“Well, it’s worse than most commonly used conductors, like copper, aluminum, or gold.”
Well, copper and gold melt at just under 2000 degrees F., and aluminum at 1200 degrees F. Tungsten is over 6000 degrees. I suppose you could use a copper projectile, but obviously not aluminum or gold. aluminum is too reactive with air as is calcium. Both would oxidize traveling through the air.
Tungsten is the best choice... And it’s relatively cheap.
“Well, copper and gold melt at just under 2000 degrees F., and aluminum at 1200 degrees F. Tungsten is over 6000 degrees. I suppose you could use a copper projectile, but obviously not aluminum or gold.”
Yes, but the conductivity and the melting point both come into play. The higher the resistivity, the more easily electricity is going to get converted into heat. So, tungsten can resist melting more easily, but it will also get hotter from the same amount of power. Those factors might end up negating each other for practical purposes here, but I wouldn’t know for sure unless someone tried it.