CA lead ban?

[Saloon slug]

This is probably been hashed over before but I was wondering if any of y'all had come up with a non lead round ball for hunting out in CA.

Thanks for any info

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[Victor3]

 Some guys are casting bismuth balls. You can buy lead-free bismuth alloy here (be advised that not all bismuth alloys are lead-free)...


http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/lowmeltingpoint281alloy.htm


 Others are machining balls from tungsten bar stock on their lathes but the material is expensive. You do get a ball that's heavier than lead though.


 On a side note, I hunt small game in the condor zone. One side benefit to 17 HMR is that fairly accurate lead-free ammo is available...


http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=1&loadNo=0951

[Nobade]

I haven't tried it yet, but evidently you can use brass 9/16" balls with a thick patch in 58 cal. rifles with good effect. There is a discussion over on Traditional Muzzleloading on this topic. If you set up a good catch box you can keep re using them as long as they don't hit each other when fired.

[Saloon slug]

Nobade I had seen that while a cool idea brass is not as dense making wonder about terminal performance.

Thanks for the link to the bismuth I will look into that some more.

I am currently stationed out of state but would like to hit Hunter Ligget for pigs next time I am out and would like to use my renegade and pb's.

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[Nobade]

Yeah, I had wondered about that too. Guy says he shot lengthwise through a deer at 70 yards with his, guess it's good enough. I wonder what the muzzle velocity would be, if the lighter ball makes up some with higher speed? Guess I'll have to try it one of these days and see for myself.

[Saloon slug]

The higher speed may make the difference. Will have to find them in .490 or. 310 and see how they do may surprise me.

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[Nobade]

They are available in fractional and millimeter sizes, so you could get some .3125" but regular roundball sizes are going to be tough. The smaller diameter ones are also going to be very light so I suspect you would get the best effect from larger calibers. I would check with McMaster Carr and maybe MSC industrial to see what they have.

[BUGEYE]

I could be wrong, but I seem to recall reading an article that said bismuth could crumble on impact.
anyone heard that??

[Victor3]

I could be wrong, but I seem to recall reading an article that said bismuth could crumble on impact.
anyone heard that??

 My only experience with bismuth alloys is in manufacturing (not bullets), but if the temp of the material and mould are not correct, it can fracture right out of the mould.


 So yes, it's not as easy to work with as lead.

[Nobade]

Ya, Cerrosafe is a bismuth alloy and it will break if you drop it on the floor. Not to mention way too expensive to be making bullets out of. Not sure what else is in it, or if there is another alloy that would work better. Anybody ever try melting down bismuth shot and casting it? Depending on the composition that might not be very healthy for you though.

[woodchuckssuck]

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/ITX-45-cal-non-toxic-roundball-14-balls/productinfo/TXRB45/

Look into the ITX round balls. They are supposedly malleable like lead, but lead free. Expensive, yes, but an alternative for those facing lead bans. I remembered seeing them yesterday when looking for RB's and thought I would post it here for you all to see!

[Victor3]

 So about a buck a ball. Sounds expensive, but when you consider the overall $$$ one spends to go out big game hunting for a day, it's negligible.


 Those ITX balls don't look to be very round though.  [size=78%] [/size]