The Firearms Forum banner

Lead free vs Lead bullets

4K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  2A-Jay 
#1 ·
I have noticed lead free bullets for reloading, given like weights, what are the thoughts on performance. What are some of the pros and cons to the product? Are the bullets more easily damaged,e.g., dings, scraps and such? What is the lead free material?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Most of the established reloading data is for cup and core designed bullets. Several companies offer lead free designs. Some are made of solid copper, some of solid gilding metal, some of polymer and sintered copper or gilding metal. Winchester has or had a .22 rim-fire line with bullets made of tin instead of lead. Speer make a dangerous game bullet with a tungsten core and a heavy gilding metal jacket. Data for a lead core bullet is usually different than that for one of the aforementioned designs. This is because different materials react differently when being forced by pressure through a rifled tube, and could cause dangerous pressure spikes. For the sake of safety, when in doubt always consult the manufacturer or the appropriate alternative loading manual when using a product different than that listed in a loading manual you're currently using.
 
#5 ·
Another thing to remember is that lead is a heavy metal. Any bullet made from any other metal will be lighter. To get the bullet weight up, in any caliber, requires longer bullets, or you get much lighter bullets.
 
#8 ·
No. A sabot is device that ensures the correct positioning of a bullet or shell in the barrel of a gun, attached either to the projectile or inside the barrel and falling away as it leaves the muzzle.

Brass Metal Ammunition
 
#7 ·
I use some all copper Barnes bullets in the 70 gr weight for my AR-15. They have a better weight retention than cup and core. If your manual doesnt list a load for that specific bullet, the manufacturer will. My Lee manual did list a load for the Barnes.
 
#9 ·
I don't thunk about monolithic bullet's a lot. Wouldn't try them if I did, to expensive for me. I've shot the nearest thing to bonded years ago in a 7mm mag, 160gr Speer Hot core. Now that was a good bullet. They cost the same as reg cup and core bullet's and the bullet's I shot into soaked newspaper showed they maintained 85% of their weight and did not shoot lose in the jacket! Great bullet.

If I were in much better financial shape, I might be tempted to try them, just tempted. But probably if I was going to try something different than my cup and core bullet's, it would be bonded. I've had a couple time's when cup and core bullet's really soured me. Once on a deer with a 145gr Sierra, pre game king. The damage that bullet did inside that deer, from a 7x57 no less was huge. You didn't want to hit anywhere near something you might want to eat. The other was also at a deer but with a 338 mag. I was shooting at to close range for sure and in those days was a shoulder shooter. At about 60 yds, that bullet destroyed the whole front of the deer. It was a ghastly bloody sight all around the deer. I have seldom seen anything near as bad since then. I don't have a clue what a monolithic bullet would do in a similar instance. At the price of them, I'm not gonna find out either.
 
#11 ·
I load Rainier Ballistics Hollow points for my 45acp. They are lead free, dimensions are identical to my Jacketed Lead Hollow points and weigh the same 230 grains as well. I don't know what Core Metal they use but they expand properly an retain their mass better the Winchester 230 grain Hollow Points I also shoot. Rainier Ballistics only makes one rifle bullet now and that is a round nose FMJ for 30 Carbine, but they make a large variety of both FMJ and Hollow Point in handgun calibers. The ones I have loaded don't seem to suffer any more Jacket Damage than the Winchester or Herter's Jacketed Bullets do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: carver
#13 ·
The last time I perused their web page for Bullet information they described the bullets as lead free, but that has been over a year since then. This being the case anyTMJ bullet be Lead free on the surface unless they use a non lead core then they would be truly lead free.
 
  • Like
Reactions: carver
#14 ·
Here in Utopia, lead bullets are banned for hunting effective July 1 2019. I have been experimenting with Barnes TSX. I've loaded and shot about 200 in 30-06 and .308. I've tried 150, 165 and 180 grain TSXs so far.

My Weatherby Accumark 30-06 routinely puts either 165 or 180 grain Sierra Gamekings into sub-moa groups if I do my job, and I've shot a couple of half inch groups with the 165s. This rifle isn't picky, I've loaded a number of bullets/powders that shot at or near moa. So far the best group I've shot with the Barnes bullets is 1.3" I can hit a deer with that but it isn't what I'm used to. My Kimber .308 is similar. It is capable of shooting 3 Sierra 165s into one big ragged hole, but I have yet to crack 1" with the Barnes stuff. I'm still trying powder/primer combinations hoping to squeeze a bit more accuracy out of both rifles. I also bought some Hornaday GMXs to try but haven't loaded any yet.

I have read that some copper bullets will foul barrels really fast. I clean my rifles pretty thoroughly (I know, that's another thread) but I haven't noticed any increase in copper fouling.

Oh yeah, they're expensive too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: carver
#15 ·
All I "know" is that Rainier calls them lead safe because they are completely plated in copper.
That is why the dimension are about the same as jacketed bullets.
Tungsten is both dense and extremely hard and can never be a monolithic bullet. Would need to have a copper thick enough so the lands never contact the tungsten.
 
#16 ·
I don't buy the Rainier FMJ bullets, I get the Hollow Points and you can see the core metal looking into the hollow point cavity. this is the bullet in my SD pistol, so when I shoot the BG I guess I have to apologize to him for giving him Lead Poisoning
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top