Alternativ for lead roundball ?

[Daryl]

You are right, Davec2. It has nothing to do with lead poisoning anything.
It is and always was meant to damage the hunting & now shooting in general.
This was the intent all along, BTW - a "natural progression".

[duca]

It seems they going to outlaw lead bullets and roundballs in Norway.
Are there any alternatives to lead??

Best regards
Rolf

New government would work.

Beautiful!!! Right On

[axelp]

Alacran, the article by Peter Andersen was in ERROR. ITX roundball is NOT bismuth. It is tungsten and iron powder with some kind of elastic binder all injection molded.

I helped test ITX roundball and shot for TomBob Outdoors. The roundball product was created due to my request to TomBob Outdoors back in 2009. It will work for hunting but you have to be careful loading it, as it cannot be pulled with a standard screwed puller. It is malleable enough to not hurt a barrel, but it does not "bump up" into the grooves of a rifle, so the patch has to do all the work. It was tested by a few on this board and found to be adequate for hunting accuracy but not so much for actual target work. I have taken small game with it.

I found that the ITX shot works very good in a smoothbore muzzleloader and have taken many squirrels and even a turkey with it. I think ITX shot can pattern better than lead because it does not deform when shot. The only caution is to not use in in a full choke gun.

Ken

[axelp]

In my tests trying to find a lead-free option due to the CA lead ban of 2008, I tried pewter, bismuth, bismuth/leadfree solder.

Pewter is too light and did not penetrate very well in my tests and it simply would not shoot similar enough to a dense lead ball.

Bismuth/leadfree solder will work in an 80/20% mixture. It passed thru a Poplar piece of split firewood, which was my test. Any more bismuth and the ball did not hold together. I found that it shot similar to a lead ball-- enough anyway to require less load  adjustments.

 ITX roundball actually performed pretty well in my penetration tests-- it penetrated much deeper than lead in my tests using wet newspaper. And it requires the least amount of load adjustment compare to lead.

[Daryl]

Here's a picture of them.
I don't know all of the sizes available, but a search should show that.
.487 and .490. I would suggest the .487" might allow a thick enough patch?
I am still thinking a slightly smaller, maybe .480" ball would have been better yet, allowing a thicker patch
to help seal without cutting. The article does address the cutting problem with hard balls.

https://www.blackpowdermag.com/itx-non-lead-field-test-for-accuracy/



A crown like this would certainly help in loading. Rifle and crowning tool made by Dave Crysali.

[axelp]

The ITX size offered for a .62 cal is .601... I felt this too was a little larger than desirable, but that is what TomBob chose. I have not used them in my .62 smoothbore, but thought about trying it as a bare ball and use wads below and on top.

Ken

[axelp]

As a side note, the .50 cal rifle I use with ITX roundball was made using a Rice barrel that has 1:80 twist and shallow rifling (.008?). (Actually if my memory serves me, I did this under the advice of Daryl off this board!) It seems to shoot pretty good, but I am not a competition shooter, just a plinker/hunter, so I would imagine that I could probably achieve my mediocre shooting results using just about anything.

Ken

[Daryl]

The .600" ball in a .62 rifle would be a better combination, I feel, than the .487 or .490" in a .50.
At least the .020" would allow a somewhat thicker patch.
For a .62 smoothbore, I would be wanting something even smaller. A .575: ball would allow a .020" patch would just fill the bore of a .62 smoothbore.

[axelp]

Daryl I agree.
I figured I would at some point try the ITX .601 ball bare without a patch in my smoothbore. Just using wads. I have heard that some folk get good results from that with lead.

Hmmmm actually since one of my .62 "smoothbores" actually has straight rifling, maybe the .601 ball with a patch might be good in that one... Gotta try it out.

thanks, Ken

[alacran]

I had read the Muzzleloader article when it was first published. I still have it and re read it. Thanks for clarifying what the ITX ball is composed of.
The ITX balls are quite expensive, at around $1.00 per ball. I think if I had to use non-lead balls I would try the Rotometalls alloy which is mostly Bismuth.
It is about $15.00 per pound. Cheaper if you buy it in quantities.
If you need something in a hurry the ITX balls would fit the bill.

[BJH]

In caliber .58 you can get brass balls @ .562 dia. These were proven to shoot well and have taken game. That’s why all my own big game caliber rifles are .58 cal, plus other reasons. BJH

[Scota4570]

The ITX balls @.487 are oversized in Pete's rife.  Only the thinnest patch will works.  There is gas blow by and patch cutting.  They can only be loaded in a fresh clean barrel and only with a stout rod.  Loading in the field is problematic. 

Here in California you must show documentation that your ammo is compliant.  There is a list.  If you are in violation you get a ticket.  IT does not matter if your alloy is lead free if it is not on the list and documented. 

Just got back from Idaho shopping houses.  This kind foolishness is part of to the reason I am shopping. 

[Stoner creek]

The ITX balls @.487 are oversized in Pete's rife.  Only the thinnest patch will works.  There is gas blow by and patch cutting.  They can only be loaded in a fresh clean barrel and only with a stout rod.  Loading in the field is problematic. 

Here in California you must show documentation that your ammo is compliant.  There is a list.  If you are in violation you get a ticket.  IT does not matter if your alloy is lead free if it is not on the list and documented. 

Just got back from Idaho shopping houses.  This kind foolishness is part of to the reason I am shopping.

 And to your last 2 paragraphs I say “God bless Kentucky!” I’m on my range right now shooting pure lead.

[Scota4570]

Here is the list:

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Nonlead-Ammunition/Certified

Rotometals has some certified alloys.  Keep the documents on you in the field.

I do not see ITX listed at all. 

Hey?  Wait... if the rifle is loaded how can they check what is in the barrel?   

A .480 ball in their bismuth alloy and a thick patch may be workable. 

[axelp]

I have talked with Rotometals several times and yeah they have a bismuth tin mix.

One word of caution. Bismuth/tin expands when it cools, (lead shrinks) So your final ball will be slightly larger from the mould you use for lead.

Also I  made some and then poured an ingot to save for later and when I tried to pour more a day or so later, the alloy had trouble combining for some reason and the first round  just crumbled. You have to continuously mix it to keep it combined.

.487 ITX works fine in my gun because of the unique rifling (slow-twist and shallow. And yes, I use a thin patch. I have no trouble loading in the field. Since the load is for hunting only, I rarely need to shoot a lot of them at once so fouling is not an issue.

Good luck finding affordable homes in Idaho- the home prices are obscene for what you get. I am in California too and we might move somewhere else at some point. Shooting lead at targets is still totally legal in my area and I do so all the time. I also carry the packaging for ITX when hunting but have never had any issue with a game warden in my woods. Ken