Gun Metal bushes handle some of the most demanding load conditions in industrial machinery. As a copper-tin-zinc alloy, Gun Metal combines a tensile strength of around 260 MPa with a compressive strength exceeding 600 MPa, which explains why engineers specify it for bearings, bushes, and wear components in high-stress rotating assemblies. The material machines cleanly, resists seizing against steel shafts, and performs reliably in wet or chemically active environments where plain steel would corrode within weeks.
Gun Metal (typically 85-5-5-5: copper, tin, zinc, lead) achieves something that few bearing materials match, which is a natural lubricating quality combined with load-bearing capacity. The lead content reduces friction against rotating shafts. Tin adds hardness and improves resistance to saltwater and mild acids. Zinc keeps the alloy machinable to close tolerances. The operating temperature range is -200°C to +250°C, allowing Gun Metalbushes to be used for cryogenic service and moderate-heat industrial applications. The general hardness is between 60 and 80 HB. This allows controlled wear on the bush, and not on the more expensive shaft it protects.
