.41 Magnum fans - Zinc bullets

[gmerkt]

From time to time, I check the websites of the various vendors who sell stuff for hand loading: Midway, Midsouth, Grafs, Widners, Rocky Mountain Reloading, etc.

Not long ago, I found that Midsouth Shooters Supply was selling pure zinc bullets for .41 Magnum. These guys get odd-ball lots of stuff from manufacturer surpluses. I've no idea what the source of these was for Midsouth. These are 180 gr. bullets priced at $7.00 per hundred, that's pretty reasonable so I decided to try a bag. These even have a crimping groove cast in them.

I got a chance to try out my test loads, as follows:

180 gr. pure zinc bullet
11.5 gr. AA#7
CCI 350 primer
WW case
1128 average muzzle velocity
SD 13.76
Test piece: S&W Mod 57-1 w/ 4 inch bbl.

The use of a magnum primer is not a necessity; I just happened to have some on hand to use up.

I was very pleased with this load, smooth with moderate recoil. No residue or discoloration of any kind left in the bore. Zinc is lighter than lead, hence the bullet length is significantly longer than lead or jacketed. Powder selection should not include anything bulky or fluffy.

Someone's going to ask, "What do you mean, smooth?" By that I mean, the load goes off gracefully and evenly, not much snap to it. I've been shooting .41 Mag. for decades but only rarely do I shoot true magnum loads. Very rarely. I enjoy the cartridge more for it's accuracy potential than it's upper limit power potential.

Midsouth also has pure zinc bullets in 10mm, I tried some of those with the same pleasing results. Those are 155 gr. priced at $10 per hundred. If anyone is interested in my test data from those, I'll gladly pass it along.

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[DizzyJ]

Interesting. Never heard of such a thing.

 

[jordanka16]

Winchester has some lead free loads that use zinc bullets and special primers.

It would make a decent alternative if lead is too expensive or you are in a state that doesnt allow it for hunting, you could probably even cast them yourself.

Nothing has the cheapness, softness, and density of lead though, still the best

Were they lubed at all?

 

[ageingstudent]

Winchester has some lead free loads that use zinc bullets and special primers.

It would make a decent alternative if lead is too expensive or you are in a state that doesnt allow it for hunting, you could probably even cast them yourself.

Nothing has the cheapness, softness, and density of lead though, still the best

Were they lubed at all?

It's quite a bit harder than lead I wonder about lube myself? If it fouls the barell what do we call that? Zincing? I would think that it would stand up to magnum and rifle pressures pretty well. It's an interesting lead alternative since it's pretty cheap and common. It's a little on the light side though.

 

[gmerkt]

No lube, not needed as it isn't on copper jacketed or copper solid bullets. I personally have no science behind this statement, but I've read other posts online that pure zinc isn't any harder than copper solids. Zinc alloys, that's another story.

The "special" primers, those were probably the "green" ones that don't contain toxic materials. Not special in any way that effects the bullet or its flight through space.

$7 per hundred is pretty cheap. These days, I'm taking an interest in anything that is lead-free. Not because I'm a fanatic but because we live in Commie states which like control. California already has a partial lead ban on bullets. We've seen that what comes to California sometimes comes to the other Commie states on the Pacific coast. So I'm getting ready in that sense. Copper solids, frangible, now zinc.

Successful casting of zinc bullets isn't easy from what I've read. Obviously higher melt point than lead.

 

[jordanka16]

No lube, not needed as it isn't on copper jacketed or copper solid bullets. I personally have no science behind this statement, but I've read other posts online that pure zinc isn't any harder than copper solids. Zinc alloys, that's another story.

$7 per hundred is pretty cheap. These days, I'm taking an interest in anything that is lead-free. Not because I'm a fanatic but because we live in Commie states which like control. California already has a partial lead ban on bullets. We've seen that what comes to California sometimes comes to the other Commie states on the Pacific coast. So I'm getting ready in that sense. Copper solids, frangible, now zinc.

Successful casting of zinc bullets isn't easy from what I've read. Obviously higher melt point than lead.

Lube is only used on lead, to keep it from smearing in the bore, the copper bullets have the grooves in them for the fouling to build up in.

