you can sell your alloy for $1.25/lb so the “savings” are less than most folks realize.

I purchase shot at trap clubs and competitions. You will get the best prices there.

[megasupermagnum]

That really depends on which one you buy. There are shot makers that can do over 200 pounds per hour, although I can't hardly imagine the running around it would take to keep that thing fed with lead, and the giant coolant tanks needed. Even the little 110v units are fast enough. They can do about 40 pounds an hour running all out. I guess it depends how much you shoot, but if you dedicated a weekend a year, you should be fine.

Everyone always talks about this super cheap shot at their ranges. All I can say is count your blessings. I've checked every range I could find in two states that was within a few hours drive. The cheapest I ever found was $40 a bag a few years back, and that was reclaimed, most hovering around $45 a bag. I can buy brand new Lawrence magnum right here in Aberdeen for $48 a bag, although that may have gone up in the past couple months. I don't see myself ever buying reclaimed shot. The big issue with shot making is the labor involved. There's no multitasking, you are 100% focused on shot making. If I could make shot for 1/2 the price, I'd consider it. So unless you can get ingots for $1 or less per pound, or scrap lead for free, it gets into the too much work category.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I don't do shot, but I do cast boolits, and when I do it (infrequently) I make a bunch of every size I shoot most. Then I probably won't cast more boolits for a few months after that.

The last time I smelted lead tire weights I did @ 800# on the 4th of July. I poured them into muffing pans. I ended up with about 400 2 lb. ingots. I still have about 250 laying on the ground outside my garage.

If I was doing shot I would set up to make it one day and then do 200+ lbs or however how much I could stand to make in one sitting.. At 40 lb. per hour that is 5+ hours and 200 lbs of shot will make 8 25 lb. bags or @3200 rounds of loaded 12 ga. or 128 boxes of loaded shells. At 2-4 boxes a week That will last a year for me and especially since I won't be shooting all 52 weeks due to life.

So I'd be looking at 5-6 hours to make enough shot for a year. Doesn't sound like too much time to me? YMMV

You all know that if you are reloading to save money, you are wasting your time. Fun cost money, and that's all there is to it!

Randy

[Baltimoreed]

Nice. Hope your floor is reenforced, if they are 25# each thats about 940 lb. Thats a lot of 1 oz shotshells!

[W.R.Buchanan]

15,040 shotshells ^^^

My calculator is right next to my Keyboard,,, Glad to be of service.

Randy

[skeettx]

So about 3 years worth of shooting at about 100 shells per week.
Need to get busy and make more.

[megasupermagnum]

Nice. Hope your floor is reenforced, if they are 25# each thats about 940 lb. Thats a lot of 1 oz shotshells!

1000 pounds of lead is nothing. I've done a bunch of casting recently, but in the fall I had about 700 pounds stashed in the corner of the garage. 400 pounds fit neatly in a milk crate. Think of it this way, 1000 pounds of lead is no worse, and probably better than a tire on your car, which is 1000 per tire for a 4000 pound car, if it were balanced, all focused into a little 8"x6"ish square patch.

[GL49]

You all know that if you are reloading to save money, you are wasting your time. Fun cost money, and that's all there is to it!

Randy

That's about the most plain, clear, correct description of reloading ever made.

[heebs]

Biggest problem with making shot is having a constant supply. Mining berms, making friends with scrapyards, tire shops, roofers, house remodelers all take time. Plus online auctions, craigslist, wheeling and dealing, trading. Last 2 years I have made 4500 lbs. of shot. All told, into that, my cost per pound is 51 cents. Yes including gas. My time I don't count as I am retired. If you count time taken away from a job, just buy your shot or shells. Or treat it as a hobby.

[Ed_Shot]

I enjoy making shot with a Stewart Black Max with #8 drippers. My alloy is 4% Sb / 0.5% Sn / 95.5% Pb. Round with no tails or dimples; screened thru a .094" sieve, graphited and bagged. It is pretty shot. Anyone in the Dallas - Ft. Worth area interested in talking about #8 shot can PM me.

[Huntsman]

Casting shot eh Something I might have to look. To when I retire.

[Hanzy4200]

I barely shoot any birdshot. I still want to find a shot maker. Just to learn and experience it. It looks really interesting.

[centershot]

I barely shoot any birdshot. I still want to find a shot maker. Just to learn and experience it. It looks really interesting.

If you get into it, you can always post a note to sell it at your local skeet/trap club.

[Retumbo]

Just looking into the Russian methods.

Limited success so far.