going lead free

D

dogger1

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with the covid thing going on ive been talking a lot with my european friends about driven hunts and bullets . when discussing bullets there are regulations going in place for lead free ammo due to lead poisoning. they explained to me that not only there is poison from lead bits in the meat but also when the bullets go in there is a lead vapour trail that get into the animal..Our familly eats a lot of game and i have young daughters so am thinking of the switch to lead free.there a lot of great bullets available and looks like the price has been going down.any truth to this, i remember big slow bullets you could eat right to the hole.. ive seen some bulletvideos that show how much lead gets dumped into an animal through xrays into balistic gell and its crazy on utube lead bullet fragmintation data .im definatly going to make the switch..
 
Yep, nothing I feed to my kids is taken with lead. The idea of injecting heavy metals into your food at high velocity isn’t aging well.

You can take your pick of lead free these days, TSX, TTSX, CEB, and GMX are those I’ve used. All have been great. If you want a higher BC option, I like the GMXs and some of the CEBs (the copper, tipped).
 
No good reason not to. The technology has been pretty much perfected so lead free bullets work very well. However, I still use lead core bullets for most of my hunting, and eat game meat as the big majority of our home meat supply. I've had my blood lead levels checked several times and the result always comes up within "normal" range. But then I process my own game meat and i'm fussy. It's not a good idea to save bloodshot meat near the bullet's path. I'm personally more concerned with the amount of reloading and gun cleaning I do exposing me to far more dangerous lead contamination from primer residue. Lead salts in primer residue are very toxic, lead fragments in meat are elemental lead, and much less toxic than primer dust. Case tumbler media is highly contaminated. So if you want to reduce your total lead exposure you should also be careful when reloading and cleaning firearms, and when shooting at indoor ranges. Wash hands thoroughly after handling spent cartridge cases, or cleaning barrels.
 
I made the decision to move away from lead a couple of years ago for big and small game. Not because I was worried about my health but I got thinking if lead can poison ducks when they eat it, I don't want to poison whatever it is that eats the gut piles of from grouse and rabbits I shoot and other game. just my point of view.
 
I'm pretty much in the same place with the kids and the lead. Not exactly enamored with the TTSX in the 8x57. Will likely see how the 45 grain TSX works in the 22-250 this fall.
 
I’m most impressed with the GMX lately, which is unfortunate as all my load developing for monos and data has been with TSXs and CEBs. But I think the GMX is winning, seems to have really good BCs and opens at longer ranges reliably.

Also glad to hear others have the thought leaving a potentially lead laced gut pile in the field is a poor form, that’s easily remedied with a mono.
 
If I hunted, I would use nothing but an all copper bullet. IMO there is no need to risk even any lead exposure if fine lead free bullets are avaialble
 
federal also has lead free primers in there components ,i cant still beleive how much lead is left in the guts and such.was wondering if theres a lead free 45/70s just after i bought all that leverevolution
 
Use what you like. The only thing glaring that needs to be said in this thread is a word of caution: don't fall victim to plumbaphobia. When the original fallacious "study" on lead shot from the 1970s eventually resulted in lead shot ban in waterfowl, any sort of acquiescence only serves to embolden the crazies and anti-hunters to take another inch of ground. You might not think it a big deal yourself using monolithic bullets but to some calibers, lead only is all there is and it's been used since the dawn of the gun... the mass hysteria and increase in mental issues isn't a result of lead ingestion... On that note of lead shot/waterfowl studying: the best they can do is estimate... until it can be determined, and it's actually a problem that particular attack preys on fear to advance whatever causes exist behind it. Banning the use of lead shot directly resulted in the ban of old shotguns in waterfowling: anyone with a slight knowledge knows that steel shot will destroy their bores.

While waterfowl can ingest pellets (as they do rocks to aid in digestion in the gizzard), the consequence is still unproven. To what extent is the human digestive system able to dissolve, suspend and intake lead into the blood stream? No one eats the spoiled meat around bullet penetration site, leaving only fragments for consideration. I'm not concerned, but if anyone is uneasy feel free to use copper bullets (copper in large quantities is also toxic...) but remember the above, and that if that inch is taken they'll take more and complete banning of lead bullets will double the cost of projectile expenditures.
 
