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Lead free ammo?

1 by UncleJon
Any of you folks have experience shooting “lead free” ammo out of autos? I’m talking total metal jacket lead rounds or non-lead bullets with lead free primers. I have previously used Winchester Winclean 38 special and it worked fine and ran clean but it’s normal bullet weight and revolvers generally eat everything fine. For 9mm what I mostly see available is American Eagle 70 grain. I always shoot 22lr at the range in addition to center fire so I know I’m covered in lead and act accordingly afterwards but it’s nice to reduce your exposure somewhat.

Re: Lead free ammo?

4 by CDFingers
Lead-free ammo in most states is sold as "frangible" ammo, and it's made out of resin and copper powder. In California we require non lead bullets for hunting, so there are lots of copper and bismuth rounds available at high cost. It's even hard to get copper bullets for my .45LC.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eye Jack

Re: Lead free ammo?

5 by BearPaws
I have a local vendor where I can get 9mm Federal Ballisticlean Lead-free frangible stuff. He advertises on GunJoker periodically, too. Bullet weight is 100gr.

The box indicates that it's supposed to be sold only to law encroachment people, but we know how that works. Your state laws may vary, and all that.

I think it runs in the fifty- to sixty- CPR range.
Eventually I'll figure out this signature thing and decide what I want to put here.

Re: Lead free ammo?

7 by UncleJon
It’s hard to find lists online of all lead free ammo but my Google and Gunbroker searching are turning up a lot. I am making a list and will report back. Am also looking into reports that lead free primers also contain toxic metals. I am going to have my lead level checked out of curiosity, if it’s high I’ll probably only shoot outdoors going forward.

Re: Lead free ammo?

8 by UncleJon
Okay so I’m going way down the internet rabbit hole. There has been a lot of lead free innovation going on since I last looked into this. Rather than making one huge long post on all of my findings I will make numerous posts featuring the ammo types that appeal to me the most and then I will post again if/when I purchase and test these rounds.
First up, the one that people said couldn’t be done, 22lr, you read that right. What is actually in these primers? I have no idea. It was designed for rifles and I’m reading that it does not run well in semi-auto pistols but lighter recoil springs may help, who knows.

Norma Ecospeed 22lr

Solid
https://normashooting.com/shop/caliber/ ... ee-qty-50/

Fragmenting Hollow Point
https://normashooting.com/shop/caliber/ ... ee-qty-50/
Last edited by UncleJon on Fri Dec 31, 2021 7:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Lead free ammo?

9 by UncleJon
wings wrote: Tue Dec 28, 2021 6:46 pm Haven't seen copper rounds in .22LR since the start of the pandemic. I didn't care for it - not terribly accurate out of my MkIV, and not heavy enough to cycle properly. No idea about centerfire, haven't seen any the past year.
I think I tried some of this in my Ruger SR22 pistol but it was a few years ago and I don’t remember if it cycled okay or not. Non-lead bullet but traditional lead primer. Said to not be accurate out of rifles past 50 yards.

Re: Lead free ammo?

10 by UncleJon
Federal Syntech coated hard lead alloy bullet with their new Catalyst lead-free primers, available in target AND segmenting hollow point. 9mm, 40s&w, and 45acp only for now. “Non-hygroscopic”(not readily taking up and retaining moisture).

https://www.federalpremium.com/handgun/syntech/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dma2-rK2UYo

https://www.outdoorlife.com/cartridge-p ... elopments/
Last edited by UncleJon on Fri Dec 31, 2021 7:54 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Lead free ammo?

11 by UncleJon
Fiochhi Blue Guardian lead-free primer hollow point fragmenting 380, 9, 40, and 45. HP only, no cheaper solids for practice apparently. Pressed and heated copper and tin bullet, is simply drilled so on impact with bad guy most of it blows apart and only the base portion penetrates deep. Will completely break apart when impacting anything “as hard as itself” or harder. I wish that all the maniacs shooting at each other(and generally missing) over macho bs, drugs, gang stuff, etc used this ammo instead of FMJ and regular HP.
I haven’t been able to find out what these primers are made out of. Available for reloading.

https://fiocchiusa.com/centerfire-pistol/blue-guardian/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A48OisynBNM
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Re: Lead free ammo?

13 by UncleJon
BearPaws wrote: Tue Dec 28, 2021 3:56 pm I have a local vendor where I can get 9mm Federal Ballisticlean Lead-free frangible stuff. He advertises on GunJoker periodically, too. Bullet weight is 100gr.

The box indicates that it's supposed to be sold only to law encroachment people, but we know how that works. Your state laws may vary, and all that.

