doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Shot making, Italian style

Bob Brister in his book, says that the Italians use a different method of shot making that differs from our shot towers. He said their technique allows more antimony in the shot that what we can drop in the US and still get round pellets.

If anyone has any information on this, I would like your input.

Lenard

Shot was cold rolled under the bear feet of virgins. Very limited supply these days as I am sure you can understand. BICBW

Easy to imagine why they were virgins, having bear feet! What did their faces look like?

Just dont flip the light switch!!!

Short snout, beady eyes, dark hair with small pointy ears. Yeah there is a reason why they were virgins. Big feet also. Good for rolling shot under their bear feet. BICBW again.

Lenard,

Not sure about dropped shot, but some European companies, like S&B rolled their shot to size between plates rather than just screening it. Perhaps some Italian firms use or used that method as well? From everything I have ever read on the subject or heard discussed 5 to 6 % is all that is necessary for shot sizes below #6 or #7 [.1"] for maximum hardness; it is diminishing returns after that. Shot sized above #6 does not materially benefit from high percentages of Antimony, at least not that can be detected on the pattern plate. I personaly do not have much experience w/patterning lead shot sizes larger than #4[US], but never could detect that there was a bit of dif., pattern wise, using the more inexpensive [lower Antiony?] shot in sizes #4 or #5 vs. the 'Magnum' or high Antimony shot.

Whether or not rolling allows a higher percentage of Antimony or not, I don't have a clue. I am not aware of more than those two methods of making shot in any commercial quantity.

Lenard which company are you talking about? Surely not Fiocchi, they are made in the USA. You could call Fiocchi and ask them about it. I have spoken to Carlo Fiocchi on the phone. He is often available to handle questions that his staff can not answer.


Pete

PeteM

In particular, I was focusing on B&P. I have an email into them asking about how they achieve such hardness in shot. I have read such good reports on B&P for the use in 20 ga. guns. Also have a couple of acquaintance who use it. These would be 15/16 loads I would use for hunting.

The shot seems to be very hard and highly polished. One friend says it patterns and shoots as well as the Nickel plated shot they sell.

They have a deal going right now, $81 for a 10 box case and they pay the shipping. I just ordered two cases for myself and a friend. It is $85 if one wants to buy nickel plated stuff, in the 20 ga. anyhow.

Lenard & Pete,
B&P have a tremendous business relationship with Gamebore, the shot you describe sounds like Gamebore's 'Diamond' shot which is a very good high quality product, very hard, very polished, very round shot.Gamebore have various methods of shot manufacture and indeed very often combine methods of manufacture to produce high quality shot.It is my opinion that the plating of shot with copper or nickel is more of a gimmick than being practical.The thickness required to be beneficial is not practically applied.

Salopian, since the shot we can buy in the bag in the US, is relatively soft, imported NP shot really does make a 20 ga. a game gun past 30 yards. Shoots better than any other bagged shot my hunting partner and I have tried.

Would you be kind enough to explain some of the methods of manufacture that Gamebore uses?

Lenard