I bought 800 pounds of shot today.

[Dick Dastardly]

My home club did lead reclamation and they got around 70 barrels of shot.  I bought 800 pounds for 65¢ a pound.  Just posting cuz I've heard a lot of pards grumbling about the price of shot.  This gets it back down to almost affordable. . .

DD-DLoS

[Springfield Slim]

I thought you had a shotmaker?

[Fox Creek Kid]

Hope there isn't any steel shot mixed in there. 

[Dick Dastardly]

The stuff runs less than WW metal now, and all I have to do is wash, dry and graphite it.  I'm not keeping the whole batch for myself.  I have pards that want some.  There's no steel in it.  It came from a trap range and they don't shoot steel at clay birds there.

Yup, I do have the shotmaker and I'm mothballing it till I need it again.  That shotmaker got me thru some spendy times.

DD-DLoS

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings Monsier Dastardly -
I am envious - folks in these parts don't seem inclined to allow lead mining at the ranges ... yet .

instead of loading supplies we just got 400 pounds of assorted buffalo for $200 a pound.
The constant dilemma - loading supplies or meat ... :-)  - but at least we will  eat well!
your humble servant
Prof Marvel

I bought 800 pounds for 65¢ a pound.

[Silver Creek Slim]

That's great, DD.

Slim

[Deadguy]

Let's see here... 400 pounds at $200 per pound, that's $80,000!!!!!!!!  I hate to tell you this, buddy, but you could have gotten the buffalo meat at the grocery store for a tiny fraction of that cost and had enough money left over for a whole lot of guns, plus a Corvette!

Greetings Monsier Dastardly -
I am envious - folks in these parts don't seem inclined to allow lead mining at the ranges ... yet .

instead of loading supplies we just got 400 pounds of assorted buffalo for $200 a pound.
The constant dilemma - loading supplies or meat ... :-)  - but at least we will  eat well!
your humble servant
Prof Marvel

[Alabama]

I am sure that was a typo ( I hope ? ) $200 = $2.00 in the real world . 
If not , then we can assume the Japanese have produced the finest Kobe' Buffalo ever eatin , and insaine people who would actually buy it !  LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
$200 a pound for Buffalo ? That cannot be right ? Gold plated Buffalo meat maybe .
We pay $5.99 to $15.99 depending on the cut here at my Butchers . Elk is better and cheaper though , as is new shot , since you have to spend the time to clean up old and it aint never as good as new . Time aint free , not mine tha tis .

Alabama

[sundance44`s]

That must be some fine eating Buff ...

[44caliberkid]

A few years ago a guy gave me 100's of pounds of homemade lead shot.  I've been recycling it into Big Lube bullets for awhile now.  I suppose I could always use some for shotshells, but I still have lots of surplus shot around too.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

OK - is lead shot (as bought nowdays, i.e. "chilled & hardened") harder than wheelweights?

At one time I got a hundred pounds or so that I was going to melt down but was advised that it's too hard.   

[Professor Marvel]

By golly, gentlemen, that was some typo- yes $2 per pound. Bought an entire front quarter, got a mix of roasts, steaks, and burger, packaged and frozen.

Just received 55# of home-made lead shot for $1 per pound, plus shipping; looks great for my purposes. I had thoughts of building a shotmaker, but Monsiuer Dastardly has brought up the wonderful idea of reclamation...

Regarding hardness, I can only relate "book learning" ... Inexpensive commercial shot may have as little as 2% antimony, premium as much as 6%
pure lead shot seems to  be undesireable as it opens up patterns, the wheelwieght versions, while not perfectly round, seem to be hard enough
and round enough for Cowboy ans Skeet ranges.

hope this helps
yhs
Prof Marvel

[Dick Dastardly]

I'm going to go get a couple hundred more pounds on Monday.  The stuff ships out soon and then the opportunity is GONE!  I washed some up and it don't look bad.  Now, I've got to get my hands on some powdered graphite lubricant to tumble it with.  I'll tumble it in my old RCBS sidewinder.

DD-DLoS

[Adirondack Jack]

Thanks fer sharing, DD.  Now to make us totally tongue drag the floor, yer gonna tell us there were a pair of twin beer commercial models who offered to deliver it in return for a soak in yer hot tub.  Nice guy you are

I can't even buy range lead with jackets and rocks in the mix for that money here.  Even WW, with clips, valve stems and all is that much and more.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

OK - is lead shot (as bought nowdays, i.e. "chilled & hardened") harder than wheelweights?

At one time I got a hundred pounds or so that I was going to melt down but was advised that it's too hard.   

Thanks to the good Professor - but I'd like to know more, specifically for use as cast bullet alloy.

[Dick Dastardly]

I've delivered Six Hundred pounds of reclaimed shot so far.  I'm going to get more on Monday for sure.  There were 70 barrels and now only the one I took shot from is left.  The club president shipped them to a recycling dealer.  I'm thinkn' that last barrel  won't be there long.

DD-DLoS

[44caliberkid]

   To Steel Horse Bailey, I've melted down commercially made shot for bullets.  I get some at auctions and since we can't (don't) use bigger than 7's for CAS, I throw anything else from 2's to 6's into the melting pot.  Mixed with my other lead it seems fine.  I don't have a hardness tester other than my fingernail.  The round balls I made from it still shaved easily when seated.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

THAT'S the kind of info I'm lookin' for.  Thanks, Clint.