My local firearms/ammo, etc.. dealer has cleaned and bagged reclaimed shot for sale at a substantial savings amount over new commercially bagged shot. Anymore I engage in informal trap shooting and my upland bird hunting consists mainly hunting for Blue and Ruffed grouse with an occasional chukar on the menu. The rare turkey hunt calls for commercial 3" magnums which I don't load.

What has been your experience with reclaimed shot?

Thanks in advance.

Roundup

I shoot up a lot of re-claimed shot every year. It works fine for close to midrange shooting (say 30-35 yards), but I stick to new magnum shot for anything farther than that.

Reclaimed is perfect for skeet, in a 12 or 20 ga. (I load only good shot in 28 and 410)

I've seen good and bad reclaim. The bad was not cleaned, sorted and had obvious grit included. The good looked almost new.

While visiting the Silver Dollar in FL. they had the best looking reclaim I've seen. It was cleaned, graphited, sorted and bagged. IIRC savings was about $15 over new. I would have bought and used this but Southwest would have taken my savings.

Bad stuff was bought somewhat local. It looked like dirty pea gravel.

It's my understanding grit will score your barrel. I've seen pics from those who claim it has. Many who use it pass a strong magnet over it to pick up the missed steel shot.

Rob

I used a bunch of reclaimed. Works great at trap shooting. I used it for practice & fun shooting. But for registered birds at handicap yardage I went with new shells. For registered singles & doubles I used reclaimed reloads---- Bob

Don't be afraid of reclaimed shot. Clean is the key, graphited is a bonus. I have shot several ton of home made shot out of a Littleton shot maker...it's far worse and the clay birds still break.

I agree - reclaimed shot works just fine for informal trap shooting, and teh occassional backyard pest - but I dont use it for any serious hunting.

Everyone has nailed it down. Pretty spot on guys..

I've had good luck on game and targets.
AND the occasional flattened shot or a few clumped together flies out of the pattern and helps me hit a target I would have missed...

It is ok for Skeet and iffy for 16 yard trap. Not worth a darn on trap over 16 yards. I quit using it last year after my supply ran out. Switched to new hard shot, probably won't go back to reclaim. Reclaim was running $25 per 25 lbs. Got new magnum shot at $37 through my gun club.

One nice advantage it has is if you have a fixed choke it will open it so that your modified does a nice improved cylinder.