All About Lead-Free Ammo
Hey all, we here at True Shot Academy are going to go over lead-free
ammo today. Lead-free
ammo offerings tend to be pretty common nowadays and can be found in a variety of forms. Our goal with this blog post is to provide a brief overview of lead-free
ammo while delving into traits, features, use cases, types, and more. Without further ado, let’s talk all about lead-free
ammo.
What is Lead-Free Ammo?
Simply put, lead-free
ammo refers to loaded
ammunition which does not contain lead. This classification is generally made in reference to the material of the projectile as most standard projectiles are lead. Common materials which are used in place of lead in
ammunition are typically going to be copper, steel, or tungsten. At this point in time, lead-free
ammunition is utilized for many purposes. Lead-free
ammunition can be found in the form of loadings designed for training, practice, self-defense, and hunting use cases.
Steel projectile
ammunition in this case is different than steel core
ammo which is common with calibers like
7.62x39. Steel core
ammo refers to lead projectiles with steel cores while steel
ammunition in this case will refer to projectiles which are entirely made from steel. Steel projectiles are most commonly found in shotgun loadings, specifically in the form of hunting loadings for winged game. For example,
ammo intended for waterfowl hunting will be of the lead-free variety as it there is a federal ban on using lead
ammo when pursuing this game. All in all, lead-free
ammunition simply lacks lead projectiles.
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Particularly Useful for Hunters
Lead-free
ammunition of the centerfire and shotgun variety are particularly useful for hunters. There are many areas, such as all of California, which prohibit the use of lead
ammunition. As mentioned above, there are federal restrictions on hunting waterfowl with lead
ammo, requiring the use of lead-free
ammo. Shotgun hunters are not the only ones who can benefit from lead-free
ammunition, as a variety of popular pistol and rifle hunting cartridges are also available in the form of lead-free
ammo.
If one were to be caught with lead
ammunition in a restricted hunting area, they would be subjected to penalties, fines, and other repercussions. Of course, one should be sure of the specific and exact restrictions they must consider in their area. With lead-free
ammo, one can ensure they stay in compliance with these types of restrictions. Additionally, many lead-free
hunting ammo offerings represent premium loadings which are optimized for hunting use. As such, many hunters outside of restrictive areas will still utilize lead-free
ammo to benefit from the optimized loading.
Frangible Ammo
Frangible ammunition is also notably going to be of the lead-free variety. Frangible
ammo is different from traditional
ammunition due to the fact that projectiles fragment and essentially disintegrate when they impact something hard. Rather than being composed of lead, frangible projectiles typically consist of a mixture of powdered metals. Common powdered metals utilized for frangible projectiles include tin, copper, zinc, or tungsten.
Typically, frangible
ammunition will have lighter grain weights than their traditional counterparts. For example, frangible
9mm Luger ammunition can feature a 94 grain projectile while typical
9mm Luger loads can feature 115 grain projectiles. Frangible
ammunition can be found in a variety of popular rifle and pistol calibers, particularly those commonly associated with duty use. Simply put, frangible loadings are lead-free
ammo offerings which are well-suited to training purposes, especially when steel targets are utilized.
Is Lead Free Ammo Corrosive?
Generally speaking, lead-free
ammunition offerings will not be of the corrosive variety. In fact, with the exception of general-purpose frangible loadings, lead-free offerings tend to be premium
ammo offerings. An overwhelming majority of the lead-free centerfire pistol and rifle loadings utilize non-corrosive Boxer primers. In this day and age, one will be hard pressed to find a lead-free
ammo offering which is corrosive in nature. This means that corrosion is hardly on the mind of those who shoot lead-free
ammo.
Is Lead-Free Ammo Reloadable?
As mentioned above, an overwhelming majority of the centerfire pistol and rifle lead-free
ammo offerings feature Boxer primers. The presence of Boxer primers makes the reloading process easier as these types of primers utilize consistent sizing. This makes Boxer primers easier to swap out than those of the Berdan variety due to their inconsistent sizing.
Additionally, most centerfire lead-free
ammo offerings will feature brass casings. Brass casings are much easier to work with when reloading than steel casings. Brass is a more malleable material and is not nearly as hard on reloading tools as steel is.
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Who Makes Lead-Free Ammo?
Presently, many companies produce lead-free
ammunition. These companies include
Hornady,
Barnes,
Norma,
Federal, and
Winchester to name a few. As far as rifle and pistol loadings go, one can encounter lead-free offerings for mainstay calibers such as
9mm,
.45 ACP,
.223, and
5.56 to name a few. Additionally, there are a variety of rifle calibers which are supported by lead-free
ammunition offerings. These loadings can be found for calibers such as
.30-06 Springfield,
.45-70 Government,
.300 Winchester Magnum, and
.270 Winchester to name a few.
Many specialized and premium loadings will be of the lead-free variety. For example,
Hornady’s LEVERevolution loadings featuring the company’s MonoFlex bullet are lead-free. Additionally, these unique loadings feature pointed tips which afford additional velocities previously unachievable in lever action rifles. Another example is the
HoneyBadger ammunition line produced by
Black Hills Ammunition. These are high quality defensive and subsonic
ammo offerings which feature copper projectiles.
Conclusion
All in all, lead-free
ammunition has certainly owned its place in the shooting world. Whether it is used by hunters and shooters to comply with lead restrictions or used in the form of a specialty loading, lead-free
ammo is viable. Regardless of whether you are training, hunting, plinking, or competing, lead-free
ammunition will serve you well. We here at True Shot Ammo have a wide range of
ammunition for sale. Whether you want to
buy ammo of the lead-free variety or are after something else, we have got you covered. As always, happy shooting.
Need bulk ammo? At True Shot Ammo, we have a wide variety of handgun ammo and rifle ammo available to purchase. Please visit our website trueshotammo.com, call us at (888) 736-6587, or you can email us at sales@trueshotammo.com for more ammo options.
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