Zinc Gas Checks

[bowfin]

During the Civil War, Zinc washers were put on some Minie balls to clean out accumulated fouling during a battle:

http://www.civilwaroutpost.com/m13/3...-type-iii.html

I don't know if pertinent to the matter at hand, but zinc bases have been used before, although maybe for a different reason.

[guidogoose]

My blood pressure is just fine. This post was started in April. I gave my. 02 cents as to why I feel zinc isnt used. The point is is that it isnt. I joined this site to possibly learn some things not to get into a pissing contest. As far as aluminum is concerned its not for me personally. If anyone wants to use it more power to them. Its a free country do what you want to do.

[Love Life]

My blood pressure is just fine. This post was started in April. I gave my. 02 cents as to why I feel zinc isnt used. The point is is that it isnt. I joined this site to possibly learn some things not to get into a pissing contest. As far as aluminum is concerned its not for me personally. If anyone wants to use it more power to them. Its a free country do what you want to do.

I will do exactly that. You take care and enjoy the forum. Going off of the average age of the members I say there must be a combined 20,000,000 years of casting, reloading, gunsmithing, and shooting experience.

[guidogoose]

I will do exactly that. You take care and enjoy the forum. Going off of the average age of the members I say there must be a combined 20,000,000 years of casting, reloading, gunsmithing, and shooting experience.

You take care as well sir.

[perotter]

ok if zinc works, why lube any boolit . throw the WW out and cast with pure zinc. many on here want to save money, that would save money

Pure zinc doesn't cast real well. It is better to cast one of the zinc alloys.

[1Shirt]

I remember shooting some of the zinc washer blts in (I think) a 44 Spec. that belonged to a friend of mines dad. They were unlubed, and shot over a load of Unique (I do remember that). They shot well, but I remember that they were not as accurate as were regular plain base 44's. But then again, that was well over 50 years ago, when you could buy that mold, as well as the one for banded cast for 311284's as well direct from Lyman. Times change.
1Shirt1

[Cadillo]

Making gas checks out of zinc really would not be of any use as its melting point is only 100 degrees Celsius over lead.

Melting points of various metals Celsius

Lead 327
Zinc 419
Aluminum 660
Copper 1084

The reason gas checks are copper is its relatively high melting point and its not abrasive like aluminum. Its also soft enough not to scratch the barrel as steel would. Hope this helps.

Doesn't that extrapolate out to about a 212 degree F difference? Anyone who uses a thermometer to gauge their heat should be able to work that out. I smelt wheel weights and am able to simply skim off the zinc wheel weights, as I keep my temp well under Zinc's melting point.

Maybe I'm missing something! Just curious.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

The zinc washer trick was used in the War of Northern Agression to clean the fouling out of rifle barrels. Both sides used bullets with zinc washers cast as part of the bullet to scrape he fouling out of the barrels so they could shoot each other longer without cleaning the rifles.
CF

[Elkins45]

So back to the original topic of the bullets with the cast on zinc washer---am I understanding correctly that you were supposed to shoot them unlubricated? I'll admit I'm a bit surprised by that.

That certainly seems like strong support for the argument that leading is actually caused by gas cutting of the boolet base rather than by mechanical abrasion, doesn't it? Since the zinc base washer protected the base from flame cutting, no leading could occur. Or did some lead get deposited but was scraped out by the harder zinc washer?

It's an interesting concept. I would love to play with some of those old Harvey bullets. I seem to remember Dean Grinnell mentioning Harvey in one of his books--IIRC he and his whole family were killed in an automobile accident. That may explain why the concept has slowly faded over time without him around to keep pushing the envelope.

[JMax]

One thing that we may want to keep in mind is the Galvanic table. Zinc does have similar melting characteristics to tin and was tried as a replacement for lead in lead free solder alloys with less than enthuastic results going back to it's high galvanic potential. Remember it is used to sacrifice itself instead of other portions of boats, ground spikes, piping because it does corrode or sacrifice itself. For me there is too much potential difference between zinc and copper to be of interest for my use.

John