I think it runs in the fifty- to sixty- CPR range.
Looks like this is also available in 40, 45, 12 gauge, and some rifle calibers although I’m focusing on handgun ammo. “Catalyst” lead-free primers.
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Re: Lead free ammo?

15 by UncleJon
I’m going to leave it there for now but there are some other options. Federal seems to be (de) leading the charge wah wah. I hope to see more calibers available in the future.

Edit: Winchester is also making a variety of lead free primer ammo but most of it is marketed for police use and harder to get.

Production of 38 special looks to have possibly stopped, I’m guessing because semi-auto calibers sell much better and companies want to focus on that. I did find some available here and there when Google searching however.

Re: Lead free ammo?

17 by wings
UncleJon wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 10:57 am
wings wrote: Tue Dec 28, 2021 6:46 pm Haven't seen copper rounds in .22LR since the start of the pandemic. I didn't care for it - not terribly accurate out of my MkIV, and not heavy enough to cycle properly. No idea about centerfire, haven't seen any the past year.
I think I tried some of this in my Ruger SR22 pistol but it was a few years ago and I don’t remember if it cycled okay or not. Non-lead bullet but traditional lead primer. Said to not be accurate out of rifles past 50 yards.
The problem was reportedly the subsonic transition - light bullet, lots of buffeting crossing the transonic shock wave.

Re: Lead free ammo?

19 by UncleJon
BearPaws wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 7:00 pm Happened on this video in my YouTube feed, and am wondering if there was some algorithm at work.

This is showing what Frangible rounds do against steel plates, and most of what self-defense rounds hit would not qualify as steel plates, but the video is kind of cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAH5XF3mnIk
Very cool to see in slow motion.
I saw one video where they were shooting at a car and it generally penetrated the outer steel body panels intact, some bullets actually went through 2 doors but had broken up somewhat. They probably rip through drywall like butter but will powder instead of ricochet off thicker steel and concrete. I assume that traditional HPs are more effective than frangible HPs because the bullet expands and stays together as it penetrates vs just the base penetrating deep but frangible rounds definitely seem safer for the community unless you consider the possibility that it may take more rounds to stop BG who also may have more time to be shooting you and or others, missing a lot and endangering the community more. Complex.

Re: Lead free ammo?

22 by INVICTVS138
UncleJon wrote:Got my blood lead test results back today, 2.0 ug/dL. That is a relief but it’s hundreds or thousands of times higher than preindustrial levels. I hope more options come to market for 22lr soon.
0-2 is considered normal. Generally, you have to ingest lead to get to really high levels. My adopted daughter was over 75 ug/dL; at one point before going into foster care. She’s down to 6 now after 5 years living with us (came to us at 12.5 ug/Dl.) Per her lead Dr., It can take decades to express out of your bone marrow.

High lead toxicity is no joke. She has many mental health issues & aggression, and is subject to many risk factors.

However, I do cast and load and shoot lead bullets. Just wear gloves and PPE, wash hand and I do not have her near the equipment at all. As long you use basic safety precautions you are fine.


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Re: Lead free ammo?

24 by UncleJon
INVICTVS138 wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 11:47 am
UncleJon wrote:Got my blood lead test results back today, 2.0 ug/dL. That is a relief but it’s hundreds or thousands of times higher than preindustrial levels. I hope more options come to market for 22lr soon.
0-2 is considered normal. Generally, you have to ingest lead to get to really high levels. My adopted daughter was over 75 ug/dL; at one point before going into foster care. She’s down to 6 now after 5 years living with us (came to us at 12.5 ug/Dl.) Per her lead Dr., It can take decades to express out of your bone marrow.

High lead toxicity is no joke. She has many mental health issues & aggression, and is subject to many risk factors.

However, I do cast and load and shoot lead bullets. Just wear gloves and PPE, wash hand and I do not have her near the equipment at all. As long you use basic safety precautions you are fine.


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I am glad your daughter’s lead level is going down.
I have always had a crappy memory, am bad with names, etc so I am going to be overly cautious about lead exposure with the hope that my level will go down instead of up. Waiting for covid to chill out before I test that 22lr ammo to see if it will function in my pistols but it probably won’t. Am going to limit my trips to indoor ranges and shoot outdoors more spring through fall.

Re: Lead free ammo?

25 by Eris
At the beginning of 2020 my lead level was 13. Only exposure was going to an indoor range 1+ times a week for a year, so I cut way back on my range trips, and then Covid hit and killed them off entirely. Maybe I should get checked again now.
109+ recreational uses of firearms
1 defensive use
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