[timberbeast]

I doubt that they would damage your gun. However, after passed through the bore, some of the lead will be worn off the pellet and it won't shoot as accurately the second time. If you are just plinking and having fun, then I don't see a huge issue as long as you inspect the pellets for distortion and damage.

If you were shooting for score at bullseye targets I'd say the used pellets wouldn't group very well. But shooting at water-filled jugs -- I think you can reuse them.

 

[Marcus Maximus]

In my humble opinion it is probably not a good idea to reuse pellets.
1) If the pellet hit hard enough to go through a bottle there is a good chance there is some deformation. There will probably be a loss of accuracy.
2) There is also the possibility that there can be some contamination on or solidly lodged in the pellet. You do not want to introduce contaminates into your pistol.
3) Pellets are not expensive, not worth the risk.

 

[Eric300]

You probably could depending on how deformed the pellet is. But I would still have to advise against doing it.

 

[noremf]

Reusing Pellets

From a purely academic excercise you probably could but you would have to resize the skirt to make it not only round but large enough to form a decent gas seal. They make tools for that but they are for unfired pellets not fired ones.

From a practical standpoint I agree with the other posters. I think decreased accuracy would be measurable although if you are shooting at something as large as a milk jug etc. I am not sure you could tell.

Good thing they are so cheap, ain't it?

noremf(George)

 

[T191032]

Re-use them? Yes, melt them down and use them to make bullets! Don't do that? Make friends with someone who does!! Re-shoot them in the pellet pistol? Not the best idea.

 

[noremf]

Making bullets out of pellets

Re-use them? Yes, melt them down and use them to make bullets! Don't do that? Make friends with someone who does!! Re-shoot them in the pellet pistol? Not the best idea.

Jeez! I would not even want to try and finger out how many pellets you would need to make it worth while in casting bullets and I have been casting for over 40 years. Gots to be a whole bunch. Boggles my mind.

And I am not being sarcastic relative to you post.

noremf(George)

 

[bid_doug]

I figured as much but never hurts to ask. Thanks.

 

[piffy]

I shoot pellets quite a bit. one falls to the floor it stays there. I would think that reusing pellets that are not sized correct with the skirt form fitting, could damage the airgun. 2nd possibility it may get lodged in the barrel.

 

[woodchuckssuck]

Nope, don't reuse. Any I salvage (I use a cardboard box with magazines and crumpled newspaper as a trap) get saved for the day I buy either bullet molds, or sinker (split shot) molds! I hate these new tin split shot, they suck and you have to use 2x the size to get the same weight it seems.

Now that I have a bolt action CO2 gun (AR2078A), I will be going through a lot more pellets...

 

[T191032]

noremf(George),

I have one of those "Do-All Bullet Boxes" so when I do some .22 LR shooting, I get some lead stored - add to that the pellets and provide them to a fella I know who does do bullet casting.

 

[Andyd]

The pellets are usually slightly oversized and after being pressed through the barrel, their diameter is reduced. Even if they do not look deformed, any small unevenness will lead to wobble.

I have shot a few pellets a second time and found the accuracy ever so slightly reduced.

Lead from pellets is soft and I am now re-using it to cast muzzle loader balls or cook an alloy with them.

 

[Camster]

I used to reuse pellets...but that was 45 years ago,when I was 14.I also would shoot a few small round berries out of my Crosman 130 as well.

 

[tuj]

yeah man, when I was a kid I would reuse pellets from my trap that weren't majorly deformed. But now days I just buy more pellets; they are cheap, even match-grade, compared with say, center-fire ammo.

 

[Yoda4561]

Jeez! I would not even want to try and finger out how many pellets you would need to make it worth while in casting bullets and I have been casting for over 40 years. Gots to be a whole bunch. Boggles my mind.

And I am not being sarcastic relative to you post.

noremf(George)

7-8 grains is average for a 177 pellet, minus any losses from passing through a target, would take around 20 of them to make 1x9mm bullet, or 35 to make a 230gn .45 . If you have a pellet trap and shoot more than occasionally you can go through thousands of pellets a year and collect them all, a few thousand pellets will net about 60-100 bullets, not suitable as your primary source of lead for sure(there's gonna be a load of paper wadding, dust, rust from the trap, and anything else those pellets passed through to clean up), but maybe better than just throwing them away.