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Shot Making-Hardening & Cooling

4K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  blkcloud 
#1 ·
I am going to play with this shot making. Have a couple of questions. Cheap source of antimony? Wheel weights run .5 to 3% antimony. Remington shot is 6%. At $10 a pound, really raises cost. Low average shooter like me probably won't feel the difference, but would harden it more if economical source was availabe. Experience with coolants, advise appreciated. Any aids or pitfalls greatly appreciated. If you are around North Missouri, check in.
 
#3 ·
Lobo- When I was making shot (many years ago) wheel weights were a little harder than the best magnum shot on the market. Wheel weights take a lot of abuse on a tire rim and they must be reasonably hard. Many are now made from metal other than lead.

Pat Ireland
 
#4 ·
Just conversed with James Stewart. He says I can use my linotype (12-13% antimony) to harden my soft lead. Says the 2% tin shouldn't pose a problem. I have just piled up lots of lead over the years shooting muzzle loaders and black powder cartridge. If someone had a way to analize it, I have a bunch of solder from a radiator manufacturer. Lots of tin in that. Appreciate the responses.
 
#6 ·
for coolant I use notox antifreeze with 2% dawn soap. Idon't know what the dawn does for the mix but it helps when washing the shot. I don't use any "" soft"" lead unless I have WW to add. I am about to start melting bullets with 1/2 reclamed shot and see how that works. At this point in time I am truning out really good looking 7 1/2 shot with about any mixture. If you have enough WW to mix in the batch I would not worry about adding AT..If you canget Linotype that has alot of LT in in and you can add small amounts to your mix. Just make some shot and see how it looks. I find I tumble for 1 hour and the shot looks great. I think tumbling is the key to round shot. When I tumble I spray (from an aroesle can) graphite and tumble for an hour. Makes the shot work well.
Lee
 
#7 ·
This is mine, I use low tox antifreeze with some liquid soap for coolant. Most of the alloy I get now days is reclaimed shot. It's only an old littleton shotmaker, But it works just fine. Jim



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#9 ·
Appreciate all the help and Jim I am going to call you. Rick Barker, remember me. I am the one you busted the 3 Browning Recoilless off into.lol. Fun things to shoot. Was a little nervous as the 30 std wouldn't always work. A good flush and a little CLP and workes fine.
 
#12 ·
I use crop oil. It washes off easily with water. One trick I have found is that you need to keep your coolant as close as possible to the lip of the shot maker as possible. I mean right up there. In my setup, wheel weights, or a mixture of wheel weights and plain lead make the best shot. When I use too much plain lead, I get a few little dimples. Very useable though. I screen the finished product to take out any thing bigger than a #7. Tried screening for smalls, but there weren't enough to make any difference. Half a cup out of 300#. The #7 screen takes out all the goobers and odd balls. I tumble in a small cement mixer for about five minutes with a spoon full of graphite. I feel way too much is made of this hard shot soft shot perfectly round bs. There are a lot of people looking for an excuse, and this controversy supplies plenty. Years ago, when the steel shot thing was just starting, the NRA did a lot of research on the effectivness of steel shot. The pictures they published of lead shot that had been recovered should lay to rest a lot of this crap. It may start out looking like a glass marble, but by the time it clears the barrel it looks like a golf ball. A guy like Leo might see his average drop by a bird or two over a year if he went to using good reloads and good home made shot, but I doubt if any body else would. But it would sure supply an excuse for dropping that last bird.
 
#13 ·
In the 10 years or so I have made shot.."on my little old littelton..haha" I have tried fire retardent hydraulic oil.... way to messy..
water..didnt make the shot round..
fabric softner... awfulest mess I have tried to get off my shot.. turned the shot white, it sticks together, doesnt wash off very good, and had to be heavily graphited..
Solibule oil I use in my cnc machines.. works great.. clean, makes good round shot, feeds through the loader without any bridging problems and is nice and shiney..
 
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