Stainless shot for shot bags??

[Michael Panfeld]

Hi: I just bought a bunch of empty shot bags. I am looking for a good source of cheap stainless steel shot to fill the bags. Anybody have any suggestions? Thanks

 

[Brandon Kraemer]

Try a local sporting goods store or gunsmith that carries "reload" supplies.

 

[Nick Gardner]

If you can find a metal shop that does stainless (industrial kitchen sinks, hospital stuff) they should have a ton of punch outs and such you should be able to buy cheap.

Nick

 

[Matthew Rogers]

Why not use led shot? It won't rust and is probably cheaper (plus probably quieter.)

Matthew

 

[Michael Panfeld]

Thanks, lead is bad for the environment. I am looking for round or roundish stainless 304 or 409 shot, such as the kind used in abrasive blasting or tumbling. I just though that somebody has been down this road before. cheers

 

[Brandon Kraemer]

Why not use led shot? It won't rust and is probably cheaper (plus probably quieter.)

Matthew

Don't underestimate that lead is highly toxic, and the lead dust finds it's way out of the bags and into your working environment. Most bags out there have been repacked decades ago to avoid the lead issue. Shot bags do not make any noise once they are set on a stand, I don't think there is much upside to the noise issue.

 

[Dominic Cochran]

Stainless in shot bags is awesome, like butta. Good call. I don't know where to get the shot but the gents over at Lowing sell the completed bags.

http://www.lowinglight.com/products.html#shotbags

And yes, lead will rust way more quickly than stainless

 

[Nick Gardner]

There are tons of places to get SS shot, it's just mad expensive, thats why I recommended the punchings route. I know a couple of grips that did this.

Nick

 

[Dominic Cochran]

Do the punchings have some random sharp edges though that might eventually cut through the nylon?

 

[Matthew Rogers]

Don't underestimate that lead is highly toxic, and the lead dust finds it's way out of the bags and into your working environment. Most bags out there have been repacked decades ago to avoid the lead issue. Shot bags do not make any noise once they are set on a stand, I don't think there is much upside to the noise issue.

I didn't think lead shot would turn into dust, but your probably right. I know that the bags won't make any noise once they are still, but I was thinking about the balls making noise when you drop them onto a stand/ground. I just know that even golfball sized steel balls make enough noise to hurt my ears when hit together. But it also may make a difference that all the shot bags I've used before are packed pretty tight-nothing like sandbags.

And yes, lead will rust way more quickly than stainless

Uhhh, lead doesn't rust.

Matthew

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Brandon is right about the dust. And while lead doesn't "rust" it does oxidize and that accounts for most of the dust. If the bags get wet, than any water running through them will be contaminated with lead / lead oxide. It's just a bad idea to use it and there's special procedures for disposal and shipping, etc..

The suggestions of punchings may be OK, you should be able to pick them up for salvage value or what a machine shop would get when they send it off to a metal salvage or recycling company. And yes, there is potential for sharp edges that could put extra wear on the insides of your bags over time. Heavy nylon bags tend to wear out anyway when continuously dropped onto concrete, dirt and asphalt, regardless of what is in them. Steel punchings with sharp edges may just accelerate the process. It's probably cheaper to buy new bags every now and then than it is to buy a bunch of SS shot.

I don't personally have any shot bags. All my bags are filled with sand as it's cheap and readily available. Just have to use a bigger bag or more of them to get the same weight.

 

[Charles Angus]

Rust and oxidization are the same thing...

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Rust and oxidization are the same thing...

Technically yes. But not all people think of it that way. I suppose that's why I felt the need to say that lead doesn't "rust" (notice quotes) and it oxidizes. In that the lead oxidation process doesn't form a highly corroded oxide form like we see with iron, but rather a fine surface coating and further oxidation stops until fresh lead surface is exposed, much the same way Aluminum oxidizes. You can probably ask 100 people and I bet at least 80 of them will tell you that aluminum doesn't rust.

 

[Dominic Cochran]

I'm not aware of the specific metallurgic differences between rusting and oxidization, I just know that some of our older lead shot bags leave a nasty residue on things if they get a little wet. The stainless ones don't.

 

[Robert Frank]

I don't personally have any shot bags. All my bags are filled with sand as it's cheap and readily available. Just have to use a bigger bag or more of them to get the same weight.

Sand bags here too. Other than weighing more than sand is there any advantage to using the stainless shot over sand bags?

 

[Todd T]

Sand bags here too. Is there any advantage to using the stainless shot?

It doesn't rust! :wink:

 

[Todd T]

BTW: Heres a place that sells it....

www.mcmaster.com

(drone voice) Sooo much hardware..... (/drone voice)