With the subject of lead ammunition and a proposal to ban it in Victoria for recreational deer hunting being a major talking point among deer hunters at the moment, I thought I would share my experiences with non-lead ammunition. I do this not to influence or make suggestions to anyone but only as a talking point about what I have experienced so far as no expert, just a regular deer hunter.
It started in 2011 when I bought my .300 Winchester Magnum, as you do with a new rifle, I bought a few different types of ammunition to see what works best with it. At the gunshop, one of the staff mentioned giving the Federal Premiums a go, as they had the 180-grain Barnes TSX projectiles in them. I was well aware of the great reputation of Barnes, so I thought I would give them a go. I had also seen an advertisement for a non-lead projectile in an Australian Deer magazine, and I remember being impressed with the petaling and mass retention; in hindsight, I guess this planted a seed of sorts.
As it turned out, after trying the different types of ammunition I had bought, the Federal Premiums with the Barnes projectiles grouped the best in that rifle, so the decision was easy, and away I went.
Fast forward to 2015, I attended a Melbourne branch meeting, where a member of ours, James Bishop, gave a presentation on some CAT Scans of some sambar deer. James was motivated to do such scans to provide an anatomically correct depiction of sambar. As you will see in a later issue of this magazine, the images are incredible and provide fascinating details of the deer.
James’ project morphed into viewing bullet damage after achieving what he wanted to do with the scans and the deer’s anatomy. What better way to see how a bullet impacts an animal than with such scans? The scans then showed, in the finest detail, the bone damage and bullet fragment distribution in the deer.
This was the first time I had seen how far tiny lead fragments could travel within an animal. I was shocked and surprised. There were lead fragments more widely distributed than I had ever thought. With that said, that was never the reason I had changed to the copper bullets, but I would have to admit that, in a way, it did act as a sense of additional validation after the fact.
To date, I have not looked back. I have harvested many deer with Barnes TSX and other pure copper projectiles with my .300 Win Mag and they have all worked incredibly well with fantastic weight retention.
That said, I still use lead-based projectiles. My other rifle, a 338 Winchester Magnum, is set up for lead bullets, and I still use it when sambar hunting. However, being a timber stock, it’s not my go-to if I know it will be a wet and rough affair.
For my 338 Winchester Magnum, I use Nosler partition 250-grain projectiles, which usually retain around 195 grain. These have also served me well over the years; with that in mind, I am always conscious of the meat I am butchering from those deer, and I keep an eye out for fragments. After all, I don’t know exactly where the missing 50-odd grains of lead have gone.
And it sits in the back of my mind: did I get rid of all of them?
With all that said, eventually, when I have used up my stock of Nosler Partitions, I will look to see what is available in a non-lead projectile; even if regulations say I don’t have to, I have headed down this path by choice after my own research and what is comfortable for me and the food I put on the table.
I think there is a lesson in that: sometimes, you can affect change without having to regulate it. By giving people the information, they can make their own informed choices, and you might be surprised how well it works.
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