Unleaded bullets?

[LKN4HOG]

I am not a reloader, I know I should, but really do not shoot enough. What is the latest on the lead ban in Kern country around the Tejon area or state wide. And, is there any over the counter factory loaded ammo ready yet? If so, by who and in what calibers. I am in question for .308, .35rem, .44 mag and 7-30 waters. It looks like I will need to make a few trips to the range with the new ammo?

 

[Speckmisser]

TSX are currently being loaded by Federal, and also by Black Hills (I believe). Some other ammo makers are probably also using these bullets.

Winchester and Nosler just announced the Winchester ETipT bullet. I'm on the line with Winchester waiting for more info, but in a nutshell it's going to initially be available only in the .30 cal loading (.308). No word yet on pricing, or when they'll start selling other calibers.

.44 mag, by the way, is available also from Barnes in the XPB bullets. I have some for reloading, but can't tell you anything yet about their performance (since I haven't had time to load any). I'm pretty sure they're also being factory loaded, but you'll have to look for them.

As far as status on the lead ban.. Tejon is for sure. Beginning the 2008 season they'll require ALL ammo to be unleaded. Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts are also announcing that they'll require lead-free bullets in all centerfire cartridges (no word on rimfires, shotshells, or muzzleloaders). This is still breaking news, so we'll see where it goes.

As far as statewide... I would almost (90%) put money on a ban on centerfire lead ammo beginning in the 2008-2009 season. I wouldn't rule out an emergency measure (lawsuit by the enviros) for 2007.

 

[Troggy92]

Looks like my Marlin 35rem hunting days are numbered in CA.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Call up Barnes and scream for them. Tell 'em you're going to call up Nosler to scream also, and the first one with the goods wins your bidness.

 

[augnmike]

The part of this that ruins Tejon for me and my kids is that rimfire rounds are included. My son's love shooting the .17 hmr for squirrels. I can't believe that there is anything left of a .17 cal bullet after it hits a squirrel anyway. Probably won't hold my breath for non-lead .17 hmr's.

 

[LKN4HOG]

R L, we call and scream but it appears that it falls on death ears. We here in the southern cal area are such a small portion of their overall operation, that it does not matter, for now. Once it goes state wide, and I am sure it will, other states will follow. Than the importance of this issue will come to surface.

Only coming out in 30 cal. factory loads make some sense since most are using 30 cal in the field. Unless you reload, the rest are a few months, years off. As for the .17HMR, dream on. But I do agree that there cant be much left once it hits its target.

I guess I have to start looking for factory loads and look into the expense of starting to load my own or have somebody load some for me. Either way, hunting will continue..

r

 

[Rancho Loco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LKN4HOG @ May 6 2007, 09:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

R L, we call and scream but it appears that it falls on death ears.[/b]

Huh?

Barnes already makes the TSX in .358, along with alot of other obscure calibers. They know what the ban means, and that it will mostly go nation wide in the next ten years. Get Ty on the horn and ride his ass for a flat nose .358 and everything else that matters to you, and then get to reloading. Send him a bottle of scotch, whatever, but just being quiet won't get your favorite caliber for sale.

 

[Speckmisser]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Only coming out in 30 cal. factory loads make some sense since most are using 30 cal in the field. Unless you reload, the rest are a few months, years off. As for the .17HMR, dream on. But I do agree that there cant be much left once it hits its target.[/b]

Winchester's initial release in 30 cal is only an initial release. They want to get in on the market, and 30 cal is the best entry for that purpose. You can bet they'll have more calibers coming out as soon as they decide if this one is going to work out.

I'd also count on seeing more entries.

I agree though, about the rimfire ammo. There have been some efforts, but the trick has been finding something economical that is also sufficient for rimfire hunting applications. There is already some "green" rimfire ammo out there, but it's designed for short-range, indoor match shooting.

Fortunately, so far only Tejon is banning lead rimfire. The military bases and state lawmakers are only talking about centerfire ammo at this point.

 

[mudroller]

I went to the March and April Fish and Game Commision meetings here in Northern California. The save the condor crowd is really screaming to ban lead bullets, they have sued the state over this issue. The California Rifle and Pistol Assoc. stands up for us each time! You should all be a member or send them some money!
My take on what seems to be the D&G Comm. position is not "if" they will ban lead centerfire bullets, but will it involve the whole state or Southern A zone, and most d zones. Tejon Ranch screwed all of us hunter by pre-emptively banning lead bullets, I'm sure they were trying to head off a lawsuit , but it just gave the anti's more ammo to beat us with.

