Reclaimed bird shot?

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  • Last Post 12 May 2011
Fred_Dwyer posted this 27 March 2011

What is the word on using reclaimed shot from the trap field? As near as I can figure it would have right around 3% anemone in it, so with a touch of tin and a hint of linotype it should come to right about #2 alloy, right?   Has anyone tried this and have a recommended recipe? I thinking the resmelting would eliminate the sand and grit fairly effectively.   No wonder the dealer sold me the start-up kit for about $5 more than the price of a sizer, even threw in a stick of 50/50. There's no lead around and I just ran through my rather small stockpile left from roundball and sinkers casting.  

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RicinYakima posted this 27 March 2011

At one time, I used quite a bit of reclaimed shot. But it was mixed skeet and trap shot, so was not a full 3% antimony, more like 2%. You could get close to Lyman #2 with 7 pounds of shot, two pounds of linotype and one pound of 50/50 solder. HTH, Ric

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Fred_Dwyer posted this 27 March 2011

Thanks, that gives me something affordable to shoot for (with). “Close” works for me, I won't be pushing the upper envelope of velocity anyway. Was pondering a “shot washing” machine earlier today. Something that will be easier than sitting at the side of the river with a gold pan.

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CB posted this 27 March 2011

This was posted at my club forum here in Michigan.

I have nearly 1600lbs of clean lead for sale. Some large chunks and some in 1.5lb muffins. Perfect for bullets or sinkers & slightly harder than pure lead. I will have a supply at the garage sale on Sunday the 27th. Call or txt 734-652-1174 with your needs. $.90/lb till it's gone

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RicinYakima posted this 27 March 2011

In those days I just had one lead pot. Melt, flux and skimmed, a lot, and made ingots. I did it outside and used cheap parrifin wax with a three pound coffee can for the rock, dirt and crud. It was messy, but could do a 100 pounds in an afternoon. Mixed it 1/2 and 1/2 with the wheel weights of that time period and it made good bullets for 45 ACP and 38 WC's.

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jhalcott posted this 09 May 2011

I've used reclaimed shot at times. IF it is fresh it melts ok, but if it is old and been laying on the ground for years, it can be HARD to melt. Some I had was picked up on a trap field (about 15 to 20 pounds)would not melt even though my cast iron pot was RED hot! I rolled some between large bricks to break up the gray covering, and that helped quite a bit.

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hilrider7 posted this 09 May 2011

Why would it have to be “fresh"?  What do you mean by “fresh"?

 

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RicinYakima posted this 09 May 2011

I don't know about how it smells, but shot that is oxidized, has a grey coating, tends to melt into a little ball covered with the lead oxide coating. Like a hot M&M candy, you need to break the shell. It can require a bit of mechanical mixing prior to fluxing to get the lead separated from the lead oxide.

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hilrider7 posted this 09 May 2011

I have a chance to get a bunch of it.  Ill have to scoop it up off the range. Its in piles in from of the rubber back stop.  Do you think I should pass on it or is it worth the effort. I mean is it a pain to melt? 

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72coupe posted this 09 May 2011

The club I belong to has contracted with a lead miner to clean the lead from our trap, skeet and sporting clays ranges. They think they will get 1,000,000 pounds of shot.

The miners have already paid the club 45,000 dollars.

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CB posted this 09 May 2011

hilrider7

I haven't reclaimed lead shot but have salvaged old lead accumulated from an indoor small-bore / pistol range. The lead oxide will not melt and absorbs a lot of the heat. Small quantities had to be added to the pot at a time and produced a large amount of dross.

If you 'crack'  the lead oxide shell off the lead shot, I'd be careful handling the stuff as it creates quite a cloud of air born oxide dust. I'm not sure I'd attempt to reclaim back-stop lead again as it was a PITA, but try a small batch for yourself and see?.................DanW

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RicinYakima posted this 09 May 2011

hilrider7 wrote: I have a chance to get a bunch of it.  Ill have to scoop it up off the range. Its in piles in from of the rubber back stop.  Do you think I should pass on it or is it worth the effort. I mean is it a pain to melt? 

Worth the effort? Depends, for myself if I can get 20 pounds of alloy per hour of work, I will do it. At $4.19 a gallon for gas this morning, how far do I have to drive? Up to you for the decision.

Pain to melt? Yep, and hot and dirty and just plain work. Looking at your address in Ohio, you have to be sure, really sure, this stuff is dry!!! Putting even damp scrap into a pot of melted lead will make the volcano and you will be wearing lead. Start in small batches until you have a feel for what you are doing.

 

HTH, Ric

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CB posted this 12 May 2011

I have bought some reclaimed shot. It is clean, no steel shot, no pebbles I would cosidered it. But I use reclaimed shot for my shot shells, because #7 1/2 shot is very expense thgese days, if I get reclaimed that I can trust, It goes into 12 gauge and 20 gauge shotshells.

If you shot the stuff with rocks and steel shot in it, you can ruin your shotgun.

Jerry

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