Using a Rock Tumbler to Polish Buckshot?

Hey folks... in this video, I am using a Do-it slingshot mold to mold up some lead pellets. This mold makes the roughest looking raw pellets of any mold that I have used. I picked up a Harbor Freight Rock Tumbler because I have heard several folks say they have had a lot of success in tumbling/polishing raw lead pellets in this machine! Let's find out how it works for me...
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[@mrfancypanzer549]

I remember reading a forum comment. a guy would leave a jar of buckshot in the trunk of his car, the pellets would be smoothed over after some time driving on dirt roads.

[@joelmcmahan7386]

If there is a better way to reload then the (Bodyguard) knows it. Thanks to you and the BRO crew for all your videos and info God bless BRO,crew,and family. 👍👍👍

[@robertfrapples2472]

I love my Lee 18 pellet 00 Buck mold. You get to put your sprue right back in the pot before you even dump the shot in water. With others, you have to dump it in water, take it out later and cut the shot from it, leaving a sprue edge on every pellet. Then you have to make sure it's dry before putting it back in your pot. You don't have to turn the Lee over to pour all 18 pellets so there's no waiting for the first side to cool before pouring the second. I'm always afraid a two-sided mold could run when it gets hot, as you pour your second side. I can pour 18 pellets every 30 seconds with my Lee, make 1/3 fewer snips and only have a sprue edge on on 1/3 of them.

[@ThatPNWGuy2024]

Perfect timing, lunch just started.

[@bubaraydoingitright]

I use a big plastic gummy jar with Scotch-Brite glued to the inside of the jar and shake the pellets inside around about the handful at a time and it cleans the 37 calibers up pretty well sometimes takes less than a minute

[@brettvibbert5001]

a little trick I learned with the do it molds to heat em up quicker I pour lead in the sides where the info is stamped, let it haze over then pop it off and put it back in the pot, heats em up really quick

[@ftargr]

Can we see a ballistic test between the raw pellets and the polished?

[@johnndavis7647]

Thanks for the video. I hadn't thought about tumbling my buckshot. I am getting ready to do some casting. I usually do my casting on the first cold front that comes through. Too hot here in Florida to do much lead melting in the summer. I scrounge lead all year then clean it up into ingots in the fall. I hope to make a turkey shot mold by cutting cavities in the bottom side of a Lee six cavity mold for my 20 gauge flintlock fowler. I hope to use dremel burrs to cut the cavities. Thanks again for all you do. May Ya bless and protect you.

[@jaymatthews03]

I love my Marty’s mold. Best mold in my opinion. Ps this is the best camera angle yet. Keep up the great work

[@georgiaboy4410]

Enjoyed the vid. I’ve been using that HF tumbler for about 3 years to wet tumble my brass. Works great👍🏻

[@texpatriot8462]

Great video. I was thinking about doing it and using some bb’s in my tumbler to give them something harder to bounce off of.

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

I may try that myself!

[@anthonyrowell3122]

It definitely helps! Great job, Wade!

[@kerrybrown8339]

Would love to see the difference on paper, just to see what kind of patterning you get from both. They certainly clean up nice though

[@michaelbarrett2346]

Great video, now I have to find a rock tumbler in Australia

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

If you can't find 1 they seem to be pretty easy to make... I have a buddy that made 1 from scrap, PVC pipe and an old electric motor from a washing machine!

[@vernonmcnutt2622]

Good job Wade Rush .

[@kennethtephabock5634]

Love your channel

[@michaelashley1853]

great video Wade

[@webcaster]

Another great video.Thanks Wade

[@bruceschlegel8588]

I have learned a lot from your videos....thank you. Can you mix the two different sizes of buck shot in a single load, maybe better performance .

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

my pleasure Bruce... I have tried mixing shot sizes several times but performance isn't there! not for me anyway!

[@c3outdoors]

I wonder if a polishing media might help as well, maybe some walnut shell? Great video Mr Wade as always! God bless

[@maxpinson5002]

Nice job That's a pretty smart homegrown way of doing things. Is there a video that shows the powders and such used?

[@showproja]

Those tumblers do a beautiful job, but I have moved on from them. They fail often for different reasons. I've woke up to much more disappointment than thrill when waiting for jobs to finish. That's another issue- the 12 hour wait for the job to complete. Then, there's capacity. Three pounds per drum is really pushing your luck as far as failure, and that's just way too small. I'm running the large HF cement mixer with some sandpaper sheets glued inside. 15 minutes puts a very nice, smooth finish on 50 lbs of 00 buck.

[@l.a.3887]

👍👍good stuff

[@graywolf9876]

Great video. I don't know if will help any on buck shot but I tumble my muzzle loader cast round balls with some steel balls of different sizes it shows air pocket in the lead by denting it and takes out the cut flat, makes them look and shoot like swaged round balls. Hope this might help. Keep up the good work you do I really learn a lot for your videos especially on reloading.

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

I had thought about getting some bigger ball-bearing steel ball just for tumbling lead ball! Gonna give it a try for sure!

