I am concerned about lead and EPA tree huggers in the future. Lead is a EPA controlled substance. As an EPA substance ANYONE can start a legal action for lead contamination and EPA will get involved.

My research says many old preserves are going to all steel shot so they are not faced with lead reclamation issues in the future. Lots of clays and skeet ranges are going to all steel shot.

Comments Please about becoming an all steel shot range?

Not on my GAS list.

not happening around here.

Bill what is your GAS list.

I understand the resistance and what about the facts.

Clubs all over California, the eastern and northern areas and Florida are going steel shot only.

A bunch up in Nebraska were all steel a few years back when I was there. A lot of the farmers will let you pheasant and dove hunt if you agree to no lead. I always have both on hand just in case. The lease I was on in Colorado when I was stationed there the owner required everything to be lead free... where I found out about Barnes TSX and the bismuth-tin to start with.

Figure what will happen is they will start taxing lead more and more and it will be cheaper to shoot all steel or bismuth/tin (loads like lead and is similar and cheaper in some places).

meh....as few shots as I've taken in the past few seasons who cares. There are non-toxic alternatives that perform like lead. Yeah they are more expensive but I dont think it matters...compared to the other costs associated with hunting, ammo is a drop in the bucket.

having said that, the people trying to foist lead ammo bans on all of us are commies plain and simple. Generally people that foist their views on other people are commies.

The preserve out by my house decided to go the other way. They put houses with personal water wells on all that lead.

Problem with my place is this is where I want to go toes up many years from now and do not want to leave my wife a toxic waste site. So I ponder the solutions.

Everyone agrees it is an issue to think about and no one can say for sure.

The Lead miner recovery company says simple just put 4 inches of sand over shot fall area for lead reclamation in the future. Kind of costly sounding idea and to build bullet traps out of 3/4 inch A500 steel at about $50.00 per sq. Ft. in 4 x 8 sheets before fabricating it into the trap to allow for lead bullet recovery.

All non-toxic shot is definitely coming. Anyone under 40 is likely to witness it with his/her own eyes.

Perhaps first start with a statement on your range and training ground that you prefer gunners use non toxic shot. But not mandatory and see what kind of compliance you have. Results might be good enough. If you keep any ammo on site for sale, only offer non tox alternatives. I shoot very well with upland 7 steel. I would have no problem and voluntarily comply.

I use to hate steel shot, I mean hate!!!!!!! I still dislike it, but some of the ammo mfg's have done a good job closing the gap in performance. Still not as good as lead, but gaining ground enough ill use it for upland. .if I have too

Wonder how those who decide to do there own reloading with say nice shot can prove its a non toxic shot if the time presents itself

Steel shot...NO!!!!!!!!

Yes to non-toxic.

Non-Toxic; a.k.a. Hevi, Tungsten Iron, etc. is what I shoot for ducks.

Steel for upland birds really would not be a big deal...steel for dove would suck but would not keep me from dove hunting. Steel for clays would probably keep me from shooting clays.

I did an experiment a long time ago on the dove field. Right pocket a box of promo #8 dove loads. Left pocket #7 steel loads. Don't remember for sure but probably a fixed modified choke. I alternated between left and right pocket every time I reloaded and kept track of how many birds shot with each. To my surprise I killed more dove with the steel than I did with lead that day.

As they say, dove are easy to kill, but really hard to hit.

I had some ideas why the #7 steel did better. More pellets in 1 ounce of 7 steel than one ounce 8 lead, hard uniform shot may be giving me a shorter shot string. I don't remember the actual loads I used that day, but steel loads tend to be faster at the closer ranges needing less lead on birds. Better pattern due to the hard shot as opposed to typical 8 lead promo dove loads having a soft shot and strange patterns due the deformities. Better penetration with the hard steel on light feathered soft skinned birds. Also I am sure the wad design on the upland steel loads are better due to need to protect barrels. I shoot steel on small birds over 50% of the time even when I don't have to.

What was the velocity difference?

IMO the hotter the steel loads the better.

I would hate steel since low velocity lead is the only load that reduce noise by 85% out of the metrobarrel. Steel is to fast and therefor to loud.

I say we all keep shooting lead... But then again, part of my family owns a hazardous material abatement company. While there's definitely money in cleaning up ranges, omg is it a pain. Its not like you just take the lead, you have to take all the sand/dirt/etc that COULD have lead in it... So glad I'm out of that business. Moving hundreds of barrels of leaded-sand... Maybe the non-toxic thing aint so bad.

Lead is horrible, horrible stuff but spread out in a field rarely hunted, it's not too bad.

Lead

As I understand it, California's argument for outlawing lead for hunting wasn't the contamination risk. It was the theory that a killed-but-not-recovered dove would be eaten by another animal, which would then get lead poisoning.

A quick Google search didn't really find me any recent articles, but there is relatively little discussion of banning lead for fishing weights, for example. One would think that if the quantities of lead introduced into the environment from hunting or fishing were relevant, it would have a greater impact in the water than on dry land.

I am no expert and certainly haven't studied the issue, but it seems that the "collateral kill" issue is the driving force more so than any EPA/contamination concerns.