Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Non-toxic Shotshells.....reloading

Just curious, but I know that in my area (soon after steel shot was required for waterfowl) it was common for the game wardens to carry a strong magnet when checking hunters in the field. Steel was the only available non-toxic shot at the time and the rule was that if the shells were`attracted by the magnet you were OK.....if not, you'd likely get a ticket for using lead shot.

Since that time, we have several types of non-ferus shot available (Bismuth, Tugsten, ect.) that the old "magnet" test wouldn't work on. The question is.......not that ANYONE would do such a thing ......if lead shot were loaded into once fired Bismuth marked hulls, how could it be detirmined (in the field) if non-toxic shot was being used???? Even if the shell were cut open (not likely as a rule), could the average game warden tell the difference between lead and Bismuth?

Any ideas or experience here......although I KNOW no one would actually use lead on a poor little ducky.

Guess I'll take a shot. The metals used for shot have distinctly different magnetic permeability, the way the metal reacts to a magnetic field. I recall seeing a hand held device that I think worked on this principle, but I may be recalling wrong. Certainly doable.

BATF (before the E) had a publication that said squeeze the shot. If it's soft and cracking occurs at the edges it's bismuth, if not then lead.

is is a topic i've been wondering about lately, as i plan to load ballistic products ITX shot and get my old 20 Ga Auto-5 back in the duck blind. itx doesn't crack like bismuth, i beleive has the same magnictic properties as lead. also most of my hulls are from high brass lead upland loads. i think the best bet is to go to my provincial conservation office and just ask well in advance of the season, maybe take a sample of the shot with me and see what they say

ITX stands for Iron Tungsten matriX according to an article in "Guns and Ammo" so it would have very different magnetic permeability than lead. And it turns out that part of getting FWS approval for non-toxic shot is that it can be determined the shot is non-toxic without taking the shell apart.

50 CFR 20.134 something or other.

If it's like South Dakota it never hurts to get in touch with your local conservation officer. I know the local guy, he likes to know who the good guys are so he can concentrate on the others. And he's another source on where the fish are biting.