They sound pretty cool, like a good deal, especially if they shoot well. That's all that matters.

zincs melting point is only about 100 degrees above lead, and well within what a typical lead melting pot will reach. Maybe I should try and source some and see if I can cast some bullets for my .45-70 out of them, being lighter for the same length would give me more velocity, I doubt they'd obturate well with black powder though.

 

[gmerkt]

It's quite a bit harder than lead I wonder about lube myself? If it fouls the barrel what do we call that? Zincing?

As I mentioned in my original post, there was no trace of any residue or discoloration left in the bore from the use of the zinc bullets. This comment applies to those zinc bullets that I fired in my Smith & Wesson Model 57 and the 10mm zinc bullets that I fired in my Ruger SR1911. Admittedly, I only fired 12 test shots in each of these two weapons. In the future, I'll find out if sustained shooting leaves any fouling (like copper does). But I'd think that if it was going to leave any, it might well start with shot number one.

I've ordered more of both calibers.

 

[ageingstudent]

No lube, not needed as it isn't on copper jacketed or copper solid bullets. I personally have no science behind this statement, but I've read other posts online that pure zinc isn't any harder than copper solids. Zinc alloys, that's another story.

The "special" primers, those were probably the "green" ones that don't contain toxic materials. Not special in any way that effects the bullet or its flight through space.

$7 per hundred is pretty cheap. These days, I'm taking an interest in anything that is lead-free. Not because I'm a fanatic but because we live in Commie states which like control. California already has a partial lead ban on bullets. We've seen that what comes to California sometimes comes to the other Commie states on the Pacific coast. So I'm getting ready in that sense. Copper solids, frangible, now zinc.

Successful casting of zinc bullets isn't easy from what I've read. Obviously higher melt point than lead.

Yeah from what I have read and watched on the subject, lead furnaces will melt zinc but won't survive long at the higher temp. 7 cents per bullet isn't bad though. Certainly an option. Kinda a bonus if they don't need lube or a protective coating. I spend a considerable amount of time coating my cast lead.

 

[jordanka16]

Yeah from what I have read and watched on the subject, lead furnaces will melt zinc but won't survive long at the higher temp. 7 cents per bullet isn't bad though. Certainly an option. Kinda a bonus if they don't need lube or a protective coating. I spend a considerable amount of time coating my cast lead.

I still use a white gas coleman stove and a cast iron pot, it will get very, very hot.

Yeah I'm pretty sure it takes longer to lube and size or coat the bullets than it does to cast them.

 

[jordanka16]

As I mentioned in my original post, there was no trace of any residue or discoloration left in the bore from the use of the zinc bullets. This comment applies to those zinc bullets that I fired in my Smith & Wesson Model 57 and the 10mm zinc bullets that I fired in my Ruger SR1911. Admittedly, I only fired 12 test shots in each of these two weapons. In the future, I'll find out if sustained shooting leaves any fouling (like copper does). But I'd think that if it was going to leave any, it might well start with shot number one.

I've ordered more of both calibers.

That's very promising, no fouling and no lube required is excellent in my book.

A rifle will be the real test though, if you push them to 3000 fps it will show if they will foul or not.

 

[ageingstudent]

As I mentioned in my original post, there was no trace of any residue or discoloration left in the bore from the use of the zinc bullets. This comment applies to those zinc bullets that I fired in my Smith & Wesson Model 57 and the 10mm zinc bullets that I fired in my Ruger SR1911. Admittedly, I only fired 12 test shots in each of these two weapons. In the future, I'll find out if sustained shooting leaves any fouling (like copper does). But I'd think that if it was going to leave any, it might well start with shot number one.

I've ordered more of both calibers.

Certainly interested to hear your results with those. Always good to have options on the left coast.

 

[The Heretic]

casting zinc bullets is not something the amateur wants to try - it gives off zinc oxide which is very toxic. i got sick once from welding galvanized steel (galvanizing is mostly a zinc coating).

I would be interested in zinc projectiles if they were lighter than standard lead bullets of a standard size.

e.g., a 125 grain .429 or .451 or .458 bullet. something that would shoot flat over the first 100 yards at a good velocity and not expand when it hit small game (like a rabbit).

