Tel No: +44 (0)1925 753456
Fax No: +44 (0)1925 755416
E-mail: sales@elastomer.co.uk
Contact: Malcolm Mitchell
Hours of business: 8.30am to 5.30pm
NON TOXIC LEAD REPLACEMENT
MATERIAL
Lead has been used as a projectile material since
the development of gunpowder. It is heavy, malleable and cheap. It is also
highly toxic and many countries are bringing in legislation banning lead for
use in cartridge shot and fishing weights. In the UK and many parts of Europe
waterfowl can only be hunted with non-toxic shot. Alternatives such as steel
and tin have specific gravities of less than 8 and consequently a lower
effective range.
We have developed a tungsten-polymer blend that is easily compounded and which
can be extruded, profiled and injection moulded. It is available in specific
gravities of up to 11.3, the same as lead. Cartridges loaded with this
tungsten-polymer shot have been shown to have excellent ballistics and energy
transfer to the target.
Bullets made from tungsten-polymer have been fired at over 1000m/sec and
development of jacketed bullet cores is now underway.
The material has found extensive use in the USA for injection
moulded fishing weights.