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  #1  
Old 10-22-2021, 8:02 AM
heavyhaulin818 heavyhaulin818 is offline
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Default So I have access to unlimited amounts of bird shot...is it worth stocking up on it?

It’s only bird shot and melting it down to cast bullets I was told makes them brittle?
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Old 10-22-2021, 8:04 AM
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Is this reclaimed shot?
Many times shotgun pellets have graphite on the surface. That could make them less desirable for casting bullets. But it’s been done I’m sure.


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Old 10-22-2021, 10:02 AM
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As far as I can tell, it looks like shells that were decommissioned. None are deformed, but I did happen to find one or two copper ones in the mix?
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Old 10-22-2021, 10:13 AM
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Great for loading trap rounds!
Much less so for casting bullets I think.
You can search castboolits forum to see who has done it.


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  #5  
Old 10-22-2021, 10:35 AM
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I use to buy 25# bags of shot at the range to cast bullets with because it was so cheap, i think it was around $26 for 1 bag. It was coated with graphite that just ended up on the top with the other dross and scooped off. It was added to wheel weight lead, i dont think i ever cast with straight shot lead.

Sometimes the bags contained oxidized shot which was a royal pain in the arse. It created a hard shell around the lead and wouldnt let the molten lead out, I had to kind of grind them on the side of the pot with a laddle. It made good bullets though.
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Old 10-22-2021, 2:45 PM
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OP, is it just lead shot, or loaded ammo.

Either way, it's got value.
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Old 10-22-2021, 3:28 PM
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Buckets and buckets and buckets of shot.
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Old 10-22-2021, 3:33 PM
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If it’s all the same size (or at least close) you could probably sell it here. I’d be interested for the right price if you’re nearby.


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Old 10-22-2021, 3:48 PM
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Location. maybe ytrade for lead ingots
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  #10  
Old 10-22-2021, 7:03 PM
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I melted down my bird shot and molded them into 1 oz. slugs. hey work fine.
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  #11  
Old 10-22-2021, 7:15 PM
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Care to share the source? If it’s new, disassembled it’s worth 35-47$ a bag depending where you found it. 36 is great price for big club buys.

Recycled still about $27 when you can get it. If it’s new I’d think you’d be ahead selling to trap shooters and use the money for lesser quality lead.

Red
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Old 10-23-2021, 4:12 AM
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From: http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

Lead shot has a BHN of 13 and contains some arsenic.

Quote:
Lead shot has .5 to 1.0% arsenic (As) (depending on the manufacturer) and can be used as a hardening agent when heat treating lead/antimony alloys. 1/4 of 1% arsenic is all it takes. Adding any more than this adds nothing & will not further harden the alloy. Additional hardening can be achieved by heat treating when arsenic is present to approximately 30 to 32 BHN.
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Old 10-23-2021, 7:38 AM
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Bag it in 25 pound bags, and sell it for $25 bucks a bag. It will sell out fast.
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Old 10-23-2021, 10:56 AM
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Haha, I just discovered we have a barrel of lead from pencil long strips to 12”x24” strips...would this be a better choice for casting? Also, could the other stuff be bismuth?
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Old 10-23-2021, 11:13 AM
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It's harder to make shot at home than it is to cast boolits.

Sell the shot as shot to those who appreciate the first part.

Is the scrap pure lead? The black powder guys like that stuff.
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Old 10-23-2021, 11:13 AM
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As long as it’s not battery lead that sounds like a great lead source.
If the other stuff is bismuth it’s worth a lot more if it’s not mixed.


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Old 10-23-2021, 11:25 AM
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Make gabs out of old blue jean legs and make bench rest bags.
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Old 10-23-2021, 11:30 AM
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For your gub?
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Old 10-23-2021, 6:05 PM
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I would take everything you can get.
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Old 10-24-2021, 1:14 PM
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Take all you can get. Cast ingots with them and buy more. I've loaded hundreds of pounds of reclaimed shot @ $1/pound for 9/38/40/45/308 bullets and they worked great. Don't expect more than 2400 fps out of the 308 and you'll do fine. All pistol bullets work great air cooled. I've found that water quenched bullets tend to crystalize and sometimes crack.
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  #21  
Old 10-24-2021, 5:29 PM
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The stuff in barrels is mostly pure lead with some ingots that I’m sure are mixed with tin. Could not find much on casters smelting shot into bullets so I’m gonna scratch that idea and go with the sheets and ingots. Once I get a shot shell reloading set I’ll grab the shot. By the way, I doubt it is bismuth...even if it was I will pass on it as I just watched a video of a slug made of bismuth that shattered on impact life if it was confetti.
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  #22  
Old 10-24-2021, 10:49 PM
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For shot, bismuth is mixed with tin. Reduces the tendency to shatter. Dunno if that applies to slugs though.

