That band is a parting line from the dies they are stamped in. I read about a fellow developing a ribbon fed press that stamped out pellets. Modest irregularities in pellets has little effect at the ranges we shoot. I don't think there even are 2 heavi-shot pellets that are the same.
I copied the approved materials list from the USFWS website. It is listed below. I have never seen some of the approved alloys. Perhaps this product was one of the more unusual ones.
I am always skeptical of the gap between enforcement realities, and the approved product lists.
Ultimately, as USFWS says, the list is informational, not regulatory.
I'd like to see the approval form before I headed out to the refuge for early goose season.
APPROVED SHOT TYPES
The shot types that are approved as nontoxic for waterfowl hunting in the U.S. are the following.
Approved shot type*
Composition by weight
Field testing device**
bismuth-tin
97% bismuth and 3% tin
HOT*SHOT ***
iron (steel)
iron and carbon
Magnet or HOT*SHOT *
iron-tungsten
any proportion of tungsten and ≥1% iron
Magnet or HOT*SHOT *
iron-tungsten-nickel
≥1% iron, any proportion of tungsten, up to 40% nickel
Magnet or HOT*SHOT *
tungsten-bronze
51.1% tungsten, 44.4% copper, 3.9% tin, and 0.6% iron
and 60% tungsten, 35.1% copper, 3.9% tin, and 1% iron
Rare Earth Magnet
tungsten-iron-copper-nickel
40-76% tungsten, 10-37% iron, 9-16% copper, and 5-7% nickel
HOT*SHOT * or Rare Earth Magnet
tungsten-matrix
95.9% tungsten and 4.1% polymer
HOT*SHOT *
tungsten-polymer
95.5% tungsten and 4.5% Nylon 6 or 11
HOT*SHOT *
tungsten-tin-iron
any proportions of tungsten and tin and ≥1% iron
Magnet or HOT*SHOT *
tungsten-tin-bismuth
any proportions of tungsten, tin, and bismuth
Rare Earth Magnet
tungsten-tin-iron-nickel
65% tungsten, 21.8% tin, 10.4% iron, and 2.8% nickel
Magnet
* Coatings of copper, nickel, tin, zinc, zinc chloride, and zinc chrome on approved nontoxic shot types also are approved.
These guys deserve the finest.
