LEAD SHOT MAKER SYSTEMS - ANYONE USED ONE?

[sheriff john]

After checking prices on lead shotgun shot lately and talking to some avid shotgunners, I'm considering investing in a lead shot maker. Cost for the Oasis brand seems to be $500 ish. Still, that's only about ten bags of shot and the results appear to be quite good. The fellows operating the units on UTube mostly appear "just like us", so that's encouraging also. Range lead's free, usable shot can be made from many sources and, unlike lead bullets, uniformity rather than content probably more critical.

Anyway ....experiemce/thought on making our own shot ?

 

[stank]

If you do a ton of shotgunning then it’s worth it. A bag of shot lasts me a long time. I have a cousin that is starting to make his own shot. He got the parts (tips) from eBay.

 

[sheriff john]

Rumor is that Chinese bought a lead smelter in Missouri. For what ever reason, shot prices are too darned high. Thought is thus might be a hobby activity that could pay for itself, allowing purchase of more muzzle loading stuff. Looks easy, probably isn't.

 

[Mtman725]

No the EPA shut the smelter down in Missouri, it was a 160 years old and the company would have to bear the total cost of bringing the plant up to date and they couldn't do it. The cost was just way to high.

 

[sheriff john]

No the EPA shut the smelter down in Missouri, it was a 160 years old and the company would have to bear the total cost of bring the plant up to date and they couldn't do it. The cost was just way to high.

Thanks for dispelling that rumor. Had business with them long ago, their processes were interesting, but it didn't look like a very healthy work environment at that time. Nice folks that I dealt with. Missouri still has a lot of lead resources in the ground, tiff, etc.

 

[Timber Wolf]

Guy that shoots SASS (Cowboy) with us has a set up. Cowboy distances for shotgun are short (11 yardish) so perfect shot is not required. I have thought about casting shot (I have a LOT of free lead) but I also have a bunch of unmentionable shells bought cheaply and two bags+ of #8 and would rather spend time casting, loading and shooting BP guns anyway. ; )

 

[smoothshooter]

No the EPA shut the smelter down in Missouri, it was a 160 years old and the company would have to bear the total cost of bringing the plant up to date and they couldn't do it. The cost was just way to high.

The last word I had from my son’s father-in-law who retired from Doe Run Mining Co. a few years ago after about 38 years service, EPA rules shut down all the ore smelting. They still mine the ore there, but have to ship it to Mexico by rail for smelting, then have the lead shipped back by rail into the US.
The only actual lead melting they have done at Doe Run for years is that related to recycling car batteries.
Doe Run owns a cluster of mines scattered over a several mile wide area 80 miles or more south of St. Louis, MO, and about an hour’s drive SSE of Rolla, MO.
When they hauled some of the ore on the highway from one mine to the smelter on semi’s, the trailer tops had to be tightly tarped down because if even one clod of dirt bounced or was blown out of the top of the trailer and the wrong person saw it, the EPA would send out a Haz-Mat Emergency Response Team in moon suits with respirators, brooms, dust pans, and special vacuums and gather up all they could find.
Then charge Doe Run for the cleanup costs. ( As you may surmise, it was never cheap ).

Lord help us.

 

[cornstalk]

I've never done anything like this before, and I can't imagine I'll need very much lead shot, but I decided to try the Rupert Shot system by purchasing this. Supposed to be here in a day or two. Crossing my fingers it will work.

 

[sheriff john]

I've never done anything like this before, and I can't imagine I'll need very much lead shot, but I decided to try the Rupert Shot system by purchasing this. Supposed to be here in a day or two. Crossing my fingers it will work.

View attachment 132232

Sorta looks like a collander.

 

[cornstalk]

Sorta looks like a collander.

That’s what it is. Only cost me $35 so if it doesn’t work no big deal.

 

[david w]

It won't work unless you can drop the lead from a height high enough for the steams of lead to start breaking up into little balls. I believe the shot tower at Remington is about 100 feet tall.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

That’s what it is. Only cost me $35 so if it doesn’t work no big deal.

I can help you save that collander, so that it can be used as such in the future.
The holes are WAY to large for birdshot.

I have a Rupert shot maker repro, and the holes are much smaller, and still there are problems.

I have seen videos and think I can make mine work now...

There are a lot of YouTube videos on building a shot making machine. The key is you drip onto a sloped surface and into a coolant. Copper grease is often used on the sloped surface, and the coolant can be fabric softener and water, or some folks use a mixture of cutting oil and water.
elaborate shot maker
Note that the host is using "reclaimed shot" which is often an alloy, AND the guy knows the alloy is good for shot as he's remaking used lead shot into new lead shot. No idea what the lead alloy is in the simpler videos, below.

In this first video, somewhere in Eastern Europe, it is much simpler. The lead is melted in the dispenser with a constant flame, and dropped onto a ramp. Note how the lead hits the ramp right where the coolant meets the ramp. In the second version, the shot looks a little better when finished, and I noted that the angle of the ramp seems less steep than in the first video. I think IF one was to use something other than water (I think the non-english videos the guys are just using water), the copper grease and something like the fabric softener, as the fabric softener will give a thicker coolant, and the shot may be a tad harder when they land at the bottom of the tank and so not deform.

Simpler shot maker

Also simple, Russian DIY shot maker

LD

 

[Darkgael]

I have been using a shotmaker for the last decade or so. If set up properly, the shot that is produced is as good as any commercial shot. The one that I have is virtually identical to the Oasis.
I bought mine when I was shooting ATA Trap and loading thousands of shells a year.
The holes in the drippers are very much smaller than the holes in the “collander” item. The drippers produce 7.5 size shot and the holes are on the order of thousandths of an inch. In addition, they are heated.
Understand, there is more to the process than just dropping some lead onto the heating tray. The lead has to be clean. The shot, when it is dropping, has to drop into something to cool it. That something has to accommodate a change in volume as the shot fills the container. You have to be able to wash the coolant (I use antifreeze) off the shot. You have to dry the shot. You probably should coat the shot once it is dry. Then you can bag it.
ps: copper grease is unnecessary. The sloped ramp can be effectively lubricated with common blackboard chalk.

 

[Woody Morgan]

I suppose the colander can be used to make 000000 buckshot.

wm

 

[cornstalk]

Next time I run balls we will see what happens. It will be a good learning experience since I've never done this before.

 

[cornstalk]

Ran shot for the first time today just as a test through the collander looking thing today. Didn't preheat the collander (which I will do next time) and poured the lead through at a height of about 4 inches above a couple of inches of water, Super pleased with the results considering this was just a quick experiment.

 

[Walkabout]

Ran shot for the first time today just as a test through the collander looking thing today. Didn't preheat the collander (which I will do next time) and poured the lead through at a height of about 4 inches above a couple of inches of water, Super pleased with the results considering this was just a quick experiment.

View attachment 139505

It would be interesting to see how they pattern.

 

[Coldfingers]

Here is mine in action, about 80% is 7to7½.
Ran about 30 lbs, built it Saturday morning. You just need a tiny hole #69 drill for these. Some old scrap, a few mig tips and a tap and die set

 

[smo]

Coldfingers can you post a pic or video from a distance of your dripper?

 

[Coldfingers]

Shot dripper success...mostly. I have some in this thread.