I doubt it's bismuth though.

Lead shot was often used for ballast or to fill vessels to a specified weight (load testing cranes and such).

Pure lead makes for really soft bullets. Typically alloyed with antimony and tin for cast bullets. Wheel weights were always popular as they had the antimony. Mix in some bar solder for tin. You could mix it with some linotype.

If heavily oxidized it's near impossible to melt. Also the oxide dust is really bad for you.
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Old 10-25-2021, 2:55 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heavyhaulin818 View Post
It’s only bird shot and melting it down to cast bullets I was told makes them brittle?
free lead is free lead. paper does not care when you make it into semi wadcutters and fire them off.

take it all! Well, take about 100 lounds and see how well it melts down and ingotizes... AND makes boolits.
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Old 10-25-2021, 6:40 AM
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My God yes. Get all you can. I'd be happy to buy if you choose to sell any at a decent price. I can also trade for lead ingots, pewter, tin or linotype.

Last edited by BIGOX; 10-25-2021 at 6:49 AM..
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Old 10-26-2021, 11:20 PM
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Well, way down towards the bottom of a barrel I found some ingots. On some it says SOMERSET METAL COMPANY and on a different style they have the letters C & B. There are some 2-3 ft long strips that are shiny and new looking almost like aluminum and really soft dingy roofing material plus a bunch of small fishing weights? Is there a preference on what lead to get? Would pure lead be a safer bet and then blend in other metals? Would the shiny strips contain metals that are undesirable? Most of it I was able to dig my thumb nail into it without much force.
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Old 10-26-2021, 11:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heavyhaulin818 View Post
It’s only bird shot and melting it down to cast bullets I was told makes them brittle?
I am also in the 818 and would take some of this unwanted shot off your hands.
Works fine for busting clay targets...

But what you are asking about is the antimony content in shot.
Lead shot has high antimony and almost no tin.
You need to increase the tin and decrease the antimony to make a good bullet casting alloy from shot.
That means you need to be blending the shot with a LOT more lead than shot and adding some bar solder to get your desired tin content.
People use a little shot to get more antimony into their casting alloy as antimony helps you make a harder bullet by dropping them out of the mold into water.
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Old 10-26-2021, 11:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heavyhaulin818 View Post
Well, way down towards the bottom of a barrel I found some ingots. On some it says SOMERSET METAL COMPANY and on a different style they have the letters C & B. There are some 2-3 ft long strips that are shiny and new looking almost like aluminum and really soft dingy roofing material plus a bunch of small fishing weights? Is there a preference on what lead to get? Would pure lead be a safer bet and then blend in other metals? Would the shiny strips contain metals that are undesirable? Most of it I was able to dig my thumb nail into it without much force.
Post a picture of the shiny strips.
Might be either bar solder or might be linotype slugs.
And if you have an extra drum, I'll come get it.
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Old 10-29-2021, 7:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heavyhaulin818 View Post
Well, way down towards the bottom of a barrel I found some ingots. On some it says SOMERSET METAL COMPANY and on a different style they have the letters C & B. There are some 2-3 ft long strips that are shiny and new looking almost like aluminum and really soft dingy roofing material plus a bunch of small fishing weights? Is there a preference on what lead to get? Would pure lead be a safer bet and then blend in other metals? Would the shiny strips contain metals that are undesirable? Most of it I was able to dig my thumb nail into it without much force.
Sounds like 50/50 solder bars to me. Half tin half pure lead. I have several myself. Post some pics here or PM me and you can text a pic. The lead you want to use for casting bullets would depend on what velocity and pressure you well be shooting at. As a standard clip-on wheel weights are almost perfect for casting or mixing. Fishing weights and dive weights can but anything be I've noticed the newer stuff seems to have the same hardness as clip-on ww. Stick on ww are close to pure lead. Lead pipe and cable sheathing are close to pure.
So antimony will harden lead. Tin will make the lead fill better and harden a little. 2.5% antimony, 2.5% tin, and 95% lead seems to be a go to for most purposes.
There is a way to test your leads hardness using art pencils. This will give you a rough idea of the BHN or hardness of your lead.
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  #29  
Old 10-31-2021, 6:21 PM
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I have some pure lead in 1lb ingots. Be happy to trade 25 bars for 25lbs of shot. I've got alot more too.

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