 

[jordanka16]

casting zinc bullets is not something the amateur wants to try - it gives off zinc oxide which is very toxic. i got sick once from welding galvanized steel (galvanizing is mostly a zinc coating).

I would be interested in zinc projectiles if they were lighter than standard lead bullets of a standard size.

e.g., a 125 grain .429 or .451 or .458 bullet. something that would shoot flat over the first 100 yards at a good velocity and not expand when it hit small game (like a rabbit).

Indeed, a mask would be a good idea. The risk is not as great as with welding because the temperatures are not as high, the boiling point of zinc is well above what you would be casting at, but still something to be aware of.

That's sort of what I was thinking, if you can get lightweight, high velocity bullets that don't foul, that sounds like a winning combo to me.

 

[gmerkt]

I would be interested in zinc projectiles if they were lighter than standard lead bullets of a standard size.

If in future zinc bullets make any headway into the components market, my guess is that lighter weights might become the rule rather than the exception. This is because the length of a zinc bullet in the same weight as lead or jacketed is so much greater. Lighter zinc bullets will result in shorter length, making them compatible with more loadings. Or the ability to even be loaded in a given cartridge. For example, the 10mm's offered by Midsouth are inappropriate for loading in .40 S&W because the area allowed for propellant is reduced to too small of a size.

Some of the other bullets of what might be considered alternative construction trend at lighter weights for the same reason. Those fancy bullets made of powdered copper and polymer fall into that category. Bullets made by Inceptor (brand name Polycase) are one example. At their website, they make load data available for their bullets. You will note that bullet weights are significantly lighter than conventional ones. For example, their 9mm Luger bullet is 65 gr. Their .45 ACP bullet is 135 gr.

Re. casting zinc bullets at home. From my reading, yes there is environmental hazard as mentioned above. Beyond that, the metal is harder and has a higher melting point and it tends not to fill out a mold as easily as lead. One point to make here is that pure zinc should be used, not the way more common zinc alloys that we see around. Like the kind ("pot metal") that formerly was used in car door handles, for instance. That material contains alloys to provide for other characteristics. There is no industry standard for generic pot metal; look up Zamak to see what kinds of other metals are typically added to zinc to produce alloys.

 

[No_Regerts]

Maybe they'll stop electrolysis and saltwater corrosion.

 

[cheech9]

From time to time, I check the websites of the various vendors who sell stuff for hand loading: Midway, Midsouth, Grafs, Widners, Rocky Mountain Reloading, etc.

Not long ago, I found that Midsouth Shooters Supply was selling pure zinc bullets for .41 Magnum. These guys get odd-ball lots of stuff from manufacturer surpluses. I've no idea what the source of these was for Midsouth. These are 210 gr. bullets priced at $7.00 per hundred, that's pretty reasonable so I decided to try a bag. These even have a crimping groove cast in them.

I got a chance to try out my test loads, as follows:

210 gr. pure zinc bullet
11.5 gr. AA#7
CCI 350 primer
WW case
1128 average muzzle velocity
SD 13.76
Test piece: S&W Mod 57-1 w/ 4 inch bbl.

The use of a magnum primer is not a necessity; I just happened to have some on hand to use up.

I was very pleased with this load, smooth with moderate recoil. No residue or discoloration of any kind left in the bore. Zinc is lighter than lead, hence the bullet length is significantly longer than lead or jacketed. Powder selection should not include anything bulky or fluffy.

Someone's going to ask, "What do you mean, smooth?" By that I mean, the load goes off gracefully and evenly, not much snap to it. I've been shooting .41 Mag. for decades but only rarely do I shoot true magnum loads. Very rarely. I enjoy the cartridge more for it's accuracy potential than it's upper limit power potential.

Midsouth also has pure zinc bullets in 10mm, I tried some of those with the same pleasing results. Those are 155 gr. priced at $10 per hundred. If anyone is interested in my test data from those, I'll gladly pass it along.

 

[cheech9]

Hello Heretic, I would appreciate your load data for .41 mag with zinc bullets for my S&W model 57! Bought my bullets at Midsouth also. 180 gr.