[Tom in Pittsburgh]

OK, I would like to gradually open up a Hornady shot bushing, but I don’t have a lathe. All I have is a cheap Harbor Freight bench-top drill press.

What’s my best path forward?

Thanks.

PS I’m using West Coast Magnum #7-1/2 shot. When I drop from the Hornady 1-1/8 oz bushing, I can still add another roughly 19 pellets before I actually hit a full 1-1/8 ounce weight.

 

[wadcrusher]

What you gonna do when you switch brands of shot or a different lot of West Coast and you are throwing over 1 1/8 oz?
Personally....I would not worry about it. If you have some #8 shot...see what that weighs .....Bushings load by volume.
Just load it and shoot....
Wadcrusher

 

[Anthony12ga]

I took a 3/8 bolt, 3" long, cut the hex head off, using a little bit of double sided take, tape a strip of 100 grit, wrapping it around the bolt the same direction that it will spin while chucked in the drill press. Put it in the drill press on the slowest speed setting. With the sand paper wrapped around the bolt, place your bushing around the wound up sand paper. Start the drill press and run the bushing in a circular motion to hone out the inside of the bushing.

I measured the inside of the bushing prior to sanding with dial calipers, so I had an idea how much I wanted to sand out.
When I got where I wanted, I used a finer grit of sand paper to make it smooth. Then I marked the bushing so I could tell it was modified.

 

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

Wadcrusher - you’re right that I’m overthinking this. It just feels like those extra pellets might break a bird for me here & there?

And Anthony12ga - thanks for that technique.

 

[Rick Barker]

Check out this outfit, they make flexible hones for smoothing the inside of brass cartridges.

BRM Flex-Hone®, Industrial Brushes, Wire Brushes

Flex-Hone®- BRM manufactures industrial brushes and honing tools to suit all of your deburring and metal surface finishing needs. Contact us today!

www.brushresearch.com

 

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

Thanks for the link

 

[shotgunpeople]

Just remember you are talking about square inches of a circumference and even .001" can change that drop.

Just be real careful but if you do go over size.

But honestly, I would leave that alone.

 

[K-GUNS]

A Rat tail file. Take a little off, re install, use, cut apart a shell & check weight of shot charge, it takes a little time but works. If you are using hard shot / Mag shot it will have a lighter weight because of the higher amount of antimony, but when you go back to chilled shot you'll be over by a few pellets. I mark all my bushing for that reason, and change back n forth depending on mag shot or chilled lead when reloading.

 

[TXGREG]

Dremel tools have a sandpaper attachment that you could go in and remove a little bit of the interior of the aluminum with no problem. But as others have suggested, be careful that you don’t do too much. Probably a good idea to pick up a back-up bushing in the size you’re working on off of eBay or similar site, so if you change shot brand you have the option of using the one which is more accurate.

 

[recrowl]

Be sure and use a cleaner degreaser between your metal removal attempts.

 

[derbyacresbob]

I just used a round rat tail file on my Mec charge bars.

I filed out a old 7/8 oz bar to drop 15/16 oz and filed out a 1 oz bar to drop 1-1/16 oz. The only reason I did it was because I had old extra bars and it helped make better loads with the Win AA HS hulls.

I used 15/16 oz of shot with 1 oz wads and 1-1/16 oz of shot with 1-1/8 oz wads in the Win AA HS hulls get a better stack height.

On many shotgun loads if you increase the weight by 10 to 15 pellets to get the weight right then you may have stack height and crimp problems because of the extra pellets.

 

[Sky Buster]

What you gonna do when you switch brands of shot or a different lot of West Coast and you are throwing over 1 1/8 oz?
Personally....I would not worry about it. If you have some #8 shot...see what that weighs .....Bushings load by volume.
Just load it and shoot....
Wadcrusher

I have successfuly opened up several powder bushing. I use a round file and turn
the bushing as I open it up. Worked fine for me.

 

[jesflorid]

I have successfuly opened up several powder bushing. I use a round file and turn
the bushing as I open it up. Worked fine for me.

I use a counter sink drill bit. Select a size that is wider than the ID of the bushing. Clamp the bushing in a soft jaw vise with the bottom up. Align the drill vertically and progressively drill to a depth of 1/2 shot pellet. Check the throw weight and increase the depth of cut by 1/2 diameter of shot pellet until you hit the desired throw weight. If you are over weight, use strips of vinyl tape in the upper bore of the bushing.

 

[wrd]

Adjustable reamers available as a set or individually online and on Ebay. You can remove .0005 at a time easily. If you overdo it a little instant dry clear nail polish will build it back up.

 

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

Thanks for all the tips & suggestions

 

[skeet_man]

T-Handle Reamer

Amazing deals on this T-Handle Reamer at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[jwsmith1959]

When I shot registered, I'll admit to be a little obsessed with pellet count. I learned that shot brand changed the number of pellets weight. I once bought 4 tons of Mexican shot and it broke targets quite nicely in Skeet and at 16 to 24 yards, so quite worrying. Since it was a tad denser, I had to adjust my shot-bar to "make weight" so to speak.

I shoot much lighter loads these days and may lose a bird per hundred, but I think if I did my part better I would pick that bird back up.

Good luck and all the best.

 

[pettifogger1]

Kind of a waste of time as the shot varies so much. RIght now with the shot I have my Hornady 7/8 oz bushing throws 15/16 oz.

 

[I'dhitthat]

Wadcrusher - you’re right that I’m overthinking this. It just feels like those extra pellets might break a bird for me here & there?

Trust me. It won't

 

[Rick Barker]

OK, I would like to gradually open up a Hornady shot bushing, but I don’t have a lathe. All I have is a cheap Harbor Freight bench-top drill press.

What’s my best path forward?

Thanks.

PS I’m using West Coast Magnum #7-1/2 shot. When I drop from the Hornady 1-1/8 oz bushing, I can still add another roughly 19 pellets before I actually hit a full 1-1/8 ounce weight.

Sent you a PM.