doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Bismuth shot

Where can I buy bismuth shot? Some fellow in MN or SD was making it at home once upon a time I think.

I use a "similar" non-toxic shot product called NICE SHOT, which I purchase via the net. Works like bismuth, and is legal. Can be used with tight chokes.

It is expensive but works well. One follows the same reloading data, and wads, as for lead shot.

JERRY

I use a "similar" non-toxic shot product called NICE SHOT, which I purchase via the net. Works like bismuth, and is legal. Can be used with tight chokes.

It is expensive but works well. One follows the same reloading data, and wads, as for lead shot.

JERRY

Forget about Nice Shot. RST is just about out due to what they told me was a restructuring of the firm that makes it. Future availability unknown.

Fieldsport in Traverse City, Michigan, has loads of bismuth and Hevi-Shot although the prices are a bit high.

The price of bismuth shot might come down if we are lucky but I doubt it. Raw metal prices have dropped from $13 a pound to $8-9 s pound. Metal prices have been in the upper teens for several years so this is a major reduction in prices of raw materials. But with .22s costing a dime a shot, old surplus bullets up to a buck each, and non-tox $3.00 a shot I am afraid high prices are here to stay.

I looked into making my own bismuth shot several years ago but decided the investment in time and money was not worth it. You need a large supply of metal to last several years so price fluctuations does not make it too costly to make the shot. Not a big fan of buying low if I have to buy several thousand dollars of metal that may take years to use up. Large shot also was very problematic for home type maker to produce. It seemed that size does matter with bismuth and large shot did not come out very well and tended to have the brittle problems that the earlier shot had.

So I will bite the bullet and pay what I have to when I want to shoot. You are an old timer if you can recall when a brick of .22s was ten bucks and a box of premium hunting loads that or less a box. You are a real old timer if you can remember when steel shot had not been invented. The first I saw was for skeet and trap and sold for less than lead shot. How times have changed.

I wish I were a scientist to look more into bismuth's peculiar performance from my guns, and I know it's not all me. TM works.

There is an article on the net from guys in Oz who made up to #3 size for the aboragines to shoot. I have a setup like theirs but REALLY don't want to make it myself just because of the hastle factor.