Yep, its more than 1.5 times as dense as Bismuth, which is denser than lead! Tungsten super shot is 18.1 g/cc (grams per cubic centimeter). The heavy weight of TSS is designed to use smaller pellet sizes than lead, bismuth etc. It has great penetration & energy retention at longer distances. I've toyed with the idea of getting the shot because, in practical terms, you could load #7, #8, or #9 to hunt turkey or predators. However, TSS is super expensive. You'll have to check current prices to get an accurate quote. Also it would require a good buffering compound to be loaded with the pellets. Loaded rounds for unmentionables cost up to $10 per load. I would want to test a muzzleloader barrel's metallurgy and get it proofed for loading such dense hard stuff in my older guns. So far, the cost, hassle of buffering, and other possible risks are keeping me away.
Plain old copper plated lead is fine to use.
Bismuth is not denser than lead.
You are correct! Bismuth is soft enough to use in BP guns, and legal for waterfowl in most jurisdictions, but it is not very dense. I have been using #4 bismuth for ducks and pheasants. Between the low (relatively) velocity of BP shotguns and low density of bismuth, you really need to stick to about 25 (maybe 30 yards) - and even at that, penetration is fair at best. Bismuth is a bit denser than steel, but with BP velocities it reminds me of early steel shotgun shell performance.
| Element | Lead | Bismuth |
| Density | 11.34 g/cm3 | 9.78 g/cm3 |
Well I guess we can both be embarassed! When I bought it I thought for sure it was denser than lead. I probably still would except I was trying to figure out why penetration was so poor on birds!
