Walkathon
Well-known member
I'm concerned about breaking my teeth, or someone else breaking a tooth while consuming the meat that I processed.
Non Lead Rifle Ammo Experience Question- fragments in meat?
- Thread starter Walkathon
- Start date
I'm concerned about breaking my teeth, or someone else breaking a tooth while consuming the meat that I processed.
sbhooper
Well-known member
Lead has never been proven to harm anyone, either. Much to do about nothing.
jzeck2
Member
I have exclusively used Barnes for the last decade on big game hunts and have had no issues with bullet fragments. I have shot everything from white tails to elk and even a bison, most of the time they pass through. The only bullet that did not pass though mushroomed well. I have even switched my in-line muzzleloader to all copper and the big hollow points that I have recovered showed 100% retention and great expansion.
I don't think you need to worry about it. Even with the frangible monos. mtmuley
Don Fischer
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I have eaten my share of lead in my 73 yrs and am still here. All the lead went to my arse!
sbhooper
Well-known member
I have eaten my share of lead in my 73 yrs and am still here. All the lead went to my arse!
Don't go there! LOL.
jake23
Active member
I only shoot Barnes TTSX. I have only had one that was not a pass through, and It sheared a petal off. My grinder found it.
Not a big deal. I had gotten so used to them staying whole it made me complacent. Back when I used lead, I would cut away a generous amount from the shot up meat. Never had any issues with the TTSX till last year. And it was only that once.
But not a big deal
Not a big deal. I had gotten so used to them staying whole it made me complacent. Back when I used lead, I would cut away a generous amount from the shot up meat. Never had any issues with the TTSX till last year. And it was only that once.
But not a big deal
GlockZ
Well-known member
In the last couple of years since I switched to mono bullets, I've only recovered 1 270win TTSX, all others were complete pass thru's, and have never had any broken petals. One thing I did notice is my rifles accuracy improved quite a bit and are consistent.
Brian in Montana
Well-known member
Me too. When I was a kid I remember eating doves and quail, chewing along and finding birdsong. The grown ups said, just spit it out. Also, my granddaddy taught me to bite closed a lead split-shot sinker on fishing line, I did that my whole life.
I have no doubt that lead is in fact poisonous, but you have to consume a lot more of it than you'd get in standard hunting/fishing adventures to experience any problems. Its human nature to over-react about such things.
That that's not what this thread is about.
Walkathon
Well-known member
Shot a mule deer buck with the 140GR Barnes TTSX / 7mm Rem mag, and a whitetail buck with the 130GR GMX Hornady factory load / .270 Win. Complete pass through on both animals. Mule deer buck was quartering towards and ended up finding 2 petals stuck in the hide on the exit side. Petals were still connected together. Found 0 bullet shrapnel in the meat of either deer and was happy with the performance. Less blood shot damage than I previously experienced with lead. Will most likely use again for 2020.
ShadowFast1
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I've only had pass throughs with the TTSX, so no problems there. I've had my wife find a bullet jacket when she was cooking some venison before. I will still continue to use cup and core bullets but it's easy to see why someone would move to all copper.
Bux_N_Beards
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Out of curiosity, for those that have mentioned finding bullet jackets or fragments in their meat, are these from animals you’ve processed yourself or from a commercial processor?
Not saying it couldn’t happen, but I and my family process all of our own big game, and have never found any part of the projectile in the meat that I’m aware of over the last 30+ years. That includes archery kills, shotgun slugs, cup/core rifle bullets, and solid copper rifle bullets.
Not saying it couldn’t happen, but I and my family process all of our own big game, and have never found any part of the projectile in the meat that I’m aware of over the last 30+ years. That includes archery kills, shotgun slugs, cup/core rifle bullets, and solid copper rifle bullets.
We’ve used Barnes (mono’s) since the early ‘90’s, if memory serves me correctly, we’ve only recovered one bullet.....which had lost one petal! Didn’t find the petal in the meat.....the bullet had “full-lengthen” an elk, shattering one major bone in it’s travels. memtb
ShadowFast1
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My particular instance was from a deer that was commercially processed. I do all of my own now. I likely would have found it had I processed it myself. But the fact remains that it was there.
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Bux_N_Beards, We do all of our own processing......well, except for 2 years. We’ve found 2 expanded cup and core Bullets, both in elk. One was quite small, guessing a .223 dia. and a .270, neither were ours. I’m sure that there were probably others that we didn’t find. I once found a broadhead with approximately 6” of arrow shaft lodged in the shoulder blade of one of my moose kills! memtb
D
Deleted member 28227
Guest
There has never been a medical study that has shown eating wild game killed with lead ammunition to be the undisputed vector of lead poisoning.
Lead has proven very harmful to humans. Lead ammunition has also been shown to spread dramatically further into meat than we previously believed.
Recommendations of state agencies to move away from lead is due to these findings.
I recently had this conversation with several CU physicians, as well as a doctor in Anchorage. One thing I learned was that the lead tests people take are wildly inaccurate and none of the doctors present said that they would rule out lead poisoning if a patient was presenting with symptoms and the tests came back negative.
Just some food for thought.
I switched to copper last year because I like the cost and performance of copper and why take a chance.
So far no complaints, I had clean pass throughs and didn’t find any copper fragments.
BucksnDucks
Well-known member
I think those findings were "found" after California started on the lead free path involving the Condor, but not here to split hairs. Non tox bullets have come a long ways and I was pleased with the accuracy I had with the Barnes TTSX.
D
Deleted member 28227
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Agreed, CA was worried about Condors. I was referring to MN and WI recommendations and studies.
std7mag
Well-known member
When Barnes originally came out with their "X" bullet, it was designed to shear it's petals.
Some gun crank wrote about the shed petals, and griped about it "not retaining it's weight".
The public bought into it, and Barnes redesigned their bullets so the petal stayed on under most circumstances.
Cutting Edge is designed to shed 4-6 petals 1-2 inches in. Creating a massive wound channel. While the jagged edged base keeps on going.
From what i understand Hammers may do the same.
Myself & my daughter have 3 deer between us that were shot by Berger VLD. Penetrate 1-3" then come apart.
Massive internal damage! No exit holes. 2 deer had piece of jacket under offside hide.
To my knowledge no piece of core, or jacket were comsumed.
Some gun crank wrote about the shed petals, and griped about it "not retaining it's weight".
The public bought into it, and Barnes redesigned their bullets so the petal stayed on under most circumstances.
Cutting Edge is designed to shed 4-6 petals 1-2 inches in. Creating a massive wound channel. While the jagged edged base keeps on going.
From what i understand Hammers may do the same.
Myself & my daughter have 3 deer between us that were shot by Berger VLD. Penetrate 1-3" then come apart.
Massive internal damage! No exit holes. 2 deer had piece of jacket under offside hide.
To my knowledge no piece of core, or jacket were comsumed.
D
Deleted member 38069
Guest
I've shot a whitetail buck at 60 yards with a 180 gr E-tip and saw no fragments left behind. I've shot a whitetail doe at 110 yards with a 180 gr E-tip and found no fragments. I butcher all of my own deer. I'm sold on them and will be slowly transitioning the rest of my rifles to E-tips.
I hope that helps!
I hope that helps!
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