Lee Loader

I keep my lead shot in heavy water bottles that I buy from the local Goodwill. The reusable ones with a top that's about 2 inches wide they seem unbreakable. I don't know exactly what kind of plastic, it has a 7 inside a triangle as the recycle code. The top is large enough to easily pour the shot into, and not too heavy to pour with one hand into my Lee load all. I glue the foldable mouth "straw" closed so it can't be used with water again. A 25 bag of shot just about fills three bottles. They have a loop on the top and I hang them under my reloading bench and the weight stabilizes the bench. Easy to handle and I can tell with a glance how much shot I have left.

That sounds like a really good system. I'm also a fan of repurposing existing "disposable" containers. Probably go the habit when I was a kid in the '60s saving coffee cans and cigar boxes. I still have a hard time throwing away the "new model" plastic coffee cans unless I've used them at least once for something.

My favorite "must keep" are the clear plastic peanut cans, both square (my preference) and round for sorted brass and for cast bullets. Very convenient storage. Also, non gun related, I keep those quart size clear plastic (wide mouth) bottles that orange juice (or other juice) comes in ... perfect for short term (maybe 4-6 weeks) storage in the fridge of my monthly hot sauce cooking.

It seems that the easiest way for me to get the paper/plastic labels and sticky glue off the plastic containers is using WD-40. The containers with mostly paper labels get water soaked for a while, the label then is mostly peeled off and allowed to dry. If plastic label, I use a toothpick along the edge to get is started peeling, then peel off. In both cases, a small squirt of WD-40 using half a paper towel to spread it will result in the glue dissolving enough to wipe most off. A second application will almost always clean it up well.

jd

Edit to add pic from a cheap scrounger

We must be related, I use the same container for my 45 and 38 shells. I hadn't thought of the wd40 for the labels. I make cigar box guitars from the old cigar boxes. I use the plastic coffee "cans" for Danish oil for wood working projects too. Do you make things from the coroplast real estate signs?

well, I was so long winded on my first post about plastic containers I resisted the urge to mention the corrugated plastic signs .... and their wire posts. They make excellent target boards to tape a target to and just stick in the ground (assuming you have a safe backstop of sufficient distance). I also keep and use the wire "ladder" posts for temporarily staking early spring tomato and pepper plants, normally in big planter pots.

Yep, we seem to be following the same paths on a few things


jd

I have almost one million plastic Folger's cans. I prefer the peanut cans though because there's less wasted space when they're put together on a shelf. The only shot I ever had (donated it) was kept in re-purposed water bottles.

I use 2 liter coke bottles. I only fill the bottles half way so there not to heavy. Easy to pour.

I leave the shot in the bags till needed
then transfer it to empty powder containers--1 lb ones for ease of handling

Yup, what he said..

I can put 3 bags in a 30 cal can .
I have at least two a little over half with loose shot of one size and 2 more of the same but with 7-1/2,6,&5s mixed ......maybe down to 9s ........

Just ammo cans .

All of my bags of shot that I bought back in the early 60's ( 550 pounds) were rotting, so I put them in quart mason jars. Most of it is no 6 for duck hunting when lead shot was legal for waterfowl.