Has anybody tried the lead free ammo?

   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo? #11  
Small stuff mostly pass through. I know I put rabbits down with a 22 and it passes clean through the head. Never seen one left behind in a squirrel or muskrat either. Now birdshot you dig out of every critter you shoot even doves. I much prefer not to chew on pellets.
 
   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo? #12  
Ok, YMMV...

There is supposedly a well defined projectile velocity, above which lead fragments highly, and below which lead remains as the slug.

However, the devil is in the details, as expanding slug designs (hollow point / ballistic tip), and whether or not the slug hits a major bone, like a pelvis or femur, has a large effect on particles.
cf Bullet fragmentation study
One shot had a lead fragment 14" away from the exist wound...

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo? #13  
Being a big hunter , I have heard of some lead poisoning problems but it’s been mostly birds of prey. I get the push for waterfowl shot to be lead free due to being in water. The biggest reason I use copper is because I like the results. I’ve had some lead pencil hole some big game.
 
   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo? #14  
I don't hunt anymore, but i remember using steel shot in the shotgun when hunting for waterfowl. It flew just a bit different, but easy to adjust for, plus i never really went for the iffy, for me, long shots.

My dad on the other hand had no problems, he was a very good shot. He'd wait till everybody shot their wads, then shoot, if people wanted to get their limits filled.
Bird hunters dealt with this decades ago. I use cheap Remington Sportsman loads for hunting ducks over decoys. I go up a step in shot size, #4 instead of #6, which is compensated for by more pellets per ounce with steel. For goose hunting I go with tungsten, with outstanding results. Tungsten really hits hard, resulting in a lot fewer cripples setting their wings and gliding away.
 
   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo? #15  
Bought some lead-free .177 pellets for my squirrel eradication project. They work well and I don't have to be concerned about poisoning my clean-up crew (Ravens). Every time they hear me shoot, they do a fly-by to see if I hit anything.
 
   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo? #16  
Almost the same here Doofy. Only it's buzzards and coyotes. Once I put out a package of REALLY freezer burned chicken. Out in the yard about 100 feet from the house. I've never seen so many scavangers - buzzards, crows, magpies. The coyotes cleaned it all up the following night. Even had quite a few "dicky birds" gather - just to see what all the commotion was about.
 
   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo? #17  
Ok, YMMV...

There is supposedly a well defined projectile velocity, above which lead fragments highly, and below which lead remains as the slug.

However, the devil is in the details, as expanding slug designs (hollow point / ballistic tip), and whether or not the slug hits a major bone, like a pelvis or femur, has a large effect on particles.
cf Bullet fragmentation study
One shot had a lead fragment 14" away from the exist wound...

All the best,

Peter
These are the kind of articles that make me question "the science"

And I quote. "There have been abundant studies to show that the average, “fragmentation threshold” occurs at an impact velocity (not muzzle velocity) of approximately 2,260 feet per second, or Mach 2.0, which is the certainly the case for most centerfire rifles. Above that limit, fragmentation is very likely, and below it, fragmentation is rare."

The "science" has an approximate number of 2260 fps....not 2000 or 2500 but 2260. Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of statistics will know that it takes a lot of samples to get a number that specific.

Then the "science" ignores the type of bullet used so are we to assume every type of lead core bullet acts this way? Partition bullets, exposed lead tip, ballistic tip, hollow points, round nose, spitzer, etc etc?

The .30/30 with a 170 gr bullet has a muzzle velocity of 2200 fps and only 1900 fps at 100 yards so it should "rarely fragment".

I shoot a .308. With the 165 gr bullet I get a MV of 2500 fps and at 200 yards it has dropped to 2100 fps...well under 2260 fps

Another "red flag" was the statement:
"It’s an irrefutable, scientific fact that lead ammunition is prone to fragmentation, sometimes into literally hundreds of tiny, even microscopic pieces, often losing up to 40 percent of their mass in tiny fragments that can stray up to 18 inches from the wound channel."

Really!!??? Fragments up to 18" from the wound channel.

I could go on, but you see my point. Just like our little friend the Chinese bug, "science " can be twisted to tell what ever story the writer wants to convey.

BTW, thanks for posting the article. It shows why "the science" should be either ignored or questioned by folks with critical thinking skills.
 
   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo?
  • Thread Starter
#18  
Even had quite a few "dicky birds" gather
When I used to call coyotes with a dieing rabbit call, the first thing that would show up was chickadees.
 
   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo? #19  
Almost the same here Doofy. Only it's buzzards and coyotes. Once I put out a package of REALLY freezer burned chicken. Out in the yard about 100 feet from the house. I've never seen so many scavangers - buzzards, crows, magpies. The coyotes cleaned it all up the following night. Even had quite a few "dicky birds" gather - just to see what all the commotion was about.
We have had coyotes and lynx that have been hanging around the property for several years now. Very unusual. They are caught on the trail cams at least once a week.
 
   / Has anybody tried the lead free ammo? #20  
The study seems very poor. The last deer I shot with a lead bullet certainly showed they do fragment. I shot a doe with my ML at about 12 yards frontal with a 250gr hollow point. I found a few flakes and barely a base of a bullet. It weighed 112 gr. It pretty much disintegrated.
 
 
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