Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Lead Free Bullets

Anyone using .224 cal lead free bullets for ground squirrels or PDs? Looking for recommendations on a couple good ones to try. Don't have a choice where I go for squirrels anymore and need to find an accurate bullet that performs. When I looked into them years ago, the accuracy reports were pretty spotty.

For me the Barnes lead free were decently accurate but until they were pushed pretty hard they didn't produce good splatter. The Noslers were better. I used both in a 9 twist .223.

Barnes Varmint Grenades are the most accurate I've ever used in my .223

Barnes shoot well for me!

I've used Nosler's Ballistic Tip Lead Free 20 cal bullets in my CZ 204 Ruger. Plenty accurate and effective on ground squirrels I would think that their 224's would work just as well.

Looks like I'll have to take a look at the Barnes. Nice to see they have a 50gr version which is probably going to be a fairly long bullet. Might work well in my 8" twist 22BR which strongly prefers longer/heavier bullets. My .222 is using the Speer 50gr TNT, which might match the 30gr?? Cabelas has them and I'm sitting on a bunch of points. They don't have the lead free BT though.

40 gr Nosler BT Lead-Free
27.5 gr Benchmark
Winchester Case
WSR Primer
COAL= 2.313
CBTO= 1.918

1 ragged hole in my AR-15 @ 100 yards
.52 inch with my Rem 700 @ 100 yards

I noticed it may not fit in some AR mags. I've shot coyotes with this load. All deader than last year's romance, never used on PDs or ground squirrels, but see no reason why it shouldn't smoke em.