Bullets of Gold

Some reporters have suggested that Slumach fashioned bullets out of gold and that he used these bullets for hunting and target practice. In 1931, Jason Allard (letter to McKelvie in Langley Centennial Museum holdings) told the story that "when gold was discovered in the Queen Charlottes" [1851] "gold was so plentiful that the Indians melted the gold and made bullets of the gold." It seems that this old tale was recycled at a different time and place. Lead bullets are quite easily made. Lead that has a melting point of 327°C (621°F). To fashion bullets out of gold requires more than a campfire. Gold melts at 1062°C (1943°F).