Bullet Casters

[Webster]

With all the Cali laws and others to follow so it seems...has anyone tried casting bismuth or tin in larger bore hunting rifles? I have a few family members who will never leave , but most people I talk to feel the non lead bullets do not perform well. I don't think they limit themselves to head/ neck shots , and inside 100 yds a 22 lr will work for deer... according to old family members . If I understand correctly, a tin bullet will only be 60 percent of the weight..
Having used wheel weight lead w maybe a little linotype added , I've never had issues w a 405-410 GR slug. I realize that casters are like trappers...a dying breed...but if if there are any diehards...I hear some are powder coating lead bullets..so what's new?

I read somewhere that the newer wheel weights are made of zinc. Some new wheel weights are glued onto the rim.

US20040007912A1 - Zinc based material wheel balancing weight - Google Patents

A wheel balancing weight attached to the rim of a wheel for balancing the wheel is disclosed. The wheel balancing weight comprises a weight mass manufactured from zinc composite or a zinc based material and a means for attaching said weight mass to the rim. The zinc composite or zinc based...

patents.google.com

The weight body 12 is manufactured from a cast zinc alloy comprised of pure zinc with a content of less than 0.006% by weight of lead alloyed with about 4% by weight of aluminium and 0.04% by weight of magnesium, the alloy once cast also known as Zamak 3. Although a variety of zinc based materials such as zinc alloys, including those with the usual/trade names Zamak 2, Zamak 5, Zamak 7, ZA-8, ZA-12 and ZA-27, are also potential metals for use in manufacturing the weight body 12 of the wheel balancing weight 10, the alloy Zamak 3 provides a number of attributes which make it preferable for wheel balancing applications.

Firstly, in many cases existing technology previously used for the fabrication of lead wheel balancing weights can be used to manufacture wheel balancing weights from Zamak 3 with minor modifications.

Additionally, although zinc alloys tend to loose a greater percentage of their weight due to corrosion than do similar lead weights, this loss is negligible. In this regard, two test wheel balancing weights fabricated from Zamak 3 zinc alloy and two test wheel balancing weights fabricated from lead alloy. The weights were painted with a thermoset polyester base powder coating containing about 3% aluminum, although a paint containing up to about 5% zinc could also be used.

 

[ebb]

A good portion of the stick ons are pure lead. When sorting I use a magnet first and many today are steel, so the magnet eliminates about 1/3 of the total number of weights. Then basically you have zinc and lead, zinc will ring when dropped on the floor , lead will thud. But to me sometimes i can hear the difference. So make a cut in the weight with side cutters lead will leave a dent , zinc will not.

 

[Webster]

A good portion of the stick ons are pure lead. When sorting I use a magnet first and many today are steel, so the magnet eliminates about 1/3 of the total number of weights. Then basically you have zinc and lead, zinc will ring when dropped on the floor , lead will thud. But to me sometimes i can hear the difference. So make a cut in the weight with side cutters lead will leave a dent , zinc will not.

Zn may be the only choice if you cannot use lead. Zn melts at a higher temp than lead. I think Zn has dangerous fumes when melted.

 

[209jones]

See a lot of people askng about casting with Zinc and other stuff, haven't see much for solutions. Not sure the normal casting pots will get hot enough for it. Haven't looke at weights in 7-8 yrs, but they were mostly marked with FE or ZN in my last foray into the tire shop. Not sure if the big truck sized weights like the 4oz stuff is still lead or not. Last I checked 3-4 yrs ago they were still available to order in lead, as per the tire guys at the shop.

 

[Flouncer]

Can't the OP just melt down some Hi-Point pistols and use the resultant alloy ?