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Chilled lead shot for casting round balls ?

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kyron4

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Picked up an old bag of #9 chilled shot at a yard sale for cheap. I don't think it's hardened but it's likely not pure lead either. Will it be okay to use for round balls ? -Thanks
 
Others that know say it will be too hard. Sell it ti some unmentionable shooter. When I used to shoot unmentionables back in the 1960's , we reloaded #9 for shooting crows at night off their rooks , close range up in trees.
 
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Lead hardness is much debated in these pages. Some like me cast from what ever lead is available. You didn’t mention use so I can say in my case with revolvers hardness has little to do with accuracy, and I’m certainly not concerned with expansion or penitration, which leaves load ability. A hard round ball may prove difficult to load in a revolvers chamber especially if those chambers have beveled mouths instead of sharp square edges that will shave a ring, but in 44’s it generally doesn’t present a problem.
 
Besides being harder(which may or may not be a problem for your shooting needs) they will also be slightly larger & likely to require thinner patches.
 
#9 chilled shot is good on the skeet field and quail/woodcock. For anything else I would use #8 for trap and game up to pheasants. This recommendation is for modern shotshells. For BP shotguns I would go with one (or two) sizes bigger shot especially for pheasants ;) .
 
Many years ago I made some round balls out of melted shot. They were harder than pure lead and two thousands over sized from pure lead. But they did work!
 
Picked up an old bag of #9 chilled shot at a yard sale for cheap. I don't think it's hardened but it's likely not pure lead either. Will it be okay to use for round balls ? -Thanks
remember if it is chilled shot it must be kept in a refrigerator :ghostly:
 
Picked up an old bag of #9 chilled shot at a yard sale for cheap. I don't think it's hardened but it's likely not pure lead either. Will it be okay to use for round balls ? -Thanks
I've never used chilled shot, but I made quite a few balls out of wheel weights, The only difference I could tell, is that they are 4 to 5 grains lighter per ball then soft lead. They work just fine. The round balls I've made from wheel weights, are the hardest balls I've ever tested, but being they're patched there is no way they would harm the bore anyway. I can't imagine they would be worse On a barrel than pure copper slugs. They, the round balls, seem to shoot just as good and were no harder to load.
Squint
 
Picked up an old bag of #9 chilled shot at a yard sale for cheap. I don't think it's hardened but it's likely not pure lead either. Will it be okay to use for round balls ? -Thanks

Supposedly works best fo making cast bullets for unmentionable pistol cartridges.
 

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