Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters will lead free bullets kill off the 22lr?

Just like lead shot, it is about lead toxicity in wildlife, especially in raptors, and raptors are federally protected. All of the caterwauling over lead shot beginning 35+ years ago, will again be heard if or when lead core bullets are prohibited. The USF&W service proposed in 2017 to prohibit lead core bullets on federal Wildlife Refuges, but nothing came of that this time around. One of the upper midwest states proposed a prohibition, I don't know what has come of it.

I don't like it, but there are legit reasons behind it.

I’d like to see what other guys using their flintlock muzzle loaders will do. I have a couple muzzle loaders a 54 and a 50. The 54 has only been shooting mono bullets (lead that is). The 50 is a newest model 700 which I bought to hunt elk in New Mexico - in that I’ve shot a few different types of bullets.
I doubt my 54 will ever see copper bullets though, at least in my hands.
If the federallies say I have to shoot something other than lead in the 54 they won’t have permission to step foot on my land in muzzle loader season.

They don't need your permission is the schitty part.

That's right.

Open fields.




Look it up if you don't know.

NYS banned lead sinkers some years ago.

Also, New York State just had a vote to ban lead ammo for hunting. The vote to ban lead didn't succeed, but the libs will keep trying and it'll eventually pass. It's just a matter of time.

Has more to do w raptors eating shot from carcasses.

Just let us shoot the raptors and make life easier on them so they don't ingest lead shot.

That is in the courts in South Dakota.

I'd be fine with shooting raptors. There are way too many around anyway and they're tough on small game/bird populations. I have a copy of the 1947 NYS hunting syllabus. In it the shooting of raptors is encouraged to help protect game populations. My grandfather said everybody shot raptors on sight when he was young. There were no eagles around here when I was young. Now they are all over and you see them all the time. Seen one, seen 'em all. I was fine without them when I was a kid and wouldn't miss them if they were gone again.

Yep. In the county I live in we started getting turkeys in the early to mid '80s.

We were at our max in the late '90s. Now it seems that we are back where we started.

Guess when the eagles started showing up? Not saying they are the whole reason but they aren't helping.


There is a nesting pair of eagles on my cousins place that I turkey hunt. I kill a tom about every other year and see very few turkeys but see the nesting pair and their offspring any time I am out there.

They get em a snack from the neighbors pond every day.

Never could understand why we have a scavenger as our national bird but it's fitting with what our nation is becoming.

Same with hawks and owls. There is a reason they used to keep them killed down.

Nobody kills the egg suckers anymore either. My dad has to bring the bird feeders in at night because of the coons. I say kill the bastards but he would rather bitch about them and have to put feeders out every morning and bring them in at night. Also wonders why he sees very few turkeys in the yard compared to 20 years ago.

Control 4 legged predators but not the 2 legged flying kind. Fuggin dumb.

Raptors won't be affected by .22s because .22s don't do this.

So has Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

NY banned the sale of lead sinkers under 1/2 oz. but you can use them if you have them.

Garage sale tackle boxes are a good source.