Zinc Washers... anybody remember?

[Kerf]

Years ago there was a fellow touting the use of zinc washers attached to the base of cast bullets, the purpose was to clean out lead build up in pistol barrels. Anybody remember his name? The name Al Georg (or some such spelling) comes to mind. I think the zinc washer was attached to the base of the lead bullet like attaching a gas check.

Has anyone used this process? Does it work?

So, is using wheel weights made of zinc for casting bullets a big problem? I've had trouble trying to tell whether a wheel weight is zinc or lead. I've read on the forums that most wheel weights today are made of zinc. I'm sure I've mixed in some zinc in my lead pot and can't see that it makes any difference.

I asked my wheel weight guy about the zinc and he said his wheel weights are all 100% zinc free. I can't make an issue of it with him because he provides them for free.

Any light shed in this direction would be muchly appreciated. Thanks.

Kerf

 

[cyclopsshooter]

i dont know about the zinc but some modern lead bullets have a copper tail- its not the lead bullet touching the bore that leaves a mess, its the hot pressure behind it melting the lead... the copper tail prevents that- probably not unlike the zinc washer

 

[nicholst55]

Corbin sells the zinc washers, I do believe. They just never caught on.

Zinc is death to casting alloy! You can ruin a large pot of lead alloy for casting with a small amount of zinc. I sort wheel weights by hand looking for anything non-lead in the bucket, and then smelt it at the lowest possible temperature - under 700 degrees. Zinc melts at around 785°F, so keeping your pot temperature below that lets zinc and any other non-lead material float to the top.

Zinc-contaminated lead alloy will not fill out the mold properly, and tends to turn 'stringy.' Avoid zinc like the plague!

 

[qajaq59]

I use a thermometer and keep the melt at about 670. The zinc just floats and it is easy to spot among the clips.

 

[Walkalong]

I remember them, never tried them. Copper gas checks, wax gas checks, Super Grex, all worked to remove or eliminate leading with cast bullets.

 

[USSR]

Zinc is death to casting alloy! Avoid zinc like the plague!

+1.

Don

 

[rbernie]

i dont know about the zinc but some modern lead bullets have a copper tail- its not the lead bullet touching the bore that leaves a mess, its the hot pressure behind it melting the lead... the copper tail prevents that- probably not unlike the zinc washer

FYI - that is called a 'gas check', and the bullet shape has to be specifically designed to accomodate them.

 

[MMCSRET]

I have a single cavity mold for use with the zinc washer, 45 handgun dimensions, I just never have gotten around to trying it out. I think it was "Harvey" that designed these?

 

[Jim Watson]

I took some Harvey zinc based Prote X Bore bullets in trade along with a gun once. They did ok in a Colt with its smaller bore, but leaded S&Ws. I ended up coating them with Kal Guard or Corbin dip lube to get some use out of them.

According to old NRA trials, you can cast zinc bullets but you must use a separate clean pot, lead contaminates zinc casting as bad as zinc contaminates lead casting.

 

[Vacek]

Handloader did a full article on it in last year.

 

[rcmodel]

Jim Harvey / Lakeville Arms invented & sold the washers, etc, for his Pro-Tex Bore bullets. He also invented the wildcat .224 Kay-Chuk conversion for the S&W K-22 revolver in the late 1950's.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_10_47/ai_78130011/pg_3/

Al Georg was a noted handgun hunter & writer of the time and may have played some role in promoting the Pro-Tex bullets. He was killed in a Piper Super-Cub crash in Alaska while hunting bear with a handgun.

Both Jim Harvey and Al Georg were early handgun hunting pioneers and much of their work lead to todays scoped magnum hunting handguns.

rc

 

[Kerf]

Thanks everyone for your info. Jim Harvey was the name I couldn't remember. Also, for the info on using zinc. I think I need a thermometer. Never had a use for one before.

thanks all

kerf

 

[ants]

You might consider an infrared pyrometer (especially with a lazer pointer) rather than a probe-type thermometer. It works beautifully for casting. I got one at the hardware store for $15 on sale. It reads exactly the same as my pot thermometer, but it doesn't have to be dipped into the molten alloy and it reads instantaneously.