[@johnaverick7468]

There is almost no .457 round ball molds right now. I guess Lee bullet molds left the country of something. Anyway I can get a .46 cal RB mold. It will cast like a .459 RB . Do you think somehow I could tumble a couple thousands off of these 46 balls down to .457 ?

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

@@johnaverick7468 It may work if you tumble them long enough!

[@thetobaccoguy1751]

I stopped treating or smoking any of my molds. Fortune Cookie 45 LC tipped me off. They work better just run clean, in my experience.

[@Walter-wo5sz]

I tried tumbling some round balls but they didn't polish. I think because they're pure lead for muzzle loaders.

[@taylorbernard8497]

Like your show

[@plaid13]

If people are going to do this they should wear a dust mask when they open the tumbler and rinse that thing out. You dont want to breath in lots of lead dust.

[@chuckfalls9827]

I have this mold, and this tumbler. My results are not as good as yours, but I've never run mine for 12 hours. I'll give that a shot. I'm curious to see if you'll do a treated vs untreated video.

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

I'm gonna do that Chuck! Several of y'all have asked me to so I'm gonna...

[@johnaverick7468]

I hope you can help, I'm gettin a Marty's mold in .46 cal . Because all the .457 round ball molds are GONE pretty much. Could I use your method with maybe some kinda media to take a thousands or 2 off of a 46 cal ball to get near a .457 ball ?

[@gabeval9350]

If you preheat the mold well, the chances of the lead sticking is minimal.

[@g.k.dalton4530]

Hello Mr. Rush... question.?..how often do you smoke or graphite your mold when casting.? Thanks for your great video’s... I’m kinda new to this and I’ve learned a lot from you. 👍🏻

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

I will Graphite my molds on every session...

[@g.k.dalton4530]

Thank you!👍🏻

[@saltcreekammo]

Hey Wade, I was wondering if you ever tried casting bismuth or even zinc for nontoxic buckshot loads. I’d be curious how they’d perform. I know from watching people cast zinc that it can be hard on molds, so I’d suggest casting them in some old Lee molds you don’t care for!

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

I had thought about that but need to do a lot more research on it!

[@saltcreekammo]

@@BubbaRountreeOutdoors whatever you come up with will be worth watching and applying on my own. I’d bet bismuth- although expensive- would make a great non-toxic option in buckshot.

[@jungleno.]

I would think powder coating the pellets would render them non toxic.

[@mrparlanejxtra]

Aha, first to see it.

[@173rdUSmilitary]

Can I use a vibratory tumbler like the lyman turbo?

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

Yes you can.

[@jonleone777]

What size do-it mold corresponds to OO buck.

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

Unfortunately Do-it doesn't make but 2 slingshot molds! None close to #00 size.

[@kevinrisher7658]

Does tumbling work harden the pellets? Also I think you are seeing lead dust and not graphite, idk good job anyway.

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

It hardens the surface of the pellet for sure just by compression during the hammering process while tumbling.

[@maxpinson5002]

No dust The other drum he opened that turned at the same time had no residue or dust, and he did say that there had been graphite in that drum in an earlier use

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

@@maxpinson5002 The problem was moisture... just a little humidity on the pellets will cause a mess of rubber dust to form in the drums! I use a hairdryer to dry the pellets before putting them in the drums! Problem solved!!

[@nathancatlin3849]

Im new here thanks for the videos just trying to get into reloading and making shot since its so hard to find. You said something about adding wheel weights to add hardness to your shot do have a % that you go by. I did watch another video you had on your pellets taken from a deer that were not deformed much at all. Any help is greatly appreciated thanks, Nate

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

Hey Nathan... I explain a lot more about the hardness of the alloy here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpDbi6dspZWNoMk

[@nathancatlin3849]

@@BubbaRountreeOutdoors thanks ill take a look at that, im sure ill find a lot more information in your other video's I like the way you go in depth in explaining what different loads you try and how they turned out. Hull, wads powder, load weights, helps me and new loaders understand fully. Thanks

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

@@nathancatlin3849 My pleasure Nathan! Wade

[@SuperQuickfix1]

How'd the water dropped hardened cement mixer tumbled work out this season, any good shots?

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

That pattern great!! Especially in the 14 pellet extended range loads...

[@SuperQuickfix1]

@@BubbaRountreeOutdoors Hope it put some venison in your freezer.

[@308guy8]

I just got a lee 6 cavity mold for 9mm any advice on what I need to do to the mold before I start pouring bullets

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

You can smoke the mold with a wood match, or you can Graphite your mold with some Graphite spray that you can get at any auto parts store or amazon!

[@308guy8]

@@BubbaRountreeOutdoors thanks man I appreciate it

[@lucascoppenger3425]

Are you hunting this year wade?

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

yes i am... i took a big doe on camera earlier this season and been a few more times without any success! i hope the hunting will improve if we can get some cooler weather!

[@filianablanxart8305]

What tumbling media are you using ?

[@BubbaRountreeOutdoors]

None. Just letting the pellets rub together!

[@walksfletcher]

Why do you use calibers and not a micrometer ?