OK, accidentally poured shot into the powder bottle. How can I separate these without too much wastage?
Thanks, Peter.

I think ballistic products made an item to do this with messed up shells- I brought one, and it works but its a lot of dough for what it is.

East way is to get a couple of containers (whatever) and use window screen of the right size to keep the shot but allow the powder to pass through. The larger the screen (that still holds the shot back) will allow the device to work the most efficiently. Cut the bottom of the one container off, staple or glue or whatever as long as it does not gap the screen to that container, stick it over the other container and pour/sift the mixture through the screen.

Works reasonably well.

A metal colander (available at restaurant supply stores) is your friend.

Peter, if you wish to save the shot, that is ok.

But I would not use that powder after it is separated, as I would suspect the burn rate would be adversely affected after all the shuffling and shaking to get it separated. The coatings on the powder grains, which help control the burning rate of powder, could be compromised.

I would contend that the relatively small amount of powder in the bottle would make better yard fertilizer.

The powder and shot can be separated easily enough. Pick up a kitchen sink drain strainer from any dollar store. The type with the mesh strainer. This sets nicely on top of a 1# coffee can. Pour mixed powder & shot onto sieve, tap or shake and the shot will remain on the screen and the powder will fall into the can. If your powder is not contaminated and only from an oops! then it can be reused as long as you are certain it is the powder in question.

Just cant remember the name of the thing but very similsr to a colander with fine mesh, I think used in baking. Anyway if its a little it should do no harm if loaded with contaminated shot. You can also spread the shot on a old bath towel and blow with an air hose. Try to clean as best you like.
Hope this helps.

It really isn't quite that complicated. Take a fairly large and long tall glass (such as an oversized tea glass) or something like an empty one pound powder can (cut top off) and then pour a moderate amount of the shot/powder mixture in there. Then slowly tilt it down into another container while agitating (shaking it) a bit, the shot will run out before the powder. Once the shot is out, pour the powder in another container. You might get a tiny amount of powder in with shot, but nothing a sneeze or a brisk puff of air can't take care of. It takes a bit of getting used to but it is quite easy. Sort of the same theory as panning for gold in reverse.

Well, you guys are going to laugh at this.

I was called by a friend, who used to do a lot of bird hunting.

He stored his ammo in the garage floor!!?

Somehow the garage got flooded, and thousands of rounds of FN High Power shotgun ammo with #9 shot got wet.

The shells were plastic, but it seemed the primers got corroded.

He asked if I wanted that ammo.

As we never throw anything away, I took it all.

I wanted to recover, the shot, powder and wads.

We started cutting the shells in half with serrated knives.

We put the shot in one bucket, and the powder in another.

We then got someone to help.

This person turned out to have as much intelligence as the lead shot!

Anyway, he mixed everything together in one bucket.

Luckily we caught him before he filled another bucket.

Trouble was the powder was in flakes, and using a sieve was not going to work.

It was a laborious job, but I separated them literally by hand.

The first part was not that difficult, as we shook the bucket, and the lead shot went down to the bottom, and I scooped the powder from the top by hand.

The last bit took quite a while to separate, but we did it.

We never used that powder for shotgun shells, but for pistol target loads.

Worked great.

Now back to our genius.

We got cases of 9mm fired brass from the army. It was made by RWS and good to reload.

I gave him some zip lock bags, and told him to go to the garage and put 100 cases in each bag.

About a couple of hours later, I called him on the phone to ask if he had finished.

His answer was no, it was going to take a lot of time to finish.

Somehow I felt there was something wrong, as even he should have finished by then.

We also had 48 gallon drums full of lead shot we had bought from a scrap yard - I have no idea where they got it from, but we got it at a good price.

There were 6 full drums of lead shot.

His lordship was counting 100 lead pellets and putting them into the zip lock bags, instead of the 9mm empty cases!

We laughed so much, my throat hurt!

Im sure with a bit more training he will be perfect. Next lesson ask him to sort and clean each hull! These chaps do have a place in shotgunning.

Gentlemen, thanks for all your suggestions. In the end I broke down and bought a wire mesh strainer for $3.00 at the local Dollar store (kitchen supplies), and it worked like a champ. I had tried just pouring the mixture into a large bowl, figuring with some stirring, the powder would fall to the bottom between the shot. It didn't! Now the mixture was #9 shot and H110 powder, both pretty small, but even with stirring, one could see the powder sitting on top of the shot! Wierd! Anyway, problem solved!
Thanks again, Peter

Here is the setup I use, available from the kitchen section of a Dollar Store. Works well with flake and ball type shotgun powders. Hope this copies over:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/szln...0-%20powder.JPG?dl=0

Scoutmaster

Never, ever admit that you mixed up your shot with your powder! LMAO.
I've done it several times, dumping a load of lead shot into the powder hopper. Oops, did I just admit that?
I've always reclaimed both shot and powder. Neither is worse for wear.
Several of the above stories were very entertaining! Thanks.
Zeke

I can say that I haven't mixed powder and shot together in 19yrs. That would be because I stopped loading shotguns shells 20 yrs ago.

I've done the shotshell salvage thing as well. I was only ever interested in the shot and wads and would just dump it all in a bucket. When done, I set up a box fan in my yard, and slowly poured the shot/powder in front of the fan. the shot made it to the next bucket, the powder fertilized my lawn.

I have had a few mistakes reloading shotshells but have never had to big of separation efforts. I have had unfired primers go off in the vacuum cleaner. I thought I had picked up all the unfired ones.

Saeed, it sounds like you have a least one very task oriented helper. Find the right job and they will get it done. Just don't leave any variables. When my kids were at home I never found them to be very detail oriented.

Tom

Winnow it. Lay out a big sheet of paper. Put a big box fan to the right side of the paper blowing to the left. Slowly pour your shot/powder mixture from one container to another through the air stream. The powder will blow more to your left than the shot. Collect the powder from the big sheet of paper. The shot is in the capture bucket.

You could also use a shop vac. Use a cookie sheet to contain a sample of the shot/powder mix. Put a ladies knee high nylon stocking over the vac hose. Tape it in place so that the stocking gets sucked up into the hose. Use the rig to vacuum up the powder selectively leaving the shot in place on the cookie sheet. Turn off the vac to release the powder.

I have a small 1hp shop vac that is the cats MEOW to suck up power that is light weight and leave the heavier shot.

Al

quote:

His lordship was counting 100 lead pellets and putting them into the zip lock bags, instead of the 9mm empty cases!

I believe the correct saying is, stupid is as stupid does.

quote:

His lordship was counting 100 lead pellets and putting them into the zip lock bags, instead of the 9mm empty cases! We laughed so much, my throat hurt!

Worth every penny you were paying him for sure.

Next time just use steel shot and separate it with a magnet !!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

His lordship was counting 100 lead pellets and putting them into the zip lock bags, instead of the 9mm empty cases!

We laughed so much, my throat hurt!

How long did it take Walter to finally sort the 9mm cases?

Use A match

quote:

Originally posted by raamw:
Use A match

Very fast separation for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

Originally posted by raamw:
Use A match

Very fast separation for sure.

I believe that would cause "Separation Anxiety"

quote:

Originally posted by Dulltool17:

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

Originally posted by raamw:
Use A match

Very fast separation for sure.

I believe that would cause "Separation Anxiety"

only in confined spaces

I have a fireman friend who was given about 20 pounds of propellant in various canisters. He asked if I wanted them for which I said no. We ended burning them up in increasing amounts on his gravel driveway. It started off several ounces and culminated in 6 or 7 pounds, Like a jet engine