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Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1698 Location: Minnesota

I can get acme reclaimed shot for $8/bag less. Has anyone ever used it. Notice any difference over new?

I use it - mix it with reg shot . Can't say good or bad - the guys at our major trap club use it and like it . not for small gauge !

Great for 16 yard trap, skeet, doves, quail and more fun stuff.
Insure it is washed and re-graphited stuff

I use about a 25 pound bag every two weeks

Mike

Member Joined: 09 Jan 2013 Posts: 2169 Location: Florida

Stuff I bought recently was $ 28.00 a bag . Very clean and graphited , but I run a magnet over every bag first as a couple bags out 12 bags have had few steel pellets in them .

Don't really think that 1 or 2 pellets in a load would hurt anything but you never know .

Other than that works great !

Joined: 28 Sep 2014 Posts: 241 Location: Kingsland, Texas

anyone used any of the Eagle lead shot? They have cleaned & regraphited lead shot for $33.99 25lbs. bags
They sell new shot 2 - 25lbs. 85.98 + $14 flat rate shipping.
Company name is Zip Metals. Anyone any dealings with them?

I have used it and for practice, it seemed OK.

What I didn't like was that it would sometimes jam the bar on my 9000 MEC.

My 9000's NEVER jam with new shot.

I stopped using it.

Joined: 15 Jun 2010 Posts: 1358 Location: Twin Cities, MN

A bunch of my friends were using reclaimed and said it was as good as new shot. I bought some and tested it. Every bag I've had contained between 20 and 100 steel pellets. As Dogchaser found it does not run through a press as smoothly as new shot. I patterned one ounce loads out of a 12 gauge - the reclaimed shot shoots about one choke constriction more open with a noticeable increase in flyers. Does it work? Yes it does. For skeet, 16 yard trap and close sporties you won't notice a difference. I wouldn't load it in 3/4 oz or lighter loads. I stopped using it when a friend tried it and put a long scratch in a Perazzi barrel - he wasn't running it over a magnet. I decided if I scratched the bore of one of my guns trying to save $50 or $100 a year on shot I would kick myself.
Regards,
Jeff

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

I'm with JNW on this one---not worth trashing a barrel over a few bucks--

Member Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 2349 Location: West MI

Been chewing through a batch of it all winter, and, like already posted, other than an an occasional drop that hangs up in the tube, no noticeable short range performance (skeet average score) loss compared to new shot. And because of the reclaimed flyer factor I still load new #7.5 for long range targets.

Tried a couple bags. Had hang ups with small gauge presses and looked like there was some "grit" and other inclusions. Went back to commercial products.

The important issue to consider are the small stones in the reclaimed shot. A couple of years ago I screened some reclaimed for #8 size shot. Among the larger shot left in the sieve I noticed a few tiny pebbles. So, did a spill into a plastic tub with the humongous hair dryer blowing through the shot as it fell. Sure enough, on the cardboard I had laid out on the downwind side of the air flow there were small rocks. Could they scratch a barrel? Perhaps, perhaps not. But . . .

I just bought a bag of it for about $30, but wish I had read this thread first. I didn't know there was steel shot and rocks in it. Rolling Eyes

Joined: 15 Jun 2010 Posts: 1358 Location: Twin Cities, MN

I keep relearning the same lesson over and over in my life. There is no free lunch. I bought Cheddite primers to save money. All my 16 gauge guns pierce them, so back to Winchesters and Federals. Bought reclaimed shot to save money. Had to run a magnet through it, clean it, add some graphite and still was putting my barrels at risk with decreased pattern performance. Back to all brand new magnum shot. I reload to save money, but more importantly, to build loads that are difficult to find in factory ammo that do exactly what I want.
Regards,
Jeff

Looking ahead in 2007, I purchased a shotmaker and began stockpiling wheel weights. I still have about a ton of ww, some are not usable because of high zinc content. Considering what I paid for the ww back then, and the cost of propane for my cooker, I'm estimating my current cost of shot is $9 - $11 a bag.

Back then reclaimed shot did not exist, one simply paid the going price for a bag. I think the highest at the time was $20 a bag. Up from $12 in 2007. Up from $8.50 in 2004.

Looking ahead in 2007, I purchased a shotmaker and began stockpiling wheel weights. I still have about a ton of ww, some are not usable because of high zinc content. Considering what I paid for the ww back then, and the cost of propane for my cooker, I'm estimating my current cost of shot is $9 - $11 a bag.

Back then reclaimed shot did not exist, one simply paid the going price for a bag. I think the highest at the time was $20 a bag. Up from $12 in 2007. Up from $8.50 in 2004.