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Accuracy advantages of lead free bullets?

Justabirdwatcher

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Have you seen any advantages in accuracy when going from lead to lead-free copper or gm bullets?

I am wanting to make the switch, but what I'm seeing so far doesn't have me all that impressed to be honest.
 
Accuracy is not as good as it was with Nosler Accubonds and a couple of others. I really struggled to get ammo that was 1 MOA or less in some rifles. In my older rifles most of the factory loads just wouldn't shoot well at all. So for me shooting factory loads it is not as good. As far as successfully harvesting deer I have had no issues.
 
I've found reloads, no matter conventional or lead-free, to be consistently more accurate than factory ammo. I haven't found lead-free reloads to be more or less accurate than conventional bullets. I'm sub-MOA with my current load with Barnes TTSX. In my experience, seating depth matters a lot for accuracy with lead-free.
 
Lead free will have a lower BC and don’t normally shoot as tight. Lead free seem to expand more consistently....but on the other hand there are plenty of well proven lead core bullets.

It seems to come down to what you want to shoot and if you are worried about lead particles in your meat.

I am giving the lead free a go this year.

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I use a LOT of Barnes Bullets in everything from 204 to 45/70.
When you compare copper bullets you have to compare gr to gr.
The advantage of copper is the length. a 150 gr is much longer than 150 jacketed bullets.
So the twist has to be right.
As far as accuracy, not energy, a 150 Barnes is as long as a For instance( I don't have the specs ) a 165gr.

In our real-world use, almost all copper bullets of equal grains are much more accurate.
PS we find "Barnes" bullets need a little jump to the lands and most like to be at the upper end of the speed for your load.
 
I really wanted to like the TTSX's but after 100 of ea. in 3 different weights and still haven't found a combo that is as accurate as several conventional loads I have. I've messed quite a bit with powders and the jump, with no real change in results. Guess I'm ready to give up on them for this particular rifle. Maybe I'll have better luck in another rifle.
 
I’ve been able to get more than acceptable accuracy with copper bullets in five different rifles now.
I've read a lot about folks getting outstanding accuracy with Barnes, which is why I tried to make them work.

I guess my question is - compared to lead, have mono's been more or less accurate in your experience?
 
Remember that you need a lighter monolith bullet than lead based to match rifling twists.
I read that, so I started out with 120 TTSX's since I usually use 140 conventionals. Of everything I've run through this tube, 120 TTSX's are consistently the worst grouping bullets. That's out of probably 9 or 10 different bullets I've tried, both mono and conventional.
 
I've read a lot about folks getting outstanding accuracy with Barnes, which is why I tried to make them work.

I guess my question is - compared to lead, have mono's been more or less accurate in your experience?

Several of them I’ve never loaded a lead bullet. I do find Hammer billets are incredibly easy to find an accurate load, but some folks have sticker shock with them.
 
Several of them I’ve never loaded a lead bullet. I do find Hammer billets are incredibly easy to find an accurate load, but some folks have sticker shock with them.
I looked at those, but the BC's seem pretty low - kinda like the original TSX's. Not sure my pea shooter can keep them moving fast enough beyond 300 yds.
 
Not a dime's worth of difference, for the most part. The main difference is the cost. Animals do not know the difference, except when extreme penetration is necessary and it does not take much research to find many instances where coppers did not expand well on soft tissue. Your money, but I will stay with standard bullets, unless big bears are on the menu-which they never will be.
 
As far as accuracy or group size, the barnes vortex factory ammo for 308, 130 gr tsx. Has grouped better for me than any other ammo(Winchester xp, rem corlokt, fed fusion, im not very spendy 150-180gr bullets) in my rifle. I've not shot a critter with the tsx yet but plan on changing that this fall.
 
If your only concern switching to lead-free is accuracy, then you will likely remained unimpressed. You won't go from 2" groups to .5" groups by switching. You will more than likely stay MOA and below; certainly if you handload.

And if you are unconcerened with the lead content of the meat you consume, again, you'll likely not care to switch.

Yet, when you consider the conservation-ethic of switching to lead-free, it is unquestionably better. The impact lead has on other wildlife is widely documented.

For hunting, I simply cannot find a compelling reason to remain with lead.
 
If your only concern switching to lead-free is accuracy, then you will likely remained unimpressed. You won't go from 2" groups to .5" groups by switching. You will more than likely stay MOA and below; certainly if you handload.

And if you are unconcerened with the lead content of the meat you consume, again, you'll likely not care to switch.

Yet, when you consider the conservation-ethic of switching to lead-free, it is unquestionably better. The impact lead has on other wildlife is widely documented.

For hunting, I simply cannot find a compelling reason to remain with lead.

Our muzzle loading crowd is the only ones I can think of for lead stuff....where you are stuck....(not talking about the inline stuff)

And in the handgun side.....some that do handgun hunt complain of lack of penetration.....we shall see....I’ll drop a few critters with the Barnes xpb this year in a 44
 
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