Dropping Bismuth Shot - Homemade Shot Maker

[Ruination]

So I've begun dripping bismuth shot. Having loads of fun trying to figure it out. I've gotten it to "mostly round" but definitely oval...3.5mm diameter and 3.8mm length...give or take, so I'm calling it 3 shot. I know I could weigh out an ounce and count pellets to verify, not worried about that currently.

I'm curious if this would be good enough...I'd love to load a shell and pattern it myself, but haven't gathered components yet...

I have noticed that a lot of my more spherical shot is smaller, closer to 4 shot my original goal. So I am going to try and get a smaller drip going and see if it is more spherical in appreciable numbers.


For those curious, 3 shot was a 1/16 bit.

Haven't sorted it yet, but here's a pic.

 

[freefall]

Well, Hevi Metal is mixed with what looks like welding slag and Blind Side is square and they both work so I don't see why it wouldn't work. It's worth loading and putting on paper to see what the results are.

 

[sharkman]

I think you did good, just curious did you deburr the hole in the side the drill came through?

 

[C M Wings]

Choot it! As troy Landry would say

 

[C M Wings]

My God that seems like a lot of work. Good on you.

 

[Ruination]

I think you did good, just curious did you deburr the hole in the side the drill came through?

I did not. At least not intentionally.

I made two pans drilling from opposite sides (through the bottom and through the inside). I don't think I noticed a difference.

I may have deburred the one coming from the inside scraping dried bismuth off.

Im finding the ramp to be the most important part and I think I over diluted my coolant.

Gonna fiddle a bit more, see what #4 shot might look like.

 

[JP]

May explain why the shot drop tower at the Remington ammunition plant in Lonoke, Arkansas is ~7 stories tall. The molten metal must need that much flight time to round into shape.

 

[Ruination]

May explain why the shot drop tower at the Remington ammunition plant in Lonoke, Arkansas is ~7 stories tall. The molten metal must need that much flight time to round into shape.

I think the guys making the small lead shot with the machines don't have much of a problem. I havent seen Historians bismuth but I bet it's pretty darn spherical. For this type of setup less drop is more. I think it's all in the bounce and then the quench.

I don't much understand the physics behind it to be honest.

Maybe if I did I could design something a bit better.

Wish I had the materials to load a few.

 

[C M Wings]

May explain why the shot drop tower at the Remington ammunition plant in Lonoke, Arkansas is ~7 stories tall. The molten metal must need that much flight time to round into shape.

There is a fine line between dropping slag, to spheres, to teardrop shaped shot. Too little you get slag, too much you get teardrops. Getting that sphere takes some trial and error.

 

[Larry Welch]

Probably won't work, I however know how to properly dispose of such material if you so need. Let me know and I'll send you my address.

I feel like it'll work better than you expect.