An environmental group has petitioned the EPA to ban lead bullets and sinkers. Aren't most bullets made with lead? Copper bullets were mentioned in the petition. Are any copper bullets being made currently? What's the cost difference if they are? If not copper, are there any alternatives to lead bullets on the market today?
Lead Versus Copper Bullets
- Thread starter SallyA
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Shotgun shells come in other varieties. Steel shot is ineffective for anything except birds and I have seen it bounce off a canvasback with no effect. Bismuth works fairly well but is expensive. The fact is, you need mass for penetration. So, unless you are going to cast your own bullets out of gold or silver, lead is still the best bet except for depleted uranium and I don't think you can get that. Only the military has access to it.
greensteelforge
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The Wisconsin DNR sponsored a study that looked into lead in venison that found the metal fragmented into far smaller particles than had been previously assumed (especially involving higher velocity rounds), and that in order to avoid long term exposure, the use of non-lead expanding bullets should be considered. The exposure is small, and can be avoided through shot placement, and careful trimming and inspection of the meat during butchering. Generally speaking, though, there is little environmental concern involving lead projectiles except in watershed areas where it can, and does cause problems. Nothing practical delivers energy on target like lead, so it's still a trade off with toxicity and function playing the positions. I use steel shot in my shotgun, and lead core jacketed bullets in my rifles. Just a note, but if you wish to use steel shot, make sure your gun can handle it. I have a number of older guns that are relegated to trap and the occasional upland shoot because they are not constructed of the right alloy or choke dimensions to fire steel shot without the risk of damaging them.
td_porter
New Member
If you handload...many manufacturers now offer a lead free substitute for copper jacketed bullets...they use another metal in place of lead. I know that nosler, hornaday and others offer this option for different bullets. I know there are quite a few different types of bullet to choose from as well (i.e. ballistic tip, spire point, etc.)...they would be more than suitable for hunting. I've also seen these types of bullets meet the qualifications of "california legal" (or "e-tip"), since lead bullets are not permitted in parts of that state. I believe that some ammo makers also offer these type in normal ammo, just look for the the tell-tail names like those I mentioned above. Some manufacturers also make solid copper bullets too, like the ones dhoyle listed above. I hope this info was helpful...your ammo dealer or sporting goods store also might be able to point you int the right direction 
hunter44mag
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Ibean, that rumer is about werewolves, not vampires. Shoot down, not up.
Yeah. A long time ago my Daddy said: "Son, if you believe anything that the government tells you, you're a fool."
No offense against the Wisconsin DNR, but I a;ready know that the Indiana DNR is full of crap.
CozInCowtown
Moderator
Lead is a material found in raw form in nature. We dig it out of the ground!!
Kinda a moot point banning it with the crap laying around everywhere naturally.
JMO,
DC
Kinda a moot point banning it with the crap laying around everywhere naturally.
JMO,
DC
Natural lead locked up in lead ore far below the surface and outside of aquifers is a very different thing than small bits of free lead at the surface. Mining and refining causes a lot of pollution local to the mines.
I'm an absolute gun nut, and an environmentalist. Recognizing that arguments like the one you posted are fallacious and dismissing them, should be the first step to forming a rational position on it.
Currently my stance is that it is a good practice to recover as much lead as possible from outdoor ranges, and to not use lead against waterfowl, but I also realize the necessity of jacketed lead use in wilds hunting and think it's probably a minimally impactful practice in most areas.
I currently use normal lead at the outdoor range I belong to, but they reclaim most of it and it's well contained. I don't hunt, but if I did, I'd use normal jacketed lead for rifle and steel for any waterfowl.
Respectfully,
- Kodiak
EPA says 20 ppm (parts per million) is the upper safe limit for lead. The natural soil around here runs around 37 ppm. By EPA standards, one 12 guage 1 1/4 load would contaminate 6 tons of pure soil. Gimme a break. Yes, lead poisoning is a real threat if you are sensitive to it, but 20 ppm? I worked several years on hazardous environmental issues and lead is one we had to deal with.
If you are so rational, tell us why,scientifically, we should dismiss anyone's argument. You sound like a politician here, kodiak. I hate politicians.
CozInCowtown
Moderator
I was not going to dignify that rude comment with a reply so let it go guys, I did.
Anyone who would make a post like that and then put a man out hunting deer in the same catagory as a lead mine....never mind.
Kinda like useing Chernobyl to rationalise pilot light contamination of gas water heaters.
DC
Anyone who would make a post like that and then put a man out hunting deer in the same catagory as a lead mine....never mind.
Kinda like useing Chernobyl to rationalise pilot light contamination of gas water heaters.
DC
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