Bismuth Roundball - A Viable Lead Alternative

[Nuthatch]

I finally got a chance to see how bismuth roundball would do on deer. It’s just one data point but I’d say it’s a contender for those who have to hunt lead free areas like CA.

I got a good night’s rest & headed out of camp at first light. This deer came ambling up at about 15 yards & I took the shot.

This was a frontal shot — not one I usually take. But it’s a chip-shot at that distance. Bang, flop.

The ball entered the neck, smashed through the rib cage, somehow managed to avoid any of the guts and lodged next to the femur. There was very little meat damage — much less than a broadside shot usually gives me. And the ball barely lost more than a couple of grains of weight.

I’d say it did quite well &, as I expected, it did about what I would expect from hard cast lead.

Edit: the load is 70gr 2F with a .480 ball & 0.02” denim patch, greased with bear grease/beeswax. This load chronographs at just over 1600 fps from the 28” barrel.

 

[NorthFork]

Awesome! I believe bismuth will be the only way to go in the future for most of us. I don't agree at all with the banning of lead, but it is coming anyway.

 

[andy52]

I'm not sure I like that much penetration, that's more akin to a hard cast bullet. I've taken shots like that with lead and never got past the sternum which is about as far as I would like with a shot like that.

 

[Nuthatch]

Awesome! I believe bismuth will be the only way to go in the future for most of us. I don't agree at all with the banning of lead, but it is coming anyway.

Agreed.

 

[Spikebuck]

Nuthatch, thanks for that report and the pictures. Excellent info!

I might have missed it, but what diameter ball? I'm trying to figure out what 141 or so grains compares to in lead for the same size ball.

There is no doubt lead will be a thing of the past. The Minnesota DNR announced this summer that NO lead will be allowed in State Park or Natural Area special hunts. They had to backtrack and move the implementation to next year since they finally figured out that not everyone with shotguns had access to non-lead slugs...of course traditional muzzleloaders aren't important to them or even given a second thought as to the impacts.

I give Minnesota no more than a few years before they follow California in lead bans. Our governor has already stated his desire and dream to make Minnesota a clone of Cali.

 

[Nuthatch]

Nuthatch, thanks for that report and the pictures. Excellent info!

I might have missed it, but what diameter ball? I'm trying to figure out what 141 or so grains compares to in lead for the same size ball.

There is no doubt lead will be a thing of the past. The Minnesota DNR announced this summer that NO lead will be allowed in State Park or Natural Area special hunts. They had to backtrack and move the implementation to next year since they finally figured out that not everyone with shotguns had access to non-lead slugs...of course traditional muzzleloaders aren't important to them or even given a second thought as to the impacts.

I give Minnesota no more than a few years before they follow California in lead bans. Our governor has already stated his desire and dream to make Minnesota a clone of Cali.

Sorry, the ball is .480 — smaller than your typical .490. Comparable lead weighs about 165 gr. vs about 143 +\- in the Bi alloy. I use a thicker denim patch to compensate for the smaller diameter. It shoots right with lead .480 and .490 balls out to 100 yards. No POI shift that I can tell.

Oh, man. Although I’m a fan of copper in high velocity cartridges, it’s completely asinine with low velocity stuff like muzzleloaders. I have friends who are falconers & really are gung-ho on the lead free idea. Makes good sense when bullets are going Mach 2 & fragment themselves into sand upon impact. But it’s just bureaucratic nonsense with these old things. But it is what it is. Hope MN can implement with more horse sense than what we did.

 

[Spikebuck]

Hope MN can implement with more horse sense than what we did.

Thanks. I found your casting and shooting report from last year. Good info to have.

I won't hold my breath hoping the MN DNR will do anything with good "horse sense."

 

[Spikebuck]

Everything you never wanted to know about bismuth!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151860/
Just don't mold it or handle/shoot it too much! Oh well, at least the condors will still be alive!!! ;-)

"Although bismuth is considered to be nontoxic and as much as 15 g can be tolerated by an adult, the long-term use of bismuth may result in side effects and even toxicity to human subjects."

 

[Bushfire]

I'm surprised at that range it didn't deform more, at 100 yards that thing could probably be taken from the animal and loaded again!

 

[Nuthatch]

I'm surprised at that range it didn't deform more, at 100 yards that thing could probably be taken from the animal and loaded again!

If you smash a lead round ball with a hammer, it will flatten. If you smash a Bi roundball with a hammer, it will shatter. It’s much harder than lead.

 

[Appowner]

Sorry, the ball is .480 — smaller than your typical .490. Comparable lead weighs about 165 gr. vs about 143 +\- in the Bi alloy. I use a thicker denim patch to compensate for the smaller diameter. It shoots right with lead .480 and .490 balls out to 100 yards. No POI shift that I can tell.

Oh, man. Although I’m a fan of copper in high velocity cartridges, it’s completely asinine with low velocity stuff like muzzleloaders. I have friends who are falconers & really are gung-ho on the lead free idea. Makes good sense when bullets are going Mach 2 & fragment themselves into sand upon impact. But it’s just bureaucratic nonsense with these old things. But it is what it is. Hope MN can implement with more horse sense than what we did.

I currently own one horse and have worked with horses for a number of years. I have yet to meet any elected official who has as much sense as a horse. And it seems the higher up in government they are, the less sense they have.

 

[1:66 twisted]

Thank you for showing this. I have been wondering about bismuth in a round ball.