Pure Lead....not HC???

[Coot]

Lead in small deposits was mined by the French along the upper Mississippi as early as the 17th c. The lead mine at Austinville, Va was important by the time of the revolution. How pure the lead used in the 18th c. was dependent on several factors - the purity of the deposit mined, the knowledge & technology available at the time & place and the question (still debated today) of how pure was pure enough for the intended use. A letter written by Moses Austin on 1 Aug. 1791 refers to the addition of arsenic to the lead used in making shot at the shot tower (which still stands) in Wythe County, Va. so we know that by that time and at that place, an "improved" (for a specific purpose) alloy was in use.

 

[gjr902]

Dan,

That was kinda the point I was trying to make (poorly I guess). I would bet the samples of lead and "projectiles" up here at Forts William Henry, and Ticonderoga from the 1770's, is probably different from what you may find in your area of VA

I would not put rocks in my flintlock either, but there were times when some of these guys shot whatever they had, so they could eat.

I'm not much of a HC or PC guy. To me lead is lead. I get free wheel weight lead becasue my wife works at a car dealership, and they cant give it all way fast enough.

Most of the old timers in this area, made due with what they had. Thats the way I look at things. I dont think there are really right or wrongs with any of these topics.

The survivalist in me demands using whats available. If SHTF in 2012, I want to be able to deal with surviving like the guys in the 1770's who had to make due when in their world , the SHTF