Casting 12 ga slugs from bismuth?

poweredbybeer

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I've been reading through all the threads I can find concerning slug reloading, since I'm planning on doing some myself in the near future. I've already started collecting wheel weights :D However, I can't help wondering, has anyone tried casting slugs out of bismuth? Where would one find a plentiful source of bismuth, and is it more or less expensive than lead? Is there any performance difference? I've seen some commercial slug loads that claim to be made of bismuth and have identical performance to lead, is this true? Any info would be much appreciated :D
 
It's much more expensive than lead. Also, not sure WHY you'd need a lead substitute for slugs? The only reason lead-substitutes are around is due to legislation banning lead shot on migratory birds (or waterfowl).

Again, I guess there is nothing STOPPING you from using it... but not sure why you would?
 
Just curious, that's all.

What about alloying lead slugs with some other lower melting point metals, like cadmium? I know that wheel weights already have some zinc and/or tin in them already, but I'm just trying to consider other sources of material in case my wheel weight supply dries up :p

I'm also wondering if anyone has experience with machining slugs out of brass and/or copper? I'd like to copy the Lyman Sabot slug design in copper, I think that'd be slick...but not if it's prohibitively expensive :redface: Yes/no?
 
Bishopus said:
It'll be expensive, but what the hell is money _for_ anyway, if not for buying toys?
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Lol! My sentiments exactly :D

Alternately, there are a few casting outfits scattered across the country, I wonder if one of the smaller ones would be able to supply reasonable amounts of cast & annealed copper slugs on a semi-regular basis? If enough people were interested and we could find a place to do it, everyone goes in on a batch of copper slugs and gets 500 each kinda thing. This would work with machining them as well. I dunno, I'm just talking out loud, I'm still planning to continue w/the wheel weights and casting my own at home, but if an opportunity like that came up I'd throw some $$$ in the pot :D Pipe dreams...

P.S; that's an awesome link, I've spent the last 1/2 hour drooling over all the stuff they have/can do!!!
 
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poweredbybeer said:
What about alloying lead slugs with some other lower melting point metals, like cadmium?
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You are exposed to enough cadmium already in everyday life without adding more to your body by playing with it during bullet casting. It's not the best stuff to be exposed to.

Bismuth is too expensive to use for casting slugs but if you want to say you have the most expensive slugs in the world I can sell you some Indium!!;)
 
Mudpuppy said:
You are exposed to enough cadmium already in everyday life without adding more to your body by playing with it during bullet casting. It's not the best stuff to be exposed to.

Bismuth is too expensive to use for casting slugs but if you want to say you have the most expensive slugs in the world I can sell you some Indium!!;)
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Hmmmm good to know, I'll hold off on the cadmium alloys :redface: Bismuth sounds like more trouble than it's worth as well...

Indium slugs though, now there's a concept!! For the truly discerning shooter, with money to burn!! I looked up the current value of Indium by weight, it's around $950/kg, which is $27/oz!!! That'd be almost $30 a shot, by the time you get it cast and loaded in a shotshell!!! Awesome :D
 
Cheap lead source for slugs

As for a cheap souce of lead for casting slugs , I may have the ultimate answer!...At our local range the police ERT boys practice with the 12 ga's....All there shots are close to the targets and since they are all in a small area they're easy to find so I dig the fired slugs out of the dirt bank!...I get pounds and pounds of the things!...I hose them off in a five gallon bucket , let them dry in sun and re-melt them - factory alloy slugs , recycling at its best I say!....

I've also used wheelweights as I can get all I want at the local Transit Bus service , and those babies are up to four ozs each too!

Just an idea for those schemers & dreamers GN's...........

Bob
 
Hi-Standard said:
How about casting a slug with lynotype? I use it for rifle bullets, it's deadly accurate and not too expensive;) Makes for nice shiney slugs as well!
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^ WTF is Lynotype? Are you talking about hot-metal typesetting (my buddy's dad is a printer, and LOVES to give "lessons" on printing & history when he's blitzed on rum & cokes :p)? I thought hot-metal typesetting used lead, almost identical to typical rifle bullet lead? Or maybe I'm thinkin' of something else....
 
Yep, that's the stuff! Linotype has a high percentage of Antimony, and some Tin (84% lead/12% antimony/4% tin is one mix I've seen), which combine to make it quite hard compared to elemental lead. Apparently it's great for casting bullets for relatively high-pressure loads, but would be unnecessary for your average pistol round, shotgun slug, etc.
 
Cool :D Where can you get it? Would I be able to walk up to, say, Quebecor on sw marine dr. in Van and ask for their old used linotype slugs? Or would I have to buy it somewhere?
 
Buying it is possible, but very spendy to ship... scrounging is the key to the bullet-maker's art!

You can also make your own 'linotype' alloy, or go harder or softer as desired.
 
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