Lead free slugs and buck

[Blood Trail]

Going on my annual hog hun on the refuge that don’t allow lead. Last year, I killed a boar using the Steel GUALDO slug. This year, I wanna use buckshot and a different type of slug.

I found this bullet alloy on rotometals. 88% bismuth and 12% tin. Brinell hardness is a hair over 19 but it’s about 25% lighter.

Was thinking on loading some tri ball and hammerhead slugs. Has far as buckshot, I was gonna cast #1, but I’m not so sure.

What do y’all think? I’m sure the hardness will hold the pattern better, but....


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[Blood Trail]

Here’s the link:

https://www.rotometals.com/lead-free-bullet-casting-alloy-88-bismuth-12-tin/


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[Hogtamer]

Need Zlugs?

[copdills]

let us know how it works, interesting

[Blood Trail]

Need Zlugs?

What are you thinking?


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[megasupermagnum]

I haven't found bismuth shot to be brittle at 94/6. I would think it would work well for buckshot. Being as Bismuth is so expensive itself, I would think the cost difference between 6% and 12% tin would be minimal, so you may be well off just buying that alloy. Being as the old 97/3 alloy had a reputation for being brittle, and basically throwing a shotgun pattern of shrapnel, I don't think you will get an expanding bullet to work. I'm just guessing, I think it would be great if you tried those hollow point Russian slugs cast with bismuth into some wet newspaper or equivalent just to see what happens. I think the Accurate 73-770S would be an excellent bismuth slug. That Russian paradox mold would be great too. I don't know much about the toughness of hogs, but I've been shooting bismuth shot about 1-2 sizes larger than lead. If you liked #2 lead buck, #1 or 0 should work.

[longbow]

BT... you haven't seen the Zlug thread?

Hal pioneered Zinc Slugs (Zlugs) using an Accurate mould. Pretty nice slugs came out of that too.

Read and enjoy:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?277201-The-ZLUG-Thread&highlight=zlug

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Big Edit- my notes where for a different product SORRY for any confusion.


We cast a bunch of BALL in oo and a few in ooo, we used 30%tin alloy,

Temps on the pots had to be lowered some. and the timing….
Using the master caster not hand molds was tricky but not impossible.

Also , just for grins, we weighed some of the balls….to make sure we did not have voids in the center, the speed that the pour come out is more critical than lead but I think that was it was also cooler.
The steel Molds did not want to stay hot enough so I would like to do the same thing using ALUMINUM molds to see if a better result would happen but never got that far.

Bi. is a odd metal and it wants to expand as it cools , the tin really helps there. We've done between 50-100#s of a few sizes as a proof of concept thing for another bigger ( unnamed) co. that wants to or will be offering the balls but ONLY in loaded ammo!

That is too bad because their loaded ammo is expensive. That's why I make , cast our own shot, balls and bullets….

[W.R.Buchanan]

Why not just load 5/16" Ball Bearings? If they aren't going thru a choke they should fly just fine.

I doubt the hogs will know the difference.

Randy

[megasupermagnum]

Hardened steel ball bearings would the very last thing I would ever want going down my barrel. Even with no choke, I can't imagine the forcing cone liking it too much. I think the goal for Blood Trail is to make them himself. If not, there are a number of lead free options you can buy already made for both buckshot and bullets.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Mega: If they are loaded with a wad that has a shot cup (WAA12) the balls are never going to touch the barrel or the forcing cone. The barrel would never know the difference as long as it was good for steel shot.

If loaded with no shot cup, just a conventional over powder and over shot wads then you might see sparks.

All of my 12 ga target loads (Buck and Slug) are loaded with the same recipe as my normal Trap Load, and the only difference is what gets put into the shot cup. The weights are the same or nearly the same for all the payloads. These are all light loads generating @1100 fps.

If I need to hunt with a Shotgun I am more than likely going to just buy some Factory Buckshot as I won't be shooting more than 5 rounds anyway. I would still use my Pumpkin Ball loads for hunting if I lived somewhere other than California. If something big was in order I have some Federal Butt Kicker Slugs I got on sale at Walmart 20+ years ago. I fired two of those once and had to go to my chiropractor 3 times to get put back together. Got plenty left if I need to shoot some pickup trucks.

In my Shotgun Class at Front Sight they only allow Factory Ammo for obvious reasons. I got Federal Low Recoil Slugs and Buckshot from Midway, and both were about $3.75 for a box of five. Really pretty cheap. We only fired about 10 of each during the class so it wasn't too big a financial hit and hardly worth messing with home loading for that few rounds.

I think BPI has lead free buckshot pellets available, but I also am sure they are not giving them away. $ Again not worth it for a few hunting rounds. I doubt anyone would shoot more than 10 rounds on a Pig Hunt unless they were shooting at everything that was moving.

Look here, if they don't have it chances are nobody does. http://www.ballisticproducts.com/

Randy

[Littleton Shot Maker]

I have a few .31-.32 balls sitting here made in %30 tin / Bi alloy-
We won;t be loading them …… and I was going melt them back down, blend it again and return to shot latter on
BUT maybe I should set them out into 2 pound bags to sell ?
make them go away at least- …
we have at least 200#s of 2% tin alloyed
and holding onto at least 100+ of 30%tin mix….

all in 100#?? pigs just sitting there holding the floor down…maybe we have more , it's been too long since I messed with the stuff

[megasupermagnum]

Wad rub through can be a problem even with steel shot sizes for geese, BBB for example. I used to load T steel shot, and had to go to a mylar wrap inside of a multi-metal wad which is already very thick. Steel shot made for reloading is supposed (key-word) to be softer than barrel steel, so you have a level of safety. With a ball bearings, you are just asking for it. In a standard trap wad, you better not like that gun too much. I'm just going to say it as it is, a terrible, unsafe idea.

Back to Blood trail, I hope you continue with this project. I've considered it myself, but so far us Minnesotan's have fought off all the anti-lead **** in regards to bullets on public land. We are currently facing a bill that could require non-lead shot on all WMA's in the southern 2/3rds of our state. Of course, we have refuges just like everywhere, where non-lead ammo is required. It seems that nobody ever hunts them. It is nice having a whole area to yourself.