Well, as for plumbophobia, I lead poisoned myself once upon a time by putting air gun pellets in my mouth on the farm where I grew up shooting pigeons. It’s not a fallacy. And unfortunately, it never really leaves you once you’ve accumulated it, as it sequesters in bone. So while your blood levels may be low, it’s still with you. And unfortunately, the long term effects often don’t really show until later in life. My take is, it’s easy these days to choose to avoid it. And the less lead in the wilderness, the better. It’s one of the few “California style” things I support.
 
Truth? paranoia? I think you have to read up on it and make up your own mind. Like Ardent, as a kid I used to carry a bunch of pellets in my mouth, but I didn't have an issue. I also hunt almost exclusively with lead, including home cast lead bullets I make myself. Never had an issue, and I'm well into the old farts club now. I've been lead tested a few times when I shot at the indoor range, no issues.
There are a lot of considerations. I tend to hunt with old slow velocity rounds, and they may deposit less lead in the game.

I kinda doubt the anti-hunting groups are behind the no-lead movement, however, no doubt some of their members are involved, as they are animal rights types, and the start of this IIRC was lead found in birds in (seat of all things Liberal) California.

Eat right up to the hole? Yes, depending on the condition, I have even eaten the hole itself. Does that make it safe for you? You'll have to make up your own mind.
Now there's another one of those differences. The hole I'm referring to might be from a 44-40 for example, or a lower velocity 45-70, and the exit is not much bigger than the entrance. There can't be much lead transfer IMO. However, shoot the same animal with even a 308, and the exit if it hits no bone, might be the size of your fist, with fragments, maybe many inside. If it hits bone, it may grenade and make a hell of a mess.

I probably could use non-lead in the old rounds. Would make little difference to game as they don't expand much anyway. But I like casting, and I'm cheap.
Stay safe, and do what you think best.
 
John Y Cannuck said:
Truth? paranoia? I think you have to read up on it and make up your own mind. Like Ardent, as a kid I used to carry a bunch of pellets in my mouth, but I didn't have an issue. I also hunt almost exclusively with lead, including home cast lead bullets I make myself. Never had an issue, and I'm well into the old farts club now. I've been lead tested a few times when I shot at the indoor range, no issues.
There are a lot of considerations. I tend to hunt with old slow velocity rounds, and they may deposit less lead in the game.

I kinda doubt the anti-hunting groups are behind the no-lead movement, however, no doubt some of their members are involved, as they are animal rights types, and the start of this IIRC was lead found in birds in (seat of all things Liberal) California.

Eat right up to the hole? Yes, depending on the condition, I have even eaten the hole itself. Does that make it safe for you? You'll have to make up your own mind.
Now there's another one of those differences. The hole I'm referring to might be from a 44-40 for example, or a lower velocity 45-70, and the exit is not much bigger than the entrance. There can't be much lead transfer IMO. However, shoot the same animal with even a 308, and the exit if it hits no bone, might be the size of your fist, with fragments, maybe many inside. If it hits bone, it may grenade and make a hell of a mess.

I probably could use non-lead in the old rounds. Would make little difference to game as they don't expand much anyway. But I like casting, and I'm cheap.
Stay safe, and do what you think best.
Click to expand...

Well said, what's good for the goose might not be good for the gander, decide what's best for you within a bunch of pros and cons and stay the course.
Me personally i'm sticking with my Partitions and my Accubonds.
Cheers
 
All the worry about trace lead particles will take more time off your life than any amount of lead exposure. But thanks for boosting yet another narrative for the nanny state.
 
New Camper said:
When the original fallacious "study" on lead shot from the 1970s eventually resulted in lead shot ban in waterfowl, any sort of acquiescence only serves to embolden the crazies and anti-hunters to take another inch of ground.
While waterfowl can ingest pellets (as they do rocks to aid in digestion in the gizzard), the consequence is still unproven.
Click to expand...
Sorry, New Camper that is complete BS. I have studied avian nutrition and toxicology and veterinary physiology, and let me assure you the science behind the ban on lead shot for waterfowl hunting is very well established and proven in many, many carefully controlled and documented case studies. To say otherwise is simply untrue. The concern of lead poisoning in humans as a result of people ingesting lead fragments along with game meat is less certain, and I am one who feels the risk to human health is minimal because of the few fragments actually ingested, and because of the nature of the human digestive system as compared to a birds gizzard. But the risk is certainly not zero.
 
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