Yo Swedes,

Is it true that lead bullets (including bullets with lead cores) will be outlawed in Sweden in 2007??? Some of you seem to have hinted at this in the past, but I only realized how real this was, when reading about an impending ban in my German hunting magazine. So what gives, is this story for real (sad days!)??

If it is true, how are you all intending to cope with the ban?? Shoot Barnes X and other mono-metal bullets, I suppose?? But which ones, and are there problems associated with this (like steel shot can't be used in certain older shotguns)??

- mike

Hello Mike,
right now the situation is as follows.

Yes, all bullets with lead in any form will be prohibited starting from 2008.

But, there has been a lot of signals lately that our politicians wants to look into this issue again, as there's no scientific arguments supporting a ban for leadbullets.

Here in Sweden very few people does actually belivie that there will be a ban, but right now the leadban on all ammunition will be active from 2008.

Regards
Henrik

I'll bet the Swedish lumermills will be happy chopping trough solids instead of soft lead bullets in the logs!

quote:

Here in Sweden very few people does actually belivie that there will be a ban,

Most people here in Norway didn't think so either when it came to our ban on lead shot for shotguns (everywhere, not just for wetlands). Alas, the stupid politicians went ahead and did it. In retrospect, people should have made a much bigger thing out of this back when we had the chance. Now it's too late.

I suggest you Swedes put up a serious fight, so you don't end up like we did over here. Not to mention that if lead cored rifles bullets are banned over in Sweden, our country will be dumb enough to follow the same silly road...

Yes, it is sad but true that there are "do-good" politicians everywhere. There are signs of lead bullets also becoming an issue in some of the Central European countries - Germany for one.
- mike

Well, if they ban lead bullets, what can you use to replace .22 long rifle or any .22 rim fire? Or in the case of Cowboy Action Shooting?

There is an attempt to do the same thing here in Kalifornia because lead is blamed for the demise of a few condors. Of course, no one is suggesting that anti-freeze be banned and that has killed more of the dumb birds than lead.

What is the problem? Are the lead bullets in mooses hurting the poor mooses?

The worst thing about this is if it gets in one crackpot country, it spreads via fuckwit politicians to every other country. Even with no scientific evidence to support it. Lead shot was banned in Australia merely because it was supposedly a problem in some US lakes. No scientific study was ever done here.

I think if this goes ahead I will be stockpiling Woodleigh bullets for all sorts of double rifles.

quote:

The worst thing about this is if it gets in one crackpot country, it spreads via fuckwit politicians to every other country.

Thats a fact.

Here is Norma's press release:-

The Lead Ban of January 1, 2008

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.

quote:

Originally posted by 1894mk2:
Here is Norma's press release:-

The Lead Ban of January 1, 2008

From January 1, 2008, it will not be possible to sell hunting and sporting ammunition, containing lead, meaning with bullets containing lead cores.

Thanks for posting that 1894. I wonder if the above statement can be taken to mean: even after 2008, it will still be legal to USEexisting stocks of lead bullets for hunting?? (As opposed to: sell lead based hunting bullets). But I guess not... At least that would allow people who bought supplies in time a respite until they had to deal with the new insanity.

I happen to like the Barnes (TS)X bullets very much, but as Norma correctly pointed out in their press release, these bullets do work best at higher velocities. Although Norma paints it a bit black and white, there could well be a problem in older and more sedate calibers.

- mike

Coming from a nation that got it's start from a rebellion and living in a section of that country that fought and lost a civil war, I wonder why the rational citizens of Sweden just doen't tell the politicians and government to stuff this silly law?
Jim

Hello Gents,
as I said before the present situation is that our politicians have started to "look into the matter" again and one of the main reasons is that there have been a lot of protests regarding this decision.
At the moment the politician in charge has ordered a new revision of the ban since there's no scientific evidence that lead in the form of leadcore bullets pose any threat to the environment.
The present situation is that all the different government agencies has said that they don't see any reason for this ban.

So, to sum it up. I don't think that we will get a ban for lead in rifleammunition.

BUT, there will be a ban for lead in shotguns. The difference is that there are "good" alternatives to lead for shotgun pellets.

Regards,
Henrik

The thing is that all this lead banning crap is just media hype and political spin...

The amount of lead that is from shooting sports is minute compaired to all the lead from other parts of society such as batteries, various industies, cars etc. The problem is that shooting and hunting is an easy target for the uninformed urban public who think shooting and hunting is evil. They are brainwashed into thinking that if we ban lead from shotguns and rifles, we'll be making a major contribution to "cleaning up nature"... Then they can go on with their petty lives thinking that all is better now.

Little do they know that lead from shooting is only a negligible amount, and of no real importance.

quote:

Norma: .... 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. ....

"Postponing" Why? If there isn;t actually a real problem, fight that there is no need in the first place.

quote:

At the moment the politician in charge has ordered a new revision of the ban since there's no scientific evidence that lead in the form of leadcore bullets pose any threat to the environment.

Exactly - NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE !

quote:

The thing is that all this lead banning crap is just media hype and political spin...
.......

The problem is that shooting and hunting is an easy target for the uninformed urban public who think shooting and hunting is evil. They are brainwashed into thinking that if we ban lead from shotguns and rifles, we'll be making a major contribution to "cleaning up nature"... Then they can go on with their petty lives thinking that all is better now.

I think a lot of these moves have nothing to do with the environment. They are merely attempts and strategies to make it harder and harder for shooting and hunting to be undertaken ie the filmsy excuses and no scientific evidence are so obvious.

And each time they success with new restriction another activity is removed or more hunters and shooters disappear weakening our cause.

Why not be pro-active instead and shooters insist on all lead batteries in household appliances, cars, planes, trucks etc and other uses such as roofing materials, wheel weights etc be banned by 2008?

Nitrox.
I beg to differ to one of your statments.
Otherwise I agree with 100 %

I belive that for the majority of those left wing environment activists, they really mean it seriously when they talk about lead poisining of the nature. Sadly but true, they tend to forget ( by intention, by ignorance or by plain stupidity) the fact that led is plentifull in the nature as one of the numerous basic elements.

During the "led shot ban discussion" here in Norway, it was obvous that they where so brainwashed about led poisioning of the nature, that all common sense argument fell to the ground. Ref. what Eric D says.

I never got the impression that indirectly "sabotating" the hunters was a part of their plan, but I could be wrong.

The politicicans on the other hand, bougth the arguments about led poisioning of nature, and today, led shots are banned in Norway.

The politicians and buraucrates also have a tendency to adapt to the EU Regulations more willingly that the EU countries themselfs.
And Sweden, as our "big brother", have always been a leading light for those peoples ( for good or for bad).

I´m sure of the fact, that if EU or Sweden start the run toward banning led bullets, Norway is apt to jump in the wagon.
The issue is led poisoning, not what effect such a ban will have on effectively and humanly killing game as mention above by Norma.

So my Swedish brothers in Arms, be alert and fight down any attempt to ban led bullets, and we must do whatever we can on our side of the border.

( Thinking about not be able to fire thouse magnificent 250 gr Woodleighs in my 35 Whelen, make me shudder )

I can guarantee you one thing. If the day comes when our dumbass politicians ban lead bullets in Norway, a lot of hunters will make sure they have a lifetime supply before the last legal day comes!

And then I seriously doubt that such a rule would be possible for the government to enforce anyway. But it wouldn't suprise me if they go ahead anyway and ban lead bullets just to please some urbanized leftwing monkeys...