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Hunter here. For big game like deer and moose, I actually prefer copper ammo. With lead shot, if I hit the shoulders or haunches and my family or I eat that mea

by slacka 7y ago

Hunter here. For big game like deer and moose, I actually prefer copper ammo. With lead shot, if I hit the shoulders or haunches and my family or I eat that meat, there's a very good chance we're eating bits of lead. Most Lead bullets disintegrate on impact, while copper bullets rarely fragment and penetrate deeper. If I wasn't eating the meat, I could see the argument for lead, but it's a weak one at best. In my own experience copper bullets do not go all the way through large game. And I don't believe in hunting for purely for sport.

heelix 7y ago
Deer hunter as well, who eats the meat. I really don't think the large game rounds are a factor. I think I've shot 5 round in the last 8 years, and there are no edible bits in the chest cavity. The lead bullets mushroom out, but...a non-factor for a deer. 270, 30-06, and 300 mag lead ammunition will liquify the chest cavity, but does not go through it. Shotgun rounds are a different thing. Here in Minnesota, they eliminated lead for waterfowl hunting -- which is a fair thing to do. I'll shoot many, many more rounds at birds - and cleaning the shot out can be tricky. Best not to be spraying the land and/or lakes with lead bbs.
dfsegoat 7y ago
No input on the article - I’m just stoked to see the hunting public well represented here on HN. That is very cool to me as a fellow outdoorsman.
eadmund 7y ago
> For big game like deer and moose, I actually prefer copper ammo. Surely you mean copper-jacketed lead, right? I don’t think that solid copper bullets would travel very far or carry much of a punch …
- nkurz 7y ago
  Given his concerns about feeding lead to his family, almost definitely he means solid copper. Modern lead-free solid copper bullets work quite well for many animals. Here's a sample article comparing them against traditional copper jacketed lead: https://www.guns.com/news/2017/03/18/do-copper-bullets-offer-the-same-performance-to-hunters-as-lead-bullets https://www.guns.com/news/2017/03/18/do-copper-bullets-offer...

by slacka 7y ago

heelix 7y ago

Deer hunter as well, who eats the meat. I really don't think the large game rounds are a factor. I think I've shot 5 round in the last 8 years, and there are no edible bits in the chest cavity. The lead bullets mushroom out, but...a non-factor for a deer. 270, 30-06, and 300 mag lead ammunition will liquify the chest cavity, but does not go through it. Shotgun rounds are a different thing. Here in Minnesota, they eliminated lead for waterfowl hunting -- which is a fair thing to do. I'll shoot many, many more rounds at birds - and cleaning the shot out can be tricky. Best not to be spraying the land and/or lakes with lead bbs.

dfsegoat 7y ago

No input on the article - I’m just stoked to see the hunting public well represented here on HN. That is very cool to me as a fellow outdoorsman.

eadmund 7y ago

> For big game like deer and moose, I actually prefer copper ammo. Surely you mean copper-jacketed lead, right? I don’t think that solid copper bullets would travel very far or carry much of a punch …

nkurz 7y ago
Given his concerns about feeding lead to his family, almost definitely he means solid copper. Modern lead-free solid copper bullets work quite well for many animals. Here's a sample article comparing them against traditional copper jacketed lead: https://www.guns.com/news/2017/03/18/do-copper-bullets-offer-the-same-performance-to-hunters-as-lead-bullets https://www.guns.com/news/2017/03/18/do-copper-bullets-offer...