Melt down shot.

[Jack Ash]

Howdy folks, I have a couple of bags of shot I've used as ballast weight in the past and was wondering if I can melt them down to make some bullets. I am not sure if there was some kind of coating on the shot. The labels have worn off from all the bouncing and jostling so I really do not know what I have anymore. Thanks for any advice as I am new to reloading and still very wet behind the ears.

[Dirtwater Doc 17941]

What size shot? Do you load shotgun shells?

 

DD

[Deuce Stevens SASS#55996]

You'll get a lot of blah blah on this subject. But in short answer yes. I'm a commercial caster and have cast a couple hundred thousand bullets using Magnum lead shot and it makes beutiful bullets.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Yeah, you can melt shot to make bullets. But, a pard may be willing to give you a good price and buy the shot off of you. That would be the easiest way to "use" it.

 

 

If it is too large a size of shot for anyone to be interested, then, yep, you can melt shot down into ingots and cast it.

 

The only coating on lead shot is a little graphite (like in a pencil). Won't hurt a thing!

 

Most birdshot is a little softer that what is commercially cast into bullets. Standard shot is about 2-3% antimony, magnum shot about 4-6% antimony. Assuming you have standard shot in the bags, I'd add a little tin to make the lead cast well, and just cast it up into "soft" bullets (about Brinell Hardness of 12). Adding about 1% by weight of pure tin, or 2% of 50-50 solder would give you some lead that would cast pretty well. So, for a 25 pound bag of shot, add a half-pound of 50-50 solder (see a plumbing supply or radiator repair shop if you can't find the solder easily).

 

If you have magnum shot, then add the same amount of tin, and you will be able to cast "hard" bullets, almost commercial hardness (Brinell Hardness about 16)

 

Good luck, GJ

[Jack Ash]

Thankee kindly.