Check into Barnes X bullets, they are all copper.

 

[Widux]

Sounds like Californicate-Just hope the greenies and antis in the USA don't hear about this- Bullets without lead sounds like sex with out women but then that happens some places EH?

 

[Speckmisser]

Yepp, it's just California... nobody else in the world is realizing the hazards of lead in the environment, or pushing to get it out.

Not even in the hyper-enlightened state of Wisconsin. Oh, wait, what's this?

It's not just CA, it's not just hunting, and it has very little to do with the doomed condors. It's not an anti-hunting or anti-gun, or even anti-fishing campaign. It's some people who are recognizing the increasing evidence that lead is having pretty detrimental effects throughout the foodchain...including on humans.

But, if you want to do like the hunters in CA have done, sit on your butts and gripe and pass blame and not take an organized stance to get laws passed that make sense, then you're going to find yourselves in the same boat. It may be too late for the hunters in CA to direct the legislation and ease the pain. Time will tell. A lead ban is the right way to go, but it needs to be phased and it needs the support of the people most directly impacted. But if the people who are being impacted don't get pro-active, then they'll have to live with the outcome.

Hunters (and fishermen) also need to get on the line with the equipment manufacturers and start singing out about lead alternatives. If the industry doesn't think there's a demand, they aren't going to meet it until law requires them to do so. That will cost the consumers more, and won't do the industry any favors either.

 

[Widux]

BWAAAA

 

[Speckmisser]

Well that was intelligent.

 

[beastslayer]

Lead, when ingested by humans, cause brain damage and learning disabilities.

I think that was what's displayed here.

 

[Zbearclaw]

Lead is some bad stuff, kids can get very sick just by touching raw lead and absorbing it thru their skin.

As soon as I became a father I started looking into what I could do to keep my kids healthy, first thing to go was casting and shooting lead bullets for my .45, they are dirt cheap, but the thought of one of my boys getting seriously sick because they picked up something on the hunting room floor was enough to change my stance on it.

I reckon cheeseheads are tougher than us Georgia boys.

 

[Widux]

ok guys-- i quit-have fun.

 

[beastslayer]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Widux @ May 15 2007, 10:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

ok guys-- i quit-have fun.[/b]

Don't go. We're just starting to have fun.

 

[larrysogla]

When LEAD paint was still legal nationwide, many painters exhibited symptoms of mild lead poisoning. They called it "painter's colic", as in upset stomach. Lead fumes in an UNVENTILATED lead melting room can cause lead poisoning. Also there were cases of lead poisoning from pitchers made from ceramics with glazed lead. The orange juice having citric acid would dissolve the lead in the glazed lead ceramic pitcher and poisoned the whole family using it, until the doctor treating them tracked it down to that glazed lead ceramic pitcher. I don't know if the imported ceramic pitchers are NON-lead glazed ceramics BUT I do not take any chances and I buy NON-ceramic pitchers for orange juice OR I make sure the ceramic pitcher is made by some reputable U.S. company like Corelle. The lead bullets left in the shooting ranges are known to leach into the ground water thru action of naturally occuring acid in the soil. It is now a continuing headache for some shooting ranges regarding this leaching of lead into the underground water table. Lead is extremely TOXIC and can cause MENTAL DISABLITIES in higher proportions per body weight. The children being of small body weight are MOST SUSCEPTIBLE to mental disabilities. I shoot Barnes X all copper bullets since 1998 and the penetration is DEADLY and the wound channel can be washed with a hose and a lot of meat can be saved because there are no microscopic lead fragments to worry about. 'Nuff said.

 

[BGH831]

I've been talking with Extremshockusa(or waiting to talk to) about expanding thier line also. Causes huge damage but drops game in tacks and with no lead to worry about might be a good solution. The whole lead ban is a bit of a joke anyway unless they are going to load th .22LR you are never going to get any of theese guys to follow it.

 

[spectr17]

I played ball with a guy named Cary who we called "Leadbottom". He ran so slow our coach cried at times. Thrown out the one time he tried to steal.