Lead free bullets

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janesy
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Lead free bullets

Post by janesy »

Who uses lead free bullets? Or has anyone experimented with them with good or bad results?

I've been playing with the idea of Nosler E-tips in my 7mm-08. Loading is slightly different for the Etips due the length of the gilded metal and extra length, but they say the extra pressure makes the same speed with 2 grains less powder.

Let's keep this one about the bullets shall we? We all know about California.
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AJ01
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by AJ01 »

Barnes LXR for the 7mm-08. 139 grains with a SD of .246 and a BC of .470. :thumbup:
The 7mm-08 is a great round!!!! My favorite for Pronghorn.

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janesy
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by janesy »

AJ01 wrote:
Sun Mar 01, 2020 12:49 pm
Barnes LXR for the 7mm-08. 139 grains with a SD of .246 and a BC of .470. :thumbup:
The 7mm-08 is a great round!!!! My favorite for Pronghorn.

AJ
I like the 7mm-08. I currently have it loaded with 140 partitions for Deer/Moose (along with some other calibers.) I have no terminal experience with it yet. But I'm confident in the partition and it shoots well at the ranges I have set as limits. I passed on a moose last fall because the shot wasn't perfect, so as some may feel it's underfunded(altho an entire population of dead moose in Europe would disagree) I am comfortable limiting myself.

Which is why I'm looking at E-tips and non lead. The partition opens up consistently at slower speeds than the non leads, which has got me researching
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by Bcxbow »

Barnes 168gr TTSX from 300wsm, 68gr of RL-17 powder. Great accuracy and phenomenal stopping power.
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by grouse »

I plan to try non lead ammo this year, but I don't re-load. Any suggestions on factory loads for a .270 and a 6.5 creedmoor?
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by IronNoggin »

Tried them. Won't use them personally.

My Outfitter Buddy in Alberta tells each client not to even think of running these, or book with a different outfitter.
I personally saw why when guiding for him.
Too many lost bucks / bulls, and often those recovered with multiple hits had "pencil hole" through and through wounds.

I'll stick with my Partitions thanks. Foolproof.

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janesy
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by janesy »

IronNoggin wrote:
Sun Mar 01, 2020 4:17 pm
Tried them. Won't use them personally.

My Outfitter Buddy in Alberta tells each client not to even think of running these, or book with a different outfitter.
I personally saw why when guiding for him.
Too many lost bucks / bulls, and often those recovered with multiple hits had "pencil hole" through and through wounds.

I'll stick with my Partitions thanks. Foolproof.

Cheers,
Nog
That was my thinking too Matt, until I read up on the velocity/impact charts and although they are not nearly as forgiving as a partition, they are still well withing speed required for a bullet to open at the distances I'd be shooting.
I also am taking into account the 7mm-08 isn't breaking any speed records. I'll probably try some, love them and then bail and go partition again in October. Of just bring a Whelen and not think about it
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by Smong2000 »

I have been using Barnes 120 grain TTX in my 7-08. They shoot exactly the same as my 120 grain Ballistic Tips with both Varget and TAC powders, sub MOA. Only have taken 3 bucks with them, all in the lungs and all bang-flops.
After seeing xrays of deer shot with high velocity lead core bullets I won't use them for anything I'm going to eat. Low velocity and hardcast lead are less concerning.
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by paulaboutform »

I fully believe Ironnoggin when he says that about Barnes bullets. However, I've used them for years out of my .300 Win. Mag with devastating results. I must add that I've always hit bone either going in or out. I personally love the Barnes bullets but I will defer to those with more experience than me.

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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by ihunt »

Smong2000 wrote:
Mon Mar 02, 2020 8:54 am
After seeing xrays of deer shot with high velocity lead core bullets I won't use them for anything I'm going to eat.
My thoughts exactly. I’ve switched to Nosler E-tips (270 win) 130gr and never had any regrets, a perfect placed bullet will bring anything down that is acceptable with caliber you’re using.
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by Hester0305 »

I used Berger 140 gr. bullets for several years out of my 7mm-08 and even though I had pretty good accuracy I had inconsistent blood trails while recovering deer, I found them all but some of the exit holes were pretty small compared to Nosler Ballistic Tips that I had been using for years. I switched back to the tried and true ballistic tips for my deer hunting. Good luck deciding.
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by Hi5 »

I have pretty much given up firearms hunting. It's so much easier to get drawn for an elk archery license than it is for a firearms license. I don't bother with deer anymore, so even though I could get a firearms deer license, I don't want one.

My first elk was shot with a .340 Wby using Barnes handloads. We tracked that sucker for a mile. Luckily there was fresh snow or he likely would have been magpie bait. Chest shot. Pencil hole. I heard that some of the production in that era had inconsistent heat treating. Some bullets were too hard to expand. That's a problem lead core bullets don't have.

On the theory that more would be better, I got a 378 Wby. If I continued using Barnes bullets, I thought that at worst, the pencil holes (if that happened again) would at least be bigger. I only shot one deer with it. The sensible thing would have been to stick with a lesser caliber and go to more reliable bullets.

Maybe Barnes now has better quality control.

Copper jacketed lead core bullets using smokeless powder have been in use for over a century. I haven't read or heard of any illness or death caused by meat contamination from lead bullets.
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by 8ptbuk »

I shoot Barnes TTSX 100gr. out of my 25-06 at 3400+ fps and they absolutely hammer everything they hit! They like a spotless barrel and high velocities.
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by Kegbelly »

I also like the Barnes Vor-Tx factory loads, I use 168 grains in my 308 bolt gun and 150 grainers in the AR10. They hit like a hammer and 95% of the deer I've shot since switching to them have dropped in their tracks. We can and do still use lead, I just like the ballistics and terminal performance of the copper bullets.
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Re: Lead free bullets

Post by longbow joe »

My brother and l have been loading the .357s with the lead polymer coated bullets ...not lead free but l am amazed by the accuracy of these especially in the python's.
I'm taking baby steps to lead free
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