Zinc cast boolits long term effect in barrel wear?

[Tripplebeards]

Just wondering as hard as zinc is how much extra pressure and barrel ware it’s going to cause in the long run? I was trying to google the Brunelle hardness of it. What is it around 40? I guess that’s not super hard. If that’s what the hardness is i figured it’s gonna be like shooting a monolithic all copper solid bullet with zero expansion. I would assume getting the correct diameter is a must to keep pressures down and accuracy decent. Is the alloy hard enough to “ buldge” or wreck a barrel if to large of a boolit diameter? I don’t plan on ever casting any zinc boolits because I like expansion transfer with super soft lead bullets for hunting but I’m sure in states where lead is banned it would be a good cost efficient idea for somebody that has their hands on a lot of zinc wheel weights. I would think they probably would work like heavy shot and shotguns for turkey hunting.

[elmacgyver0]

I wouldn't think it would be any worse than steel jacketed bullets like some of the foreign mil-surp uses.

[G W Wade]

Not interested in casting zinc yet? you made me think about a mold I believe was made by Lyman years ago. 2 mold set, one casting the nose and the other making the base. A zinc base with a soft lead nose could be an interesting proposition. Sorry if this side tracks your post. GW

[Tripplebeards]

Not interested in casting zinc yet? you made me think about a mold I believe was made by Lyman years ago. 2 mold set, one casting the nose and the other making the base. A zinc base with a soft lead nose could be an interesting proposition. Sorry if this side tracks your post. GW

That would be cool, but I’ll just stick to a soft, expanding lead boolit in a hollow point. Just easier to accomplish sticking with one alloy for me, and I don’t think most people shoot far enough to befit what that boolit would do unless you’re shooting through dangerous game and want some smear off energy dumping expansion, and still pass through. I haven’t met a a cast boolit yet that inside of a a deer. But getting off-topic again.


My main concern is if the alloy is too hard. I think od worn out rifling, bulged barrels, or worse using an alloy that’s super hard and won’t squish down going through the rifling if the boolit is too big in diameter. I’m sure zinc is going to be like shooting a full metal jacket through an animal since it’s so hard and will probably never expand. I’m sure it would smack a hog pretty hard with a flat met plate in the shoulder plate, head, or neck. I just like my expansion with energy dumping with the more traumatic hit.

[elmacgyver0]

Make them like an artillery shell and put lead driving bands around them. LOL

[Rickf1985]

Zinc may be hard compared to lead but it is still softer than a copper jacket and much softer than a quality steel barrel. I don't think wear will be an issue.

[Tripplebeards]

I see people casting up zinc cannonballs and comparing them to the hardness of stainless steel which I’m sure there’s no way it’s even close and hardness without even having to Google it. It just seems like a lot harder alloy to me then should be used in Boolits. I know they use compressed powder, zinc in Barnes Varmint grenades and they’re supposed to just be horrendous for blowing stuff up. I just figured an alloy as hard as zinc going down a rifle barrel has got to be similar to scrubbing something aggressive on the rifling after so many shots.

[Winger Ed.]

With so many people that have already made the switch, I'd think we would have heard about any
severe problems with it by now.

[oley55]

Not to get too far off tangent, my thoughts/concerns with zinc bullets are fit and fouling. Are zincers sized 1-2 thousands over or are they of similar dimensions as jacketed bullets? And then the question is how would one go about removing zinc fouling from a barrel?

[dtknowles]

Not to get too far off tangent, my thoughts/concerns with zinc bullets are fit and fouling. Are zincers sized 1-2 thousands over or are they of similar dimensions as jacketed bullets? And then the question is how would one go about removing zinc fouling from a barrel?

Vinegar

[Sasquatch-1]

I bought a swaging die years ago from Hawk's Precision Bullets. It was a lead swaging die and came with two base plugs. One is for a plain flat base and the other is for using a zinc washer as a kind of gas check. According to the instructions the zinc washer actually acts as a barrel lubricant.