16ga.com ~ View topic - 16 ga. non-toxic load update from BPI (and new ITX shot)

Joined: 11 Aug 2008 Posts: 37 Location: north-central SD

Just called BPI about reloading non-toxic 16 ga. shells. According to the customer rep I talked to, the only 16 ga. non-toxic recipes BPI has done is for 7/8th oz. loads in steel and 1 1/8 and 1 1/4 oz. loads in Hevishot. Nothing for bismuth, tungsten-iron, ecotungsten, etc. The rep, however, did mention that they will soon have a new bismuth substitute--"ITX Shot." ITX shot will be soft ("about as hard as lead") and will run $129.50 for 7 lbs. (cheaper than Hevishot @ 7 lbs. for $160). BPI's lab is working up 12 gauge ITX loads now, no word yet on when they'll get to 16 gauge loads.

Member Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 279 Location: Mn

That is good news. Though I dont have the 16ga book infront of me, I am sure they have bismuth loads,,not that you can find any...

Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 311

BPI's Sixteen Gauge Manual 5th Edition has over a page of Bismuth loads listed so the customer service rep was mistaken. Of course, if Bis Maxx hasn't made bismuth shot available for reloading the data is worthless.

Member Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 451 Location: La-Tx

Joined: 11 Aug 2008 Posts: 37 Location: north-central SD

I just checked the Hunter's Bismuth site mentioned above--the price of their "pourable spherical bismuth-tin" (i.e. "shot") is $66.50 for 7 pounds. They say they can't advertise their "pourable spheres" as shot because of "certain patent considerations."

If this price is current (and the shot is available), that would put Hunter's Bismuth at less than $10 a pound--half the current price of Hevishot (7lbs. for $160 at BPI) and tungsten-iron (5 lbs. for $99). Hunter's Bismuth reports "pourable spheres" in #3- #7 1/2 sizes.

Member Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 592 Location: Minnesota

Hunters Bismuth has been discussed in chat rooms many times but I don't recall anyone having luck with being able to make contact with the company. If I'm not mistaken someone even drove to their address and the building was empty. Their prices look so cheap because the website has not been updated in at least a year - nobody seems to be able to explain why the website is still functioning. But maybe something has changed and they're back in business.

Interesting information about BPI. Although BPI has always been 16 gauge friendly I would be surprised to see anything but 12 gauge data come from this new shot (at least in the near future).

Joined: 30 Aug 2007 Posts: 234 Location: KY

got the new BPI catalog pamphlet thing yesterday inthe mail. it had the ITX shot in there. The closeup looked like "belted spheres." Not with a protrusion like black cloud pellets but with a flat area around the pellet.