wheel wieghts heading for extinction?

[dragonfire]

Well i stopped into my only tire shop that will still give free wheel wieghts ,picked up half a 5 gallon bucket full only to find out when i got home and got it all sorted ,that almost half of it was zinc or the stick on type , been getting alot like that in the past few weeks ,anyone notice it also?

[jack19512]

Kind of old news.

[jonk]

Bad news... though I have to say I usually only fine 1 or two in my buckets that are zinc. Even if there IS some zinc in my mix that I miss, it can't be much as I never get a problem with fillout once the mold is heated up.

[docone31]

I wonder, if zinc cannot be used in casting once the lead has dried up.
I am sure there must be a way.
I have run the pot scorching hot, with some tin and never noticed if I had any zinc in there. I have had floaters I had to really stir into the melt. It wasn't untill I cooled my melt some that I even noticed any zinc at all.
Should make for lighter bullets and longer ones.
Might zinc be able to be cast in the smaller calibers?
I am not at this time considering casting zinc bullets. I am set up for lead. I just wonder if that is a possibility at some point. What the molds would be like. Perhaps silicone rubber centrifugal molds?
I once saw a mold machine used in a re-enactment, that was an hand cranked centrifugal mold for the 45-70 bullets. Apparently, the troops would cast at night for the next day. It used lead but I wonder if zinc might be the next thing. At least for target shooting.
I can't wait to hear the responses from this one.

[felix]

Yes, zinc will shoot, but only in guns with a very fast twist. Think in the order of much faster than 10 twist. ... felix

[docone31]

That is what I am guessing. I suspect, the bores would have to be larger, faster.
Without knowing anything about alloying zinc, I wonder if tin + zinc.
Just throwing out thoughts.
When the lead dries up, and the bullets from vendors get so expensive and recquire applications and permits to purchase, target shooting will become a memory.
Meantime, I am a slow fire shooter. I can make 100rds last all day. I have enough for me.
My father used to cast tin soldiers. I used to watch him, and once in a while cast ingots for making more. No more tin soldiers.
Bullet making is kinda like that. It is part of our heritage. Early settlers either cast their own, or did without. The knowlege was passed on to their children. Same with tin soldiers. Same with what we do.
Gosh, I sound like a geezer.
The good ole days.

[floodgate]

docone:

Zinc can and has been used for boolits; lotsa references in the "Rifleman" from the 1930's and '40's, and many discussions here, too. Search "Zinc", "ZAMAK" (the preferred alloy), etc.

The main problems with zinc bullets have been (a) hardness (no expansion), (b) light weight, and (c) cross-contamination between lead and zinc - while a percent or less of zinc can louse up a lead-based casting alloy, ANY trace of lead in pot, dipper or mould can make zinc brittle and eventually crumble to powder after some time has passed.

But it CAN be made to work.

Floodgate

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Save ZINC!!!!. Our N-SSA Civil WAR cannon and mortar shooters use zinc shot and I suspect if you went to our website and offered it for sale or trade for salvaged backstop lead/alloy bullets you would be happy. BvT

[largecaliberman]

Just throwing a thought:
I read on another forum at one time that this boolit caster used to cast zinc bullets because he had tons of that stuff he bought from a navy surplus store. He mentioned while casting he would turn up the heat and claimed that zinc casts perfectly.

I guess what we as boolit casters need is a change of technology and that is to have the manufacturers of lead melters design an electric pot that will deliver the proper temperature to cast zinc. Also, since zinc is a wee bit lighter than Pb, powder loads have to be adjusted and perhaps even firearms.

As a former military we had a saying that goes --- " Adapt or be extinct." Meaning if zinc gets in the way of all casters, then boolit casting will be a thing of the past.

Eventually ALL lead alloys will be hard to come by and and eventually no lead will become available, just like linotype which will become unavailable. We have to ALLl look at alternatives other than lead. Somehow we as boolit casters must come up with a new a chemistry of metals and loads to continue the spirit of the shooting sport.

Just my $.02.

[docone31]

Well, this is what I am saying.
I remember when everyone wanted to shoot a silver bullet. I do not reccomend it. Not only is it a waste of money, but, it shreds in the rifling, does not expand, and the primer looked like a moon crater. I mean, the primer was entering the firing pin hole. No more silver bullets for me.
That was back in the hand cannon days. Everyone was doing their own thing. Like my buddy. I had built a Remington XP-100 in 338/06 Ackley. It was ok to shoot, but I did not shoot it a lot. Made a mess out of the Rams. My buddy, not to be outdone, came to the meets the next season with an XP in 460 Weatherby! We won't go into that one. He did fire one shot, was in a cast for six weeks. Etc.
Zinc might be an ultimate reality. Especially with paper jacketing. I can visualize a longer bullet to make up grain weight. Don't know. Never knowingly fired a zinc bullet. Of course, I only shoot paper. I can see some issues with expansion.
Who knows.

[quasi]

Have you fellow never heard of buying new virgin alloy. Here in Canada, Canada Metals has several alloys specifically for bullet casters, Lyman #2, 20 to 1, Linotype, WW, Pure lead, etc. It isn't free, but it's better than using Zinc.

[Woodsroad]

I think that the key word here is FREE. As in I have it, it was free, how do I shoot it?

I've got about a half bucket of Zn weights now. My plan is to scrap them, they are worth about as much as lead...but if I could cast them...welll....they were FREE!

[prs]

Keep in mind, thar be other places to score free pb. Old X-ray room liners come to mind. Hospitals are constantly paying a haz mat fee to discard it.

prs