Where to get lead for bullets

NSSF also claims that a U. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of hunters and others in North Dakota who regularly eat wild game confirms there is no health risk from eating animals killed with lead, noting that none of the participants had a blood lead level higher than the threshold at which the CDC recommends a health intervention. The agency warns there is no safe blood lead level in children.

NSSF reached and promoted a starkly different interpretation of the study than the North Dakota Department of Health, which reacted by issuing recommendations that pregnant women and children under six years old avoid eating venison shot with lead bullets. The North Dakota study was prompted by independent research by a physician and hunter who found lead fragments in venison donated to food pantries.

NSSF and other critics noted that the physician, William Cornatzer, sat on the board of directors of the Peregrine Fund, a leading group in efforts to protect condors from lead and other threats. But the findings — coming on the heels of a study that found lead in a quarter of venison samples from Minnesota food banks — convinced North Dakota officials to order the charities to throw out venison and only accept donations from bow hunters. Gun advocates are concerned that banning lead ammunition will leave many hunters unable to afford nontoxic alternatives, which are generally more expensive.

While some lead-free ammunition costs twice as much as mass-market lead brands, non-lead bullets are comparable in price to premium lead ammunition, and can even be cheaper, according to the not-for-profit Institute for Wildlife Studies, which runs a website with information for hunters interested in switching to lead-free ammunition.

The group says ammunition is typically among the smallest costs associated with hunting. A study found little difference in price when comparing premium lead ammunition and nontoxic alternatives, and concluded that hunters who use lead-free options do not sacrifice performance.

Even the NRA has praised the performance of copper bullets. And prices for non-lead bullets continue to fall. He made the switch after learning how much lead bullets fragment on impact. Ensia shares solutions-focused stories free of charge through our online magazine and partner media.

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If lead ammunition is bad for people and the environment, why do we still use it? Concerns about regulation, skepticism about the science and misperceptions about costs are slowing the transition to nontoxic alternatives. Get Article. Browse our complete selection below to find the bullet casting lead you've been searching for, or contact us today if you have any questions. We're also looking for feedback, ideas and new testers to help us develop new bullet alloys!

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Choose Options Compare. This is a pound pallet of Lead Surplus Bricks with Freight Included to a certified business address with forklift or loading dock within the Continental United States. Each brick is 2"x4"8" about Choose Options Compare Quick view. It is This modern version of the old Lyman 2 is an excellent all-around alloy for most handgun bullets and many higher velocity rifle cartridges. The Brinell Hardness of The Lead Dipper is one of those products that makes bullet casting so much easier.

This ladle is the perfect size for casing bullets. The ladle holds enough lead that the molten metal stays hot enough molds will produce great bullets and the caster will Pure Lead Nuggets Sold by the pound Please note that orders containing over 20 pounds of nuggets are likely to be shipped in bulk, rather than in 5 pound bags. If you need the nuggets in the five pound bags, please let us know in the notes. And according to the U. Geological Survey, heavily hunted areas can contain upwards of , pieces of lead shot per acre.

As someone who has admittedly shot more than my fair share of lead into the woods, I find it unfathomable that the hunting community would continue to fight this order. Price point is one of the largest concerns cited by those who lobby for lead.

For instance, one study published in found that when you compare non-lead to higher-quality cartridges, the price is actually about the same, according to an assessment of 35 calibers of bullet and 51 cartridge sizes. That means you may be out of luck if you shoot only bargain-barrel bullets. Even still, the price is coming down every year as ammunition companies adapt and work to provide consumers with affordable, effective alternatives.

The type of hunting matters, too. With small game and wild turkey, the number of shells spent goes up, as does the cost. But a single season of buck hunting generally requires less than one box of shells, which means hunters should be able to shoulder a little extra cost without too much trouble.

Finally, remember that waterfowl hunters have been bringing down birds without lead since , and over that time, the rate at which hunters maim birds without killing them has actually decreased. Show me the spot in the Constitution where it grants us the right to fire an unlimited amount of neurotoxins into federal land. Even if you had that right, why would you want to exercise it?

Ammunition and tackle remain the two largest sources of unregulated lead in the environment, says Garrison Frost , a spokesman for the National Audubon Society, a conservation group that was instrumental in the fight to protect California condors.

Frost points to a study conducted by the U. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Dakota Department of Health that shows people who regularly consume wild game tend to have higher levels of lead in their blood. How do you read something like that and then continue to shoot lead into your dinner? It goes all kinds of places. That lead then gets absorbed by whatever eats the carcass, be it an eagle or a fox or a hunter.

I would never knowingly choose meat in the grocery store that contained lead particles, so why would I do so with wild-caught game? Before he died, my father showed me that hunting was an excuse to turn away from deadlines, bills, and other stresses of modern life and spend a few quiet hours among the beasts and the trees. Love them or hate them, hunters and other sportsmen spend more time outdoors than most people.