Munitions

Lead has been used in the manufacture of bullets, canon balls and the like for many centuries. It is a favored choice because its high density means that leaden projectiles have greater momentum, and so greater destructive power and longer range, than similar missiles of less dense materials. Lead also has the advantages that it is relatively cheap, very easy to form, and causes minimal abrasion to the gun barrel.

Shot Sizes
	F	T	BBB	BB	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	7½	8	8½	9
Pellet Diameter
Inches	.22	.20	.19	.18	.16	.15	.14	.13	.12	.11	.10	.095	.09	.085	.08
Millimeters	5.59	5.08	4.83	4.57	4.06	3.81	3.56	3.30	3.05	2.79	2.54	2.41	2.29	2.16	2.03

Buckshot Sizes
	No. 000	No. 00	No. 0	No. 1	No. 2	No. 3	No. 4
Pellet Diameter
Inches	.36	.33	.32	.30	.27	.25	.24
Millimeters	9.14	8.38	8.13	7.62	6.86	6.35	6.10

 

Alternatives that do not work - Steel shot is used in some countries, but can cause a number of problems. The shot can become lodged in trees and damage wood saws, can ricochet back towards the hunter from stones etc, and also reduces the lifetime of the gun barrel. Bismuth and tin are also used as shot material.

Suitability for recycling - In principle, Lead Shots can be collected from indoor and outdoor firing ranges, and once collected, could easily be re-melted.