Lead-Free Ammo

7Sagebrush7

7Sagebrush7

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Does anyone have experience with the new lead-free ammo?
I shoot at an indoor pistol range and there is talk of switching to lead-free ammo only.
I have heard rumors about this ammo being available in .22.
Anyone tried this stuff out? How is it for feeding issues, accuracy?
I have read a couple of blogs but there does not seem to be any real first hand experience with the stuff.
 
Lead free huh? This is news to me

Sounds like your pistol range is about to sideline a ton of reloaders. AFAIK, lead free ammo, if it even exists, isn't readily available. People wouldn't be able to shoot.
 
It is readily available in centre fire rounds. .38, .357, .40, .45, 9mm. Ect...
The cost is 20-30% more than standard lead loads.
It is also known as frangible ammunition.
I live in Sault Ste. Marie (a small town in Northern Ontario) and they sell the centre fire rounds here.
 
Well much like "low in calories" might mean almost anything, ammo manufacturers tout "lead free" to mean very many things. It could be standard FMJ bullets (lead exposed bases) but the primers are lead free. Could be full encapsulated bullets (core is still lead) with or without lead free primers. Could be Winchester "Winclean" ammo (Which is usually fairly low in price and commonly available, at least in the GTA) which has a brass jacketed bullet with a tin (I think) core and lead free primer. Might mean non-lead fragible bullets (sintered copper) with primers that may or may not be lead free. That stuff's pretty cool (from a tech standpoint) and of course is nice on the backstops. Still kind of on the expensive side though.

So your club needs to decide what "lead free" ammo means to them. Some ranges mean "shoot no lead reload bullets: FMJ only". But that doesn't cut down on lead exposure for shooters. Most exposure for shooters (not talking about the people who have to sweep up or clean the backstops) is actually from the detonation of the primers and the cloud of vaporized lead that creates. Good ventilation is key.
 
Lead free bullets

Lead free bullets are called Frangible. These are made of a heavy metal called bismuth. Bismuth has properties similar to lead in weight and melting point. It is crystalline, however, and shatters into a harmless dust on impact. Bismuth is 100% non-toxic, and in fact is an ingredient in Pepto-Bismol.

While lead appears to be around $0.58 US per pound, bismuth is around $3.00 US +, I believe.

I have not come across anyone melting and casting bismuth, will advise if I do
 
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