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Senkosam

source for steel ball bearings

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One of my best techniques uses a super light weight ahead of a short stick. An idea I had is to use steel shot or steel bearings, embedded in hot plastic. Their position and number would be based on lure usage. For example, forward weighted for jerkbaiting and bottom dragging and center weighted for a faster, wacky rig drop.

BBs might not be heavy enough to get away with using one or two, but steel bearings might and are slightly heavier. I'm guessing they would not interact with plastic, at least not for a few years. The problem is finding them.

Any ideas other than crack open a Rat L Trap?

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Senkosam,

It depends on how much you are looking for. Hevishot is 10% more dense than lead and is non-toxic. Size 2 in Hevishot will have the mass of roughly a T shot in steel (2 sizes larger than BB), therefore a smaller piece with more weight. Hevishot can be purchased in bulk but is about $10 per pound. If you are only looking for a limited amount, you can buy a box of number 2's and open them up. A 10 count box of #2's is about $20-25.

There are others, if you are interested, let me know.

Tim

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TT could you give me a source?

I bud of mine used the BB's I suggested and I was surprised at their size (I only use a pellet gun) when he showed me some new pours this morning. The proof will be the scale (in grams) and sink rate comparisons in my aquarium.

Brass and nickel beads may be comparable to BB's - thanks for the suggestion.

Now if my brother-n-law would only remember to give me some of his steel shot that he uses for buckshot reloads.

McMasters is amazing, but I wouldn't know what to order. Thanks

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Most shot can be bought at any gun store that sells reloading equipment for shotguns. they come in 25lb bags, shot size varies and so does the type of shot.

Shotgun shot has been used for years and years in softplastics, usually its in guys hand pours, kinda a so called secret.

we have alot of customers that have been using them in th tail ends of dropshot worms, bass asassine tails for the action, I have a few customers that use them in there stik baits as well.

if your going to use a copper or yellow type of glitter in your plastics goto a local machine shop and ask for some brass shavings. you will get a clear bait with a nice glitter.

there are a few metals that will work for glitters

303 stainless steel makes a nice silver glitter dullish

half hard brass yellowish glitter

I cant remember the names of all the different types of brass but there are 6 types I have machined that when cut will cut fine chips( like glitter) and give you different shades.

oil lite is one

bronze is another

then the halfhard brass which is most commonly used.

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Senko,

Steel shot comes in 10# bags, lead in 25# bags, Hevi shot in 7 or 10 (the price is a lot higher than it was last year at about $16-17 per pound). Two sources:

www.bucksrunsports.com All Non-toxic (Indicast may be of interest)

www.ballisticproducts.com All toxic and non-toxic shots

I really think it is a bad idea to use lead shot for soft plastic internal weighting purposes. Sinkers and lead heads are one thing, but individual shot, whether coated or not (doesn't make a difference in toxicity) is a bad idea.

There are so many non-toxic ways to do it. Believe me, I am a waterfowler that kicked and screamed when lead shot was banned from waterfowl hunting. However, there is little doubt that in the long run we are better off not shooting it in aquatic locations.

Tim

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