Has anyone ever used reclaimed shot?

Henry Nierychlo

Henry Nierychlo

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So I've run across some reclaimed shot and I'm wondering if anyone has ever used some.
It has a white dust/coating on it and doesn't look very round. Kind of corroded with flat spots.
Is there anything I can do to make this shot useable for reloading.
I'm wondering how it will shoot.
Any advice or info on how it shoots on the trap range?
Kind Regards, Henry
 
When I lived on Vancouver Island, That’s all I ever used, 5 bags a year for 5 years = 25 bags. They reclaimed it off of a range in Victoria and then washed and relubed it. It worked great.
Now the white dust means it’s oxidized. You can make it black again by putting a cup full of shot in a margarine tube with a 1/4 teaspoon of graphite powder, shake it up.
Good to go. I still have 2 bags left, from 1996, when I quit trap.
 
Machinery ... strip the topsoil down 1/2" +/- and "sieve" away.

Occassional adds in magazines like Shotgun Sports, Skeet Shooting Review,
etc. for shot reclaiming equipment.
 
Actually Barretta Boy is the closest. I understand that it was done with a shovel scraping the surface and then screened and the rocks and dust cleaned out.
I just don't know how good this stuff is to reload and shooet.
 
tigrr,
How does that stuff pattern? I have tried a small batch many years back, but did not pattern it or try any challenging targets. Did you use it for handicap or second shot in doubles?
 
I used it to shot trap, sporting clays all up and down Vancouver island. I even cut it back to 7/8ths of an ounce for trap. Some are dented, but have you ever cut a # 7 1/2 apart and seen how disfigured the shot is in a new shell?
 
tigrr said:
I used it to shot trap, sporting clays all up and down Vancouver island. I even cut it back to 7/8ths of an ounce for trap. Some are dented, but have you ever cut a # 7 1/2 apart and seen how disfigured the shot is in a new shell?
Click to expand...

When I get competative I usually use AA, or Gold Medal. Cut apart one of them and all of the shot seems perfect and polished. I have bought bagged chilled that was disfigured.
 
The reclaimed shot I've had experiance with patterns well enough for shooting what I'd refer to as "Recreational Skeet" butI wouldn't use it for any kind of competitive shooting ( even where reloads are O.K.)
Tried lots of different stuff, but the best component shot I've ever used came out of Edmonton ... "Superior" brand-shot I believe it was. Round, hard and polished shiney ... patterned great !
 
Covey Ridge said:
When I get competative I usually use AA, or Gold Medal. Cut apart one of them and all of the shot seems perfect and polished. I have bought bagged chilled that was disfigured.
Click to expand...

I am not aware that lead shot should be used chilled. I have always used mine at room temperature. That way you can absorb the natural bouquet as it leaves the barrel. I don't think that (chilled or warm) shot prevent cancer.
Do you keep your your shot in a cooler till you are ready to shoot them?
Are there good production years of shot?
Maybe there is a difference between economy and premium shot.
Are "Homemade" shot considered low grade?
Too many questions.
I better go have another glass of wine and think these questions over some more.
 
Henry Nierychlo said:
I am not aware that lead shot should be used chilled. I have always used mine at room temperature. That way you can absorb the natural bouquet as it leaves the barrel. I don't think that (chilled or warm) shot prevent cancer.
Do you keep your your shot in a cooler till you are ready to shoot them?
Are there good production years of shot?
Maybe there is a difference between economy and premium shot.
Are "Homemade" shot considered low grade?
Too many questions.
I better go have another glass of wine and think these questions over some more.
Click to expand...

The cheap s**t is just molten lead that has been cooled til hard:D Not really hard, but very soft lead. The best shot is lead mixed with some other stuff, like antimony. The higher the % antimony, the better the shot. Yes, I think that most homemade stuff is of a lower grade than the premium. Yes I do keep my shot or shells in a cooler. This time of year in Alberta, I would have to heat my garage to keep the stuff in my trunk warm. This time of year when I shoot it is never room temperature! There is a difference between premium and economy stuff, but it is the economy that has me looking into the reclaimed stuff, which I think is cheap s**t but I would certainly buy a truck load of the cheap s**t if I could get it dirt cheap!
 
reclaimed

I set up a littleton shotmaker, on a good day with no hick ups I can make 50 pounds a hour. takes a bit to sieve it through to the proper size, 3/32 of an inch equals 7.5 shot and a little dry graphite and your off to the the range.

One tip though, let the lead shot cool enough prior to reloading it :D
 
Here's a unit reclaiming the lead shot.
http://www.leadusreclaimllc.com/assets/images/db_images/db_lur_53.jpg

Then the sift it through a bunch of screens to sort it to different sizes. sell the 7.5, 8 and sell the rest as scrap. One article I read said a range had 1.5 tons of plastic wads for recycling. I hope they had a large Boy scout troop pitching in for that back breaking job.

Just search lead shot reclaimng, all sorts of machinery comes up.
 
jacky said:
I have used reclaimed shot from the Vancouver gun club lots and it always works fine.
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jacky,
has the shot been processed in any way before you got it. I have heard mixed reports. Some say it looks like ####, and some say it looks pretty good and only obvious by the different sizes. Do you use the reclaimed stuff in competition?
 
Covey Ridge said:
jacky,
has the shot been processed in any way before you got it. I have heard mixed reports. Some say it looks like s**t, and some say it looks pretty good and only obvious by the different sizes. Do you use the reclaimed stuff in competition?
Click to expand...

When I first started Lead was easy to get and then there was a period where lead was harder to find. That year I used the reclaimed for everything, practice, competition....etc. I am still new to competitive trap ( 3 years) so to me it didn't matter. It broke targets fine. Other guys with 20 years exp would pay big bucks for Magnum or Western shot and use it in comp only.

I thought it was fine. It metered well in my loader which was important and other than that it broke targets.

There is quite a bit of homemade stuff around these days and the stuff I get is as good as Western or Magnum shot anyday.
 
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