Bismuth

[Smiler23]

Anybody rate bismuth as a load, iv never used it, and after reading up on it and asking a few lads seems no one really thinks much of it..

[shoot and be safe]

Works well on the duck drives I've shot in the past through my old English side by side.

 

The one thing that confused me about bismuth is, it's falls in the category of non toxic for wildfowl, yet it is radioactive

[ElvisThePelvis]

Prefer it to shooting steel through game guns, feels a bit unnecessary inland but those are the rules.. I guess lead shot that doesn't end up in pheasant and partridges is dangerous but the stuff that misses ducks is.

[Smiler23]

Does it hit hard? At range ?or is it a closer range shot?

[motty]

I would consider bismuth as a good option if it were cheap, but it isn't. I can shoot ducks at 50 yards with steel, so bismuth is a waste of time unless you have an old fixed choke gun, for example.

The only expensive shot types worth spending money on are the high density ones, in my opinion.

[winnie&bezza]

I've only ever been wildfowling once and was invited to go along on an evening flight. I was given some bismuth no 5 to use. I Was using my old Aya 25 and shot 3 cartridges for a goose and 2 duck. I was a total novice and didn't know anything about suitable loads but that goose folded up and one of those ducks was 'up there' and was a clean kill. So from my limited use I couldn't fault it. Plus I didn't pay for it haha.

[Smiler23]

Reason I ask, is I have some, some bb,s some mixed ... and 3,s or 5,s cant remember .. Are they worth making shells up with or passing onto someone with an older gun

[TONY R]

Its over priced in shot form these days its quite expensive.

Price if you drop it yourself it is practical its about 11 quid a killo at the moment.

 

As you have yours personally i would load it, Use buffer with Bismuth all the time Bismuth without buffer is less efficient in my experience.

here are some Specific gravities i thought it worth including put thing in perspective

.

 

6 HW-13 shot - 11.6 g/cc
4 Hevi-Shot - 11.56 g/cc
5 Lead - 10.92 g/cc pure its 11.34.
later hw13 shot and hevi is heavier.
HW-13 = 12.56 g/cc
Hevi-Shot = 12.16 g/cc ex environ metals or lylevale
Impact tungsten matrix claimed 10.8 is 10.66 gr cc .5s.
and in bigger sizes its 10.59.
Bismuth shot Dropped 3% tin is 9.74 grams cc 99% pure its 9.897 gram ..cc
Copper shot is 8.95 gram ..cc
Steel shot varies from 7.2 to 7.6...7.5 typical

Edited June 20, 2016 by TONY R

[Smiler23]

I'll use it up then, iv got a bit of data for it, cheers for input fellas

[TONY R]

Dont get too hung up about data with Bismuth, any typical lead data will do to start from, and as said buffer all Busmuth and by the time you have reduced the lead powder charge for buffer the loads will be near enough.

Its not significantly low enough in Specific gravity thus volume to Bump pressures up like steel.

[Guest cookoff013]

I would consider bismuth as a good option if it were cheap, but it isn't. I can shoot ducks at 50 yards with steel, so bismuth is a waste of time unless you have an old fixed choke gun, for example.

The only expensive shot types worth spending money on are the high density ones, in my opinion.

+1

No messing !