Is lead‐free .22 long rifle ammunition worth a shot?

McTee, Michael; Ramsey, Philip W.

doi:10.1002/wsb.1255

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Indeed, unpublished research in the UK has found that there is no difference in the depth of penetration of 3.2 mm steel and 2.6 mm lead shotgun pellets in 10% ballistics gelatin covered in animal skin/feathers as a result of the soft lead pellets dragging feathers into the wound channel and retarding penetration (Champion 2021). There remain concerns over the effectiveness of nonlead ammunition for smaller caliber (rimfire) rifles, but there are an increasing number of alternatives which appear to offer satisfactory performance (Hampton et al 2020, McTee and Ramsey 2022).…”

Section: Constraints To Progressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efforts to ban lead ammunition: a comparison between Europe and the United States

Ellis

Miller

2023

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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The human health impacts of lead have been known for millennia but the environmental impacts of lead ammunition have only received attention during the past 100 years. To a large extent the United States provided leadership in identifying and researching these effects and then spearheading campaigns to transition away from lead shotgun ammunition for waterfowl hunting. However, the appetite for further federal transition has largely stalled in the U.S. except for apparently limited action linked to individual states, charismatic species, and specific sites. Europe, on the other hand, though generally rather late to the table with regard to lead shotgun ammunition and waterfowl hunting, is now pushing ahead with several initiatives that are likely to see substantial partial, if not total, restrictions on the use of all lead ammunition (for shotguns and rifles) within 5 to 10 years. We discuss the policy drivers behind these moves, summarize the key attitudes and perceived constraints to transition, and provide (cautious) timetables and limited recommendations for future changes.

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Section: Constraints To Progressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efforts to ban lead ammunition: a comparison between Europe and the United States

Ellis

Miller

2023

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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“…This lack of research is a direct consequence of the fact that there are not many types of lead-free 22lr cartridges available. Two examples of evaluations are the article from McTee and Ramsey, 12 which gives a short comparison of one lead-free 22lr cartridge with a number of leadbased cartridges evaluated in hunting rifles, and Hampton et al, 7 where the hunting performance of the same type of lead-free ammunition is evaluated. Most ammunition reviews are, however, given in popular science magazines or as video reviews on YouTube.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lead-free 22lr ammunition for sport shooting: A simple implementation or a huge challenge?

Marklund,

Pettersson

2024

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P:

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In Europe it is approximated that around six million people are active in sport shooting. Currently, most bullets are manufactured out of lead which in many cases is combined with a copper jacket. There are several reasons for using lead; lead is relatively cheap, soft, and has a high density, and is therefore often the ideal material for bullets. Currently, the EU is seeking a restriction or ban on the use of lead in firearm bullets, with the main motivation that hunting with lead bullets might result in lead poisoning of both animals and people. The proposed lead ban will also have a major impact on sport shooting, as it is likely to be subjected to the same regulations. One caliber that has been shown to be very difficult to produce as a lead-free alternative is 22lr (long rifle), which today is the most common caliber for sport shooting in many disciplines. Today, there are not many scientific investigations available which show the performance of lead versus lead-free ammunition in caliber 22lr, even though it would make sense to investigate the possibilities of designing lead-free ammunition before a possible lead ban is further discussed. In this work the performance of two common lead-free 22lr-cartridges is evaluated and shown in comparison with existing lead-based ammunition, with a primary focus on sport shooting. Performance has been evaluated under both summer and winter conditions to cover different sports shooting disciplines. The results of this study clearly show the difficulty of finding lead-free 22lr cartridges with acceptable performance on the market today. In fact, the performance of the tested lead-free ammunition is so poor that the EU’s proposed lead ban could completely ruin shooting as a sport due to a lack of functioning ammunition.

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Weight retention and expansion of popular lead-based and lead-free hunting bullets

McTee,

Parish,

Jourdonnais

et al. 2023

Science of The Total Environment

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Is lead‐free .22 long rifle ammunition worth a shot?

Cited by 5 publications

References 19 publications

Efforts to ban lead ammunition: a comparison between Europe and the United States

Efforts to ban lead ammunition: a comparison between Europe and the United States

Lead-free 22lr ammunition for sport shooting: A simple implementation or a huge challenge?

Weight retention and expansion of popular lead-based and lead-free hunting bullets

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