Best source of lead shot?

Police use steel shot so as not to produce a toxic biohazard (lead) which can leach into the ground water supply! At indoor ranges, nobody would use steel shot because of ricochet problems. The lead can be a hazard because of dust created by impact of the bullet with the backstop. Also, dust can be given off at the muzzle due to the forces generated from the gunpowder explosion. Indoor ranges are heavily ventilated, and some lead bullets are nylon clad to prevent much of the dust. I've gone through this lengthy explanation so that people won't have mis-information resulting in an unfounded paranoia about lead. Filling a stand with lead shot IS NOT GOING TO GENERATE LEAD DUST!!!! Remember, many people were at first afraid of electricity in the house because they feared that it would leak out of the outlets and electrocute them!

Lead is not a hazard as long as it is sealed in the stand. This is one of those environmental alarms that is wildly overblown in many circles. It is a very stable metal which must be ingested in order to cause harm. Short of eating it or inhaling lead dust, it isn't going to hurt anyone. Lead dust inhalation IS a serious health hazard in closed shooting ranges, but most people don't use their listening rooms for target practice. And it was removed from gas for the same reason-- dust inhalation. As an aside, anyone who still has amalgam fillings (lead/mercury) in their teeth is strongly urged to have them removed and replaced with epoxy-- this is a real health threat.

As far as a damping material inside a tube, lead is vastly better than steel shot but not much better than sand. Damping is a function of how much kinetic energy is dissipated as frictional heat, and steel isn't going to absorb much energy at all. Both lead and sand do, though. If you're really concerned about the health risks of lead, use sand, but WEAR A MASK when handling it and then seal the stand-- inhaled free silica is a cancer agent (at least in the case of long-term exposure), and without a mask I would say it's probably more dangerous than just pouring in lead shot.

I deeply appreciate Karls and Fatparrot for their great answers to my inside-the-thread question.

Lak,

I second your suggestion. I use the Micro bearing in my Audio Point Sistrium Rack, with excellent results..quieter background and noisefloor, rack stability and greater image focus.

Ken

Ken, I'm glad to hear there are others out there that have tried it!
Larry