How to Make Lead Shot
Lead shot has been used as ammunition for guns for centuries because it forms easily. Lead is soft and melts at a low temperature, allowing perfectly round musket balls even with 18th century technology. It also is one of few metals that can form into perfect spheres when falling through air. Lead shot is used today mainly in shotguns for hunting small game such as turkeys and pheasants. It also is commonly used in small weights.
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Things You'll Need
- Copper sieve
- High tower (at least 75 feet high)
- Bucket of water
- Empty bucket
- Lead
- Small furnace
- Inclined plane
- Triple beam balance
Instructions
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How to Make Lead Shot
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1
Place the bucket of water at the base of the tower. Position it so that it is directly underneath the window or other opening at the top of the tower. If you drop something out of the the top of the tower, it should fall directly into the bucket of water.
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2
Bring the furnace, copper sieve, lead, and empty bucket to the top of the tower.
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3
Place the lead into the empty bucket.
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4
Heat the lead inside the furnace until it is red hot and molten. This will allow the lead to maintain its liquid properties as it falls so that it can form a perfect sphere.
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5
Hold the copper sieve out the window of the tower so that it is directly above the bucket of water.
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6
Pour the molten lead through the copper sieve. The copper will not stick to the lead, so it can be poured right through the sieve. The sieve will separate it into small balls of almost uniform size. As the lead shot falls, the natural surface tension of the molten lead will pull it into a perfectly spherical shape. The lead will fall into the bucket of water, cool off, and solidify. You now have lead shot.
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7
Roll the solidified lead shot down the inclined plane. The perfectly formed shot will roll straight down the plane while the imperfect shot will roll to the sides.
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8
Take the imperfect shot and repeat steps four through six with it. Keep repeating this process until all of the lead shot is perfectly round.
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9
Use the triple beam balance to sort all of the lead shot by mass. You now have lead shot that can be used as shotgun ammunition.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If the lead shot is being used for weights, it is not necessary that it be perfectly spherical.
Molten lead is extremely dangerous. Always wear protective eye-wear and thick gloves when working with it.
It is important to learn and follow your local, state and federal laws on making ammunition. Also be aware that some states have limited use of lead shot for environmental and health reasons.
References
- Photo Credit less lethal shotgun and shells. image by Kevin Chesson from Fotolia.com
