Practical Uses for Lead BB's?

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I guess there is also the practical benefit of it not bouncing like a steel bb will....

I've shot these in my P17 just playing around and experimenting... They're not great, but, not entirely atrocious either... I really can't hardly see using them in any practical sense, other than maybe - MAYBE, making a hopper fed full auto - that's pretty much the only actually useful application I can think of where a lead ball is genuinely the superior option.
 
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OK, experiment conducted. Used a Beretta M9 BB only replica and a Sig PX4 (pellet or BB). Used Basic Crosman steel BB's (5.2gr) and Gamo 0.177 lead ball (8.12gr)

Beretta M9 - 10 shots, fresh CO2
Steel: MVavg 323 fps, ME 1.21 fpe, SD 16.4 fps
Lead: MVavg 271 fps, ME 1.34 fpe, SD 16.7 fps

Sig PX4 - 8 shots/fresh CO2
Steel: MVavg 357 fps, ME 1.47 fpe, 24.3 fps
Lead: MVavg 252 fps, ME 1.15 fpe, 23.5 fps

UPDATE: Data from two more guns:
Dan Wesson 357 replica 6 shots/fresh CO2
Steel: MVavg 354 fps, ME 1.45 fpe, SD 13.1 fps
Lead: MVavg 260 fps, ME 1.23 fpe, SD 8.3 fps

Beeman P-17: 6 shots
Steel: MVavg 367 fps, ME 1.56 fpe, SD 41.1 fps (Very loose fit)
Lead: MVavg 386 fps, ME 2.66 fpe, SD 9.8 fps

OK, More ME with lead with the Beretta, more ME with steel with the Sig (???)
Beretta more consistent MV than the Sig based on SD. The Beretta is a BB only smoothbore, Sig is rifled.
I suspect rifling in the Sig was the issue with lower MV with the lead BB's, the steel would just ignore the rifling.

Am temped to try the experiment with a few more of my CO2 guns, Also the P17 and maybe the Crosman 1377. Don't like shooting steel from a rifled barrel but a one-of string of 8-10 won't do much harm. Also the steel ricocheted dangerously in the basement even with the duct seal trap. Regards
 
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