Has anyone here tried casting buckshot or ball from Bismuth alloy?
It appears that Rotometals is promoting this alloy for home casting:
https://www.rotometals.com/lead-free...ismuth-12-tin/
Has anyone here tried casting buckshot or ball from Bismuth alloy?
It appears that Rotometals is promoting this alloy for home casting:
https://www.rotometals.com/lead-free...ismuth-12-tin/
Yes we have made many balls, various sizes...and some BILLETS we are going to swage and see what we can do with in a jacket....
the alloy you want needs 30% tin other wise you are going to end up with dust or broken buck shot- unless you want it to fragment on impact??
It casts great. Not an environmeltal hazard......the loony greenies (and Ca condors) will love you.
I use a 53% Bi alloy that melts at 140F for reproducing antique trim on clocks and furniture i repair. I can cast it in simple rubber molds. Hot coffee will melt it.
And remember.......Pepto Bismol is mainly Bi. Harmless to the human body unless you are diabetic.
140F? wow my car gets that hot in the summer, on a hot day in the sun...hate a have a bullet/ slug that temp sitting any where it may get too hot...bullet melts out and the powder goes out??
For tiny model pats and Toy soldiers I have used some thing like that low melt alloy - but the one I use has a melt point about 165-175f-
Well........I do NOT waste this alloy casting boolits! NO WAY. I have literally TONS of Pb alloys for that. It is used to cast detailed antique trim for antiques. And not toy soldiers either.
I have cast spoons of this stuff.....given them to friends to stir their “very strong” coffee I give them....and they are shocked to pull it out and the spoon is melted off!!!!!! HA......ha!
Not knocking what you are doing, just wanted to bring up the temps.
Use vs. Need. ,
he will need it for slugs so LOW melt might be the wrong thing to put in his idea list....
12% tin will come apart in those slugs or bullets...
%5 tin works great for shot
Anything bigger than a .22 ball and you want to shoot it at GUN velocities ( not a sling shot as example) need 30% tin to stay in one piece and do well on game/ targets
I have .36 .32 , small end and some bigger .45 .44 balls in the casting room right now we made with 30% tin
and some we made with 5% tin also - It can break it with a good whack from a very light hammer or drop it real hard...
All that got re-cycled into shot
Last edited by Littleton Shot Maker; 02-16-2018 at 01:20 AM.
Good morning
This is great information. Have thought about popping a goose when up north with the flinters but lead is all we have had on hand.
Shoot called crows if great flinter fun ! But a Goose would make a fine meal.
Mike in Peru
"Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Male Guanaco out in dry lakebed at 10,800 feet south of Arequipa.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |