there are several European ammo manufacturers that make a frangible, non-lead, non-copper bullet for exactly the application that the Original question was posted about. RWS Evolution green is one, Norma Evostrike is another. They both have tin cores. Pretty sure there are more.

quote:

Originally posted by Longwalker:
there are several European ammo manufacturers that make a frangible, non-lead, non-copper bullet for exactly the application that the Original question was posted about. RWS Evolution green is one, Norma Evostrike is another. They both have tin cores. Pretty sure there are more.

Correct - also the likes of the Geco Zero. Some are single core, others are twin core. They have zinc cores as opposed to lead. Haven’t used them myself but hunting friends have. They cause a lot of damage to the animal - think soft lead type fragmentation. They undoubtedly kill quickly, and are made of much less toxic metals. But they still leave a huge of fragments- many too small small for the naked eye in both the meat and in gralloch which is usually left in the woods. And for human or animal / bird consumption rather swapping lead for zinc is just synaptic.

I would use for head shots, but to be honest I have found that both the peregrine and the fox designs expand well, give a good wound channel but retain 99% of their mass and leave a much cleaner carcass. And they are less expensive than the zinc cored options.

Some are misreading the OP's post, he said;
"Fast forward and I have just been told I have to go lead free. I don't want solid copper - I just don't."

Obviously it is a land owner requirement to go lead free and the OP's preference to not go solid copper.

I don't know what else the OP is expecting when basically all lead free bullets are either solid copper or brass. Why the stance on "I don't want solid copper - I just don't"?

He's prepared to ditch his 7mm-08 because the only bullets left he can use are copper as is the case for any other cartridge if going lead free.
Plenty of perfectly fine non-lead bullets available for the 7mm just close your eyes and pretend there is lead in them

Fill your bullet mold with water and put it in the freezer. Ice bullets would be environmentally friendly.

Sooo, the confusion clears and copper free is void, use a 40 gr monolithic bullet in a 220 swift at near 4000 fps and your prayers are answered, well almost, you will be looking at hambuger and blood shot carcass.. but no exit hole..try and break a shoulder or two......it will work.

We are getting many in the UK who keep saying never will they let copper tarnish their barrels.

But the debate is over. Lead is a known toxin, a huge and growing body of evidence to support this and the effects of both man and wildlife.

Lead is a technology from the middle ages. If you were designing a high velocity rifle today you would n’t start with a material that is very soft with a low melting point. Indeed a high velocity rifle cannot work with a pure lead bullet. With the birth of smaller bore high velocity rifles in the 1880’s they quickly found that lead bullets just vapourise and spin apart. So they started putting copper and steel jackets around the core to hold them together. Quite why they didn’t ditch the lead core completely and just start with a pure copper bullet is lost in the mist of time. Modern monolithics are accurate and work well. But as always you need to put them in the right place.

As for headshots, well use a light for calibre expanding copper bullet such as Fox or Barnes TSX and deer drop very quickly. Over the years I shot plenty of red deer in the head with lead bullets - everything from 22 centrefire varmint bullet up to 308 150gn. They pretty much all exited or blew the top of the head off.

If the landowner or legislators insist on lead free ammunition, or prohibit certain calibres, types of weapon etc. you really only have three choices 1) comply 2) go and hunt elsewhere or 3) stop hunting and take up golf or needlework.

We will have to use leadfree bullets in a couple of years here in Sweden/most of europe. The 308 and other medium calibers will go fine but I dont know how rimfire cartridges will work (developed in the 1850s). Just bought some leadfree 12g with birdshot made of an unknown guilding metal.