Making lead shot?

[N.Y. Yankee]

Is there a practical, relatively simple way to make #4 or 6 lead shot without machinery? Maybe by the campfire?

 

[Le Loup]

Is there a practical, relatively simple way to make #4 or 6 lead shot without machinery? Maybe by the campfire?

Without using a mould, I don't know of any way to accurately make a specific size of shot. You can carry sheet lead & cut rough shot from that, you can also cut rough shot from lead spills from making round ball or goose shot or buckshot.
Keith.
More on my blog here: https://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2016/04/more-on-small-shot-for-smoothbores.html

https://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2016/04/an-update-of-small-shot-for-smoothbores.html

https://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2013/11/research-small-bar-lead-for-making-shot.html

 

[George]

Over a campfire would be a real challenge. Here are two descriptions of making shot, but both involve some 'machinery'.

An Essay on Shooting, Wm. Cleator, 1789.
I would assume this was commercial shot.
*The patent milled shot is said to be made in the following manner. Sheets of lead, whose thickness corresponds with the size of the shot required, are cut into square stripes by a machine, and thus again into small pieces that are cubes; or of the form of a die. A great quantity of these little cubes are put into a large hollow iron cylinder, which is mounted horizontally and turned by a winch; when by their friction against one another and against the sides of the cylinder, they are rendered perfectly round and very smooth."

And a crude attempt to essentially do the same by an individual in the field, as it were. John Palliser _Solitary Rambles and Adventures of a Hunter in the Prairies_, describing experiences at Fort Union in the 1840s:
“I had again recourse to my Trulock, but alas! shot was not to be had, so I was obliged to make it as well as I could ; first I tried pricking holes in a card. fixed in a small wooden frame, and pouring melted lead upon it---taking care to keep it perpetually in motion, by shaking it backwards and forwards.

“But I found the following a better plan ; i.e. to beat the lead quite flat, and cut it into little bars, about seven-eighths of an inch square, which we divided across so as to form little cubes one-eighth of an inch every way. These we made as like grains of shot as we could by putting them into a small metal boiler in the kitchen of the fort, and rolling them round and round with a smooth stone along with some ashes. With this very imperfect substitute for shot, I contrived to kill some ducks and geese ; the latter were very difficult to obtain…."

Spence

 

[jackley]

Check out Making swan shot, or making lead shot on you tube.

Jerry

 

[Black Hand]

Is there a practical, relatively simple way to make #4 or 6 lead shot without machinery? Maybe by the campfire?

Practical & Simple - not really. At $2/lb, just isn't worth the time and effort.

 

[Carbon 6]

Is there a practical, relatively simple way to make #4 or 6 lead shot without machinery? Maybe by the campfire?

This method works, but is tedious and not very practical. It also does not yield a specific size or are they round. It is also ridiculously slow. Back in the day, people bought their shot same as today.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Uniform round shot is made by dropping molten lead a long distance through screening, a good example of a original shot tower exists in Baltimore Md.

 

[jackley]

This method works, but is tedious and not very practical. It also does not yield a specific size or are they round. It is also ridiculously slow. Back in the day, people bought their shot same as today.

That's the video I was looking for!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The Littleton "shot maker" made pretty good shot. I don't think you can find them other than used any more.
I've a "Rupert" shot maker, and it doesn't make round shot, but I'm told it will make closer to round shot IF I flux the lead with arsenic...I'll pass on that experiment.
As above, swan shot isn't round, but it often works well
Pounding the lead into a sheet, then cutting it into strips that as wide as they are thick, and then cutting the lead into cubes sorta works too. Spreads very quickly though as a general rule, and we with cylider bores already have a tough time with shot spread.
You'd probably do better with buying "reclaimed shot" from Rotometals, OR if you could get access to the shot impact zone of a skeet range near you -when not in use- (also wear a proper dust filter when digging that stuff up please)

That's about what I know of DIY shot.

LD

 

[jackley]

LD just beat me to the Rupert shot maker.This device was used to make shot, and has been dated to the mid 16th through 18th century. Prince Rupert of Germany wrote: "... (as) long as you observe the right temper of the heat, the lead will constantly drop into very round shot, without so much as one with a tail in as many pounds ... fall to be round and without tail, there is Auripigmentum (arsenic trisulphide) enough put in and the temper of the heat is right."
He also described the shot maker as a "round plate of copper ... the hollow wherein is to be about three inches over, the bottom lower than the brims about half an inch, pierced with small holes."

Jerry

In 1618, it is recorded that 3 shot makers and 600 pounds of lead was given to every 35 men sent to Virginia

 

[jackley]

Uniform round shot is made by dropping molten lead a long distance through screening, a good example of a original shot tower exists in Baltimore Md.

I made a shot maker that will make 75lbs. of shot an hour and it drops 3/16"is all. It makes very nice shot.

Jerry

 

[George]

Prince Rupert of Germany wrote: "...

This was actually written in Micrographia, by Robert Hooke. He studied Rupert's method extensively and wrote this in his report of his results, possibly to the Royal Society.

In 1618, it is recorded that 3 shot makers and 600 pounds of lead was given to every 35 men sent to Virginia

Can you point me to where this is recorded, please?

Spence

 

[jackley]

Spence
I got this info from the Goose Bay Workshop site. So I guess we can contact him. Thanks for the info on Micrographia.

Jerry

 

[George]

Thanks. I sent them an e-mail, might get a response.

Spence

 

[nhmoose]

http://www.littletonshotmaker.com/

He is also active on CB forum

For a ML you will get a lot of shot for the cost of the machine.

 

[George]

Thanks. I sent them an e-mail, might get a response.

Got a reply from Pete Goebel at the site, he'll try to find the source and get back to me.

Spence

 

[jackley]

Got a reply from Pete Goebel at the site, he'll try to find the source and get back to me.

Spence

I never met him or have any of his wares. But I've heard from more than one source he made HC plunder and was a stand up guy.

Jerry

 

[Sicilian Hunter]

That's the video I was looking for!

This is totally unrelated to making shot but does anybody know what happened to Steve Davis?
His videos were an inspiration to me and I wish there was more...

 

[appalichian hunter]

Jackley ,perhaps a picture of you device and resulting shot would be a inspiration.

 

[Black Hand]

You can cut cubes of lead and roll them between 2 flat surfaces (pieces of wood have worked for me) to make roughly spherical shot.