Thats interesting SD, I cant find a cheap reloading kit for love nor money!
The wads, shot and primers are cheap enough.
What about my 410? No lead free offerings
- Thread starter hammo
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The wads, shot and primers are cheap enough.
Conor O'Gorman
Well-Known Member
I don't think .410 will become worthless and more options will be available here. There already are steel shot options in USA. There are no changes in law currently in UK thanks to BASC fighting against lead ammunition restrictions for decades. We await the government response to the HSE proposals - which for live quarry shooting is a five year transition period before restictions take effect.
Moving away from lead: the next stage
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has sent its final recommendations to the government on restriction proposals for lead ammunition.
basc.org.uk
Tell that to my Norica 410 bolt action 3 shot. Unless 410 bismuth subsonic become available, it would be load my own bismuth or onto the scrap pile.I don't think .410 will become worthless and more options will be available here. There already are steel shot options in USA. There are no changes in law currently in UK thanks to BASC fighting against lead ammunition restrictions for decades. We await the government response to the HSE proposals - which for live quarry shooting is a five year transition period before restictions take effect.
Moving away from lead: the next stage
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has sent its final recommendations to the government on restriction proposals for lead ammunition.
Fingers crossed that they see sense and give 410 & 9mm garden gun a reprieve? However I have a feeling that to abide by the law, if it comes to pass, I will be reloading.
Or perhaps it will just become an obsolete calibre and I can hang it on the wall.
Thanks Conor,I don't think .410 will become worthless and more options will be available here. There already are steel shot options in USA. There are no changes in law currently in UK thanks to BASC fighting against lead ammunition restrictions for decades. We await the government response to the HSE proposals - which for live quarry shooting is a five year transition period before restictions take effect.
Moving away from lead: the next stage
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has sent its final recommendations to the government on restriction proposals for lead ammunition.
Yes I mentioned steel is available in the US, however judging by the single response from gamebore I posted, they don't appear interested. Eley hawk and Lyalvale havent responded at all.
Does BASC currently enjoy engagement with UK cartridge manufacturers?
In the grand scheme of things, 410 users are a small sector I'm sure, but still don't want to be left behind.
Conor O'Gorman
Well-Known Member
Yes, we are in regular contact with them all and market forces of supply and demand will come into play for all cartridge gauges and more innovations will happen. Worth noting that the EU is also considering restriction proposals. So that's another 6+ million hunters potentially needing alternatives to lead shot for live quarry shooting. Some cartridge manufacturers have reps attending our sustainable shooting days where people can get advice from them and BASC staff and try a range of alternatives to lead shot cartridges in their own guns, currently that is 12 and 20 bore. See for example:
Try Sustainable Ammunition Day-Lincolnshire
14/03/2025 @ 10:00am - 3:00pm - BASC East invites members to join them for a Try Sustainable Ammunition Day at East of England Shooting Ground on 14 March. The aim of the day is to help you feel informed and confident as we transition away from lead shot. Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed by a...
events.basc.org.uk
Conor O'Gorman
Well-Known Member
To answer your question I suppose it's ultimately your choice ahead based on your decisions on what guns to shoot with using lead shot or non-lead shot, as has been the case for the last 5 years of the voluntary transition encouraged by the various shooting organisations, them having accepted the evidence on the impact of lead shot on birds mistaking the lead shot as grit and those birds suffering lead poisoning as a result.
What of .22 Rimfire and 9mm Rimfire shotguns? I shot a rat in my garden two months back with my 9mm Rimfire Webley bolt action. These can't be reloaded and there are NO non-lead options? The number is so few that there should at the very least be a push for these to be exempted.
Triggermortis
Well-Known Member
What of .410g loads that are a little more niche like slugs, should lead free alternative not be available in either factory loads or to homeload might we expect to have slugs eventually removed from our tickets ?
Conor O'Gorman
Well-Known Member
That rat you shot with lead shot came at the expense of how many birds that subsequently ate the lead shot you fired in your garden? Maybe none, maybe some. That is perhaps the bigger picture to bear in mind as regards live quarry shooting where the risks of lead shot dissemination cannot be contained - the approach of HSE has been zero risk in this respect - so if there are to be exemptions, what should be the cut off point be as regards the continuation of lead shot for live quarry shooting - and is it politically tenable to argue to continue to poison birds using some types of cartridges 'just because'? Some are lobbying the Government for a ban on ALL lead ammunition ASAP for recreational shooting regardless of the evidence or impacts on our sector, and if they are successful we might forget about another 5-6 years transition time. Food for thought.
Conor O'Gorman
Well-Known Member
I think slugs have been overlooked throughout this review and like airgun pellets I think they should be exempt from any restrictions as I don't think there is evidence of harm to any bird species from mistaking slugs or fragments of slugs as grit and eating them. For lead shot though, regardless of what gun it was fired from there is evidence of harm to birds mistaking lead shot as grit and eating the shot and suffering lead poisoning as a result.
Triggermortis
Well-Known Member
So hypothetically loads used for humane dispatch may be subject to an exemption Conner?
(Post 50 mentions “recreational shooting”)
(Post 50 mentions “recreational shooting”)
Conor O'Gorman
Well-Known Member
BASC argued for an exemption for humane dispatch but none was included in the final HSE proposals to the government to consider.
Triggermortis
Well-Known Member
So as per my post #49, are lead slugs currently on ticket for dispatch (non-recreational shooting)likely to be taken away do you think?
cut off point, but not a problem for olympic hopefuls to still put down tonnes of lead shot, but obviously the birds know the difference if it comes out of the end of a gun used by an olympic hopeful and ignore it, but not a few grams from a 9mm garden gun.
then EU 6 million shooters may go lead free, do hope their is enough steel shot being produced.
So much contradictory statements in the HSE proposal, clearly several agendas at work.
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
Guess there is none then....
Triggermortis
Well-Known Member
May go some way to answering your question SD….
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
One point to note is that after an animal or bird has ingested lead shot, lead in the blood rises. After a while it decreases as the lead is then deposited into bone and other body tissues where it builds up over time.May go some way to answering your question SD….
Subsequent to the above publication there has been quite a lot of work demonstrating that even very low levels of lead in the body has a major impact on the immune system and ability to fight disease and mutations. There is ongoing work with therapies that remove lead and other heavy metals as a means of treating cancers and disease. The first received orphan drug approval by the FDA in 2024.
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
Pardon the pun but there are an awful lot of holes in that article!May go some way to answering your question SD….
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