Reuse Lead shot?

[usmc0811]

Yesterday when I was at the range shooting over at the shotgun targets on the ground beneath the targets was a lot of lead shot just laying on the ground from years of people shooting at these targets. I decided to scrape a bunch up with some cardboard and put in a container and bring home. When I got home I waited it's a total of 35 lb. I was thinking about melting this led down in my pot and reusing for stuff like pistol bullets. Is this lead pure lead or should I be using it for something else maybe too harden my other bullets any advice would be appreciated. Is this stuff is good to work with I will go back and grab a lot more.

 

[bullseye308]

It will mix well with pure to give great results. Someone will be along with ratios I'm sure in a bit. You could also possibly sell it to shotgun reloaders if it's one size or trade it for more suitable lead for your purpose.

 

[Docendo Discimus]

Yesterday when I was at the range shooting over at the shotgun targets on the ground beneath the targets was a lot of lead shot just laying on the ground from years of people shooting at these targets. I decided to scrape a bunch up with some cardboard and put in a container and bring home. When I got home I waited it's a total of 35 lb. I was thinking about melting this led down in my pot and reusing for stuff like pistol bullets. Is this lead pure lead or should I be using it for something else maybe too harden my other bullets any advice would be appreciated. Is this stuff is good to work with I will go back and grab a lot more.

This is good stuff, I would use like range scrap. It should be really soft, slightly harder than pure lead.

 

[usmc0811]

Great thank you for the quick reply and information. So to elaborate more the targets that you shoot at are thick rubber sheets that you put your paper targets on. Stuck in the thick rubber is thousands and thousands of birdshot pellets, when I shoot my buckshot into it a whole lot of these birdshot pellets come loose and fall to the ground. And I guess after all these years these pellets accumulated and made a nice pile on the ground which I decided to scoop up and possibly reuse if they're good stuff.

 

[243winxb]

Shot has around 2% antimony. Use as is for pistol bullets. I have. Pot needs extra heat for fill out. If needing harder bullets, oven heat treating, water cooled makes bullet a lot harder. Bullets fully hardens in 2 weeks.

Chilled shot is softer then magnum shot. Some of the hardness in antimonal shot is from water cooling when dropped from the shot tower.

 

[Rule3]

That is a good haul of free lead!. I am not a bullet caster so not sure of what shot is made of? These days isn't some of it lead free? Would think you have to melt it, cast into ingots and then test the hardness. Also do not know it it needs to be sifted/cleaned to get and sand or dirt out of?

 

[usmc0811]

That is a good haul of free lead!. I am not a bullet caster so not sure of what shot is made of? These days isn't some of it lead free? Would think you have to melt it, cast into ingots and then test the hardness. Also do not know it it needs to be sifted/cleaned to get and sand or dirt out of?

I do my own casting and have used pure lead pipe, wheel weights, fishing lures, and she lead. This will be a first for me to use shotgun pellets. No need to clean out the junk when I put it in my big pot and melt it down all that junk will burn out and float to the top. Once I have it cleaned I will pour a few bullets let them cool for a few days and check the hardness then go from there. I figured I would ask here about this type of lead since I've never used it before try to find some people who have first-hand experience with it

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Melt it all down into ingots and test the ingots for hardness.

That will give you a baseline for any alloy adjustments you may need to make.

 

[Rule3]

I do my own casting and have used pure lead pipe, wheel weights, fishing lures, and she lead. This will be a first for me to use shotgun pellets. No need to clean out the junk when I put it in my big pot and melt it down all that junk will burn out and float to the top. Once I have it cleaned I will pour a few bullets let them cool for a few days and check the hardness then go from there. I figured I would ask here about this type of lead since I've never used it before try to find some people who have first-hand experience with it

I do not know what happens to the mix if a lot of the shot is Bismuth or steel?

 

[243winxb]

Bismuth or steel?

Bismuth will melt into the alloy, it takes less heat to melt. Steel? Dont know. Sink or float?

Copper plated shot will float. It needs smashed with hammer to expose the lead, before putting in the pot. Heavy oxidized lead needs the surface scraped, to expose fresh lead, to melt.

New Bag lead shot is coated with graphite. Graphite will float and gets skimmed off* the surface like other slag, when making ingots.

 

[Gumby0961]

Becareful with the dust. Just saying....

 

[usmc0811]

Melt it all down into ingots and test the ingots for hardness.

That will give you a baseline for any alloy adjustments you may need to make.

Made 24 ingots I'll test the hardness in a few days I guess

 

[243winxb]

After 50 years of casting, 1 thing caught me by supprise.....

The same sizing die can produce different diameters. Spring back after sizing, with a high percent of pure, makes smaller diameters. I knew this, but didnt measure.

As cast diameters.... More antimony, larger diameters, before sizing.

 

[N555]

Reclaimed shot is a thing. Have you seen shot prices lately?