Dropping Bismuth Shot - Homemade Shot Maker

[WuChang]

Interesting
Back in my pistolero days we cast wad cutters and such but never considered dropping shot

Considering our ancestors went to great lengths to produce round shot and then added antimony to help shot retain its roundness with special wads to produce relatively uniform patterns despite deformation in the shot column etc, I wonder what they would think about oval shot being used on purpose……..just saying.

You think it might “open up” a fixed choke rating?

 

[aberisle]

My bismuth shot turns out the same as that, i am going to try a longer ramp for it to run down before it hits the coollant to see if that works.

 

[Fritz]

Ruination, I tried the drop it from a pot method and couldn’t get mine to look like that. That stuff looks good! Can you share more to your method? Ramp type, slope? Length to coolant? Type of coolant? I have had success molding #1’s with one of Marty’s Molds and then tumbling them to smooth them out.

 

[Tuleman]

The molten metal, whether it's lead or bismuth, must cool and solidify before it contacts anything if you are attempting to get spherical shot.
As JP said, it takes time for surface tension to pull the molten metal into a sphere and to cool sufficiently to maintain its spherical shape before it comes in contact with a ramp or water. That's why the tall drop towers are used.
By the way, antimony is added to increase hardness, not so much to increase "roundness".
As far as the pictured shot goes, shoot it.

 

[aberisle]

IF you look at my video and play it back in slow mo you will see the metal drop and then roll and turn into a sphere, maybe if i had a longer distance for the shot to roll before it contacts the water it migh be more round?

 

[Ruination]

Ruination, I tried the drop it from a pot method and couldn’t get mine to look like that. That stuff looks good! Can you share more to your method? Ramp type, slope? Length to coolant? Type of coolant? I have had success molding #1’s with one of Marty’s Molds and then tumbling them to smooth them out.

Sure thing I'll take a few pics and do a write up of what I tried...I need to start taking notes... Tomorrow.

I don't have anything locked in place yet so it changes every time, intentionally, to try and adjust it.

I'm just waiting for this cold snap to stop to start trying again.

 

[Fritz]

Sure thing I'll take a few pics and do a write up of what I tried...I need to start taking notes... Tomorrow.

I don't have anything locked in place yet so it changes every time, intentionally, to try and adjust it.

I'm just waiting for this cold snap to stop to start trying again.

Thanks!

 

[JP]

The molten metal, whether it's lead or bismuth, must cool and solidify before it contacts anything if you are attempting to get spherical shot.
As JP said, it takes time for surface tension to pull the molten metal into a sphere and to cool sufficiently to maintain its spherical shape before it comes in contact with a ramp or water. That's why the tall drop towers are used.
By the way, antimony is added to increase hardness, not so much to increase "roundness".
As far as the pictured shot goes, shoot it.

Back in the halcyon days BPI introduced a high antimony lead pellet in #3's. I purchased a couple pounds of it and loaded into Tom Rosters 100%* recipe of 9/8 ounces in the AA hull. It was absolutely devastating in the field. Unfortunately, the next year was abnormally warm and they couldn't drop any from the shot tower source being used. Then, steel cartridges were starting to be mandated and it went by the wayside.

* 100% patterns @40 yards

 

[Ruination]

@Fritz

First, please excuse my disgusting work bench, Hunting season makes me a complete slob.

From scrounging the internet I have come to discover that shot dripping works differently for everyone based on the exact distance they are from the moon and their astrological sign, but you can try and throw things together similarly. It definitely is easier when ambient temps are closer to 60F.

First; What didn't work.

My first try was a system like @aberisle running shot down a ramp into the coolant that was in the turkey pan. My shot was closer to cylinders than spheres.

My second system was rolling the shot into a 2ft drop and 5 gallon bucket. This gave me pancakes. (the shot was hitting the water too fast).

I then began looking at the oasis shot maker. Tried the little lip and bounce into the turkey pan filled with (very diluted at this point) coolant (cheapest fabric softener I could find). That shot came out with potential but some flat sides and stuck together shot let me know it was hitting the bottom not completely solidified.

I "built" a tower so the shot could drop into a taller container. The cylinder is filled to the top at all times and overflows into the turkey pan when displaced by shot. The shot should bounce once or twice than hit the tank. I think the bounce imparts spin on the shot (creating a ball) and slows it down so it doesn't pancake and has a chance to cool a little. The edge of the ramp should be at most 1/4 inch away from the coolant, I am still experimenting in that regard.

Things that definitely make a difference:
Ramp angle/length.
Drop (distance) onto ramp from pan, I believe less is more.
Having a smooth ramp and coating it with graphite. (Mine is currently some oak plank but I have aluminum sheet metal I am planning on cutting up in different lengths.
Low temperature. I start with the pan in reverse to pool in the back, when it melts to a droppable point I turn the heat down slow it melts slower and flip it. If it melts too fast, to much head pressure and you will just have a river. Too that regard, I have found stirring the melted Bi allows for less head pressure.

I just bought some cheap RV coolant to try because I have diluted the fabric softener to hell. and read that dimples are often due to a to thin coolant.

As you can see, very ghetto operation going here. But 50lbs of Bi will last me 3 or 4 years and even the small test runs I am doing wouldn't take me long at all.

 

[Ruination]