Bismuth Shot
 

Has anyone seen the current prices for bismuth shot? $30 per pound! That's $2.34 per shell just for the bismuth component. I wish I stocked up before we were all "liberated" from low-priced goods and a dollar with buying power.

-Victor

Yup, I bought a couple 7 pound bags prior to the price increase so I’m good for this season at least. Guess I won’t be using my older guns for waterfowl much longer unless some cheaper alternative appears. I suppose there’s not enough vintage shotgunners to start a successful petition for grandfathering old shotguns out of the lead ban lol.

I heard "Boss Ammunition" yesterday has temporary suspended operations. Has anyone else tried to order ammunition from Boss?

I imagine the price of bismuth is devastating to Boss's business. Not that I would ever support those lead shot ban advocates.

Those that do not reload should sprint to the RST website and order what is left. RST is still selling 10 gauge bismuth loads for $4.30 per shell. Each shell contains $2.11 of bismuth, so I would expect a price increase in the near future.

-Victor

It's probably going to get much worse for bismuth with recent scientific advances. The Chinese have developed transistors that use bismuth instead silicon. They run faster and cooler than silicon. It is also being used in new generation solar panels to replace the current standard using silicon and lead.

ITX shot is an option. I prefer it over bismuth, and I don't reload bismuth.

Where can you find loose ITX shot these days?

At Mike's:whistle:

I get it from BP

Ballistic Products hasn't had any for quite some time and as far as I know it's one more item of unobtanium.

I neither condemn nor condone this, but save your bismuth hulls and load lead into them. Just sayin'.

Issue is Mike a CO can tell what is inside very easily without taking the shell apart.

I've been doing what Mike suggests for many years. I wore out the non-tox hulls so now I just load my #5 lead loads in Gun Clubs and with my trusty Sharpie just expertly print Bizmoth on the side of the hull and they are none the wiser.:rolleyes::cool:

how?

I’ve been checked by several federal and state game wardens. Many times they either use a magnet or they have a device that tests conductivity of the metal inside. The magnet is an older method they used to use and really doesn’t work well for bismuth versus lead since both are virtually non-magnetic. The new devices I’ve seen they take each shell and put inside. Some game wardens just look at the shells.

i reload bismuth and steel, there will be lead in the hulls i use because they did have lead in them 1st. i would like to see how that test come out with their fancy tool. i have never had my shells checked just gun.

Does anyone know what the fine would be for getting caught using lead on ducks now, or would that be up to the individual judge?

I have wanted for so long to take a pair of green heads with my Super Fox (HE) and these.

https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/75197_600x400.jpg

Stan, I’d sure like to try that too. If you get caught just tell them “Nash made me do it!”

I could say that, Rick, but Nash ain't around to pay the piper!

How about it John (Davis)? Speak to this from a barrister's perspective, please.

I think these tools work by measuring the rate of conductivity for each metal.

https://streamsystems.com/stream_web...fo/hotshot.htm

https://bossshotshells.com/shell-detector/

Fines and penalties will vary between Federal and State regulations. If caught on federal land your gun, boat and truck can potentially be seized. State fines have a large range.

I wonder how sensitive it is to pick up lead on old lead holding hull used for bismuth or steel reloads?

Trace amounts of lead will not be detected. These devices are just metal detectors. They apply a magnetic field and measure the response, which is a function of mass and electrical conductivity. In your case, the mass is near zero (trace) and the conductivity of lead is low. The signal from the brass on the end of the shell would overwhelm any noise from trace amounts of lead in the shell.

-Victor