Bought a shotmaker

[Don2]

WoW...That was fast..!!!

The welds look great from the picture.
It looks built well as a whole.
It also looks like it been bead blasted or chemically treated. It looks like a professional job was done with what I can see.

I guess all the work are in the bolts/drippers, but it would have been nice for him to send some, but I guess thats an extra cost for him.

Are the bolts 5/16" or 3/8" ? Just wondering.

So I guess you'll be on your way to making shot soon.....

Now I just have to find something to sell to buy one and some other stuff I WANT, not need.
I'm thinking about selling a 1961 Belgium Browning A5-20gauge that works great but I just don't shoot it much anymore ?????

Don2

[Don2]

OK BUDDY....I want to see some pics of your homemade shot..!!!

I looked at the lip/ramp under the drippers on the shotmaker I use and it looks to be at about 45 deg's..??
I just eyeballed it with 90 deg small square across the drippers and the bottom of the lip is at about half of that. ( Just thought I'd check it before you asked me to...)


Don2

[Don2]

45 degrees? That's interesting - how long is that plate, Don?

Oh heck, the one thing I did not measure, I will this evening when my neighbor gets home...It's at his house at this time.

It looked to be 1.5" - 2" long, but I will measure it for you asap.

In the last few weeks, I have made 4-2 ltr coke bottles full of shot,( It didn't take me that long, just done in spare time). that should last me a while because I don't shoot much any more but I need to resupply my stock.....Been making some target 20 gauge loads with 7/8oz shot and some with 1 oz to go in my stock. Now I'm working on some 20 gauge buckshot loads, #3 buck, going to make them with BP gas seals and fiber wads.

I like them, they hit pretty hard for a 20 gauge....


Don2

[Don2]

Well it looks like my neighbor is working real late tonight, so I'll have to check tomorrow on the length.
I do not like going in his shop when he is not there, I don't let myself get in that kind of situation.
He does the same too. ( Good Neighbors )

Where's the Shot pics ??


Maybe you put it all together and it makes nice shot, or you may have to tweak it some.
But your smart, you'll figure it out.
Being a handloader, you are use to tweaking stuff to make it work......

If I make a shotmaker from scratch, I will put an adjustable ramp under the drippers, plus an adjustable base for the shot tray to vary the amount of tilt the pan has, could help head pressure on the drippers too???
I like adjustable everything....!!!

Don2

[Don2]

I still have not seen my neighbor since friday...I guess they took off for the weekend????
I've been trying to go look at the shot maker for you, but..???

Well this weekend was a bust for reloading for myself.
I did manage to get 2 boxes of 20 gauge #3 buck shells loaded.

Thats something I guess.

Don

[Don2]

I have an idea.

I know that when a guy gave me about a 50-75# chunk of lead, I wanted to cut it up into smaller pieces, that was way too hard.
Then I thought about using my Oxyacetylene cutting rig, NOPE.....That did not work either.
That big mass of lead worked as a big heat sink.....It would NOT cut with the torch.
I almost gave up, when a buddy told me to use a log wedge and a small sledge.
What the heck, I tried it and it worked enough to get some smaller pieces, then used Sawzall to finish, then melted in big pot over gas burner. ( IT's history now )

Point is, maybe if you had smaller pieces of lead, they would melt easier in your pan with modest heat.??????
Just a long way around to say try smaller pieces of lead, or start a small ingot or chunk of lead melting with a torch then let it get hot and add more as needed.??

I found out the hard way a bigger chunk of lead needs massive heat to get it to start melting..!!!
Especially if it's old lead and has a hard oxidized layer on outside. ( Inside melts and outside shell holds up. ) strange.................

Thats just an idea for you to think about.

Sorry for being long winded.

Don2

[Don2]

I was hoping that if you could get some lead melted in the pan, then after it all got up to operating temp, that you could use your bottom pour furnace to supply hot lead???
I saw a guy on YouTube do it, but maybe he faked it...I would not put it past some people who just want to be on "TV" no matter how they get there..!!!

Ok,
I know that the lead needs to be the lowest temp to pass through the drippers.

Too hot and it makes crazy shapes, too cool and it wont flow through drippers. ( YOU KNOW THIS )

See if you can go back in the old posts at the 1911 reloading forum and look for JMorris post on the one he made..It's so cool.

But he apparently has money to play with and the time...Which that combo makes cool toys and such.
He has a shop full of automated Dillon presses with bullet and brass feeds..!!

I don't even have a Dillon any longer, sold it a long time back...(Needed the money )
What I use the most now is a Redding T7 press...With a Hornady LnL Case activated powder drop system I installed with the PTX so I can skip a few steps.
It's actually pretty fast to load bullets in just a few easy steps. ( Off topic )

Keep trying buddy, you'll get something going soon.
Does not matter how you do it, just that it works for you.

Let me know if I can help.

Don2

[Don2]

Yea I know things don't happen quick when you want them to..!!
Stuff like work,money etc. always gets in the way.

Pretty soon, you'll be pumping out shot like you want.
I'm just here to nudge you along...So get cracking..!



Don2