From January 1, 2008, it will not be possible to sell hunting and sporting ammunition, containing lead, meaning with bullets containing lead cores.
We could load bullets of any kind of material, but we feel that there is no good substitute for lead as of today, and that metallic lead does not cause any environmental problems. The latter opinion is also shared by Björn Gillberg and Ulf Qvarfort, among others.
The present, existing â€alternatives†are nearly all based on copper. The copper is toxic and being as hard as it is, the copper bullet only expands acceptably at a very high velocity. You could load these bullets in a 7 mm Rem Mag or a 300 Win Mag, but hardly in any of the slower European calibers. If the velocity at impact is not high enough, the bullet does not expand, but goes right through, like a full metal jacket. The consequences are long escapes, tracking and unnecessary suffering for the wounded animal.
Therefore, we fully comply with the official letters of the SVA* and the Swedish Hunting Association to the Swedish Government, in which both organizations express their opinion of postponing the lead ban to a time when reasonable alternatives exist.
To be able to continue hunting at all, it must be guaranteed that the killing of the animal is done in an ethical way. Therefore we need to keep the lead – at least for the time being!
PS At hunts for roe deer, moose and wild boar , 6 tons of lead is used every year - at practise and sporting, another 50 tons.
PPS Attemps that the American Army have made, using bullet cores of nickel and tungsten, have been terminated, since this material turned out to be carcinogen.
If they are serious about the lead ban and wont budge on it, then the anti-hunters get in on the act with the whole wounding thing, hunting could be banned....
Posts: 735 | Location: New Zealand | Registered: 17 August 2006
