Okay, so I have been mulling over the creation of a non-toxic hunting load for my soon-to-be-aquired TC Hawken, 50 caliber rifle. Now, I already have a Lee REAL bullet mold, for a 320 grain projecticle, as well as a 160 grain round-ball. From everything I have read, a bismuth-tin alloy, such as that offered by Rotometals (88/12, bismuth to tin), seems to work just fine for prb, and centerfire bullets. However, it seems there are three inescapable issues:
1. I'll get little in the way of deformation or expansion
2. The non-toxi projectile will be a little lighter
3. Bismuth has a low very melting point. The bullet base may melt, reulting in a loss of accuracy, and fouling.
The first two, I am prepared to live with. The last, I thought I might overcome with a 50 caliber gas check. Any thoughts? I hadn't intended to size the projectiles, so I'll need a good way of properly crimping the gas checks. I have a few ideas, but perhaps you've already invented that wheel.