LEAD SHOTS / BALLS / BULLET

Lead has been the main material for shot and bullets.

Pure Lead is so soft it deforms if looked at hard. Lead Shot is often "hardened" by alloying with Antimony. Premium shot is often as much as 6% Antimony, and the stuff found in promo loads about 1 or 2%. Some skeet loads and much buckshot are Pure Lead.

Lead Bullets can be seated in a normal .470 seating die with a seating plug that has been altered to match the counter of the bullet nose. The alteration is simply done by applying some hot glue to the end of the seating plug and pushing an oiled bullet against the glue until it hardens. Lead Bullets should not be roll crimped.

Jacketed bullets may need a heavy roll crimp, but this is brutal on the brass case.

Unlike Lead Shot, in most Lead Bullets the Lead is almost entirely encased in a copper alloy jacket, which practically prevents the release of Lead compounds. This jacket is partly removed if the target is struck (whereupon it is removed by the hunter) but commonly remains intact if the round is spent down range.

Applications / Uses

Premium shot is plated for the tougher clay games and live pigeon shooting.