Thread: Lead contaminated meat

I was a dyed in the wool, true blue skeptic, and read this article with a great deal of cynicism. However, by the end, I was a lot less sure of what I know... I would like to hear your thoughts after reading it.

https://www.ehn.org/biting-the-bulle...2#rebelltitem2

Dont eat shot meat would be my advice....weather a lead projectile was used or not.

:........ A deer processor in Pennsylvania who requested anonymity shared his first-hand experience. "Seventy-five percent of the time when I find a bullet in the carcass, I only find the base. I know the lead is all in the meat somewhere," .?


Ummmmmmm ..........

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Dont eat shot meat would be my advice....weather a lead projectile was used or not.

This right here....

If it is red with blood shot/bruising etc & close to the wound throw it away, pretty simple really....

https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....highlight=Lead

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

I was a dyed in the wool, true blue skeptic, and read this article with a great deal of cynicism

Still am a dyed in the wool

Aquaintance of mine only uses solid copper projectiles in his 7mm08 for this reason. Uses it to take deer.

Interesting rules of thumb from the article,

- 6 inches radius contaminated under normal circumstances, wider when you've struck bone.

- Slow, heavy lead projectiles (SG slugs etc) less prone to scatter lead in meat than high velocity rifle rounds.

I had not given much thought to meat contamination before, although I had been concerned about handling lead projectiles while reloading and making sure to wash the lead dust of my hands.
I have probably swallowed a few lead pellets over the years, and eaten contaminated meat enough. I wonder what the process is for getting a blood lead level test just out of curiosity? That would surely provide a quantifiable level of evidence about good or bad practices.

After reading the article posted here, I went to read Nathan Fosters counter argument as to the use of copper projectiles. I am not convinced that the promotion of copper projectiles is an anti-firearm agenda to reduce ammuntion availability (although I am concerned that this is something that could be taken hold of by the greens and certainly pushed towards that end, as ridiculous as that would be) but may equally be seen as an over reaction to what many think is a non-event, I am at a quandry as to whether I should bother trying copper bullets or not.

Does anyone think it would be worth having a permanent thread in the ballistics section to chronical shooters experiences with copper bullets, if it helps others make a decision on weather or not to use them?

Copper poisoning is a major cause ( but relatively un-reported ) of mental disorders in children. It is tied to the preservatives used in vaccines which act as a catalyst making the copper in water etc more bio available.( I am not an anti-vax'er just aware of the risks) So copper is not without risk.
Seems like it's head shooting or a big trim diameter is the only way.

Myself and a number of mates I shoot with use copper projectiles for this very reason.
You do need to be aware of how they work to use them properly as they need to be driven at higher velocity and hit something solid to ensure enough expansion. Thus the reason why you drop the weight of pill you are using. I have used the TTSX 120 in a 7RM a fair bit and believe that terminal performance is best at 2400 fps and above which shortens your effective range.
I have just finished load development for my 6.5 prc with a barnes ttsx. It is very accurate with a mv of 3210fps which
will be good out to 350 yards. I plan on shooting my meat animals with this as we don't buy meat from the supermarket and and don't like the thought of feeding my family lead!
I still use the likes of eldms for longer shots where I prefer to aim for a neck shot so not to ruin meat and if not the shoulders turn into dog tucker.
I have seen some impressive result from the copper, with good shot placement even big stags in the roar go down like they have been zapped by a laser beam!
You do have to watch out for Cooper fouling and give your barrel the copper removal treatment around every 50 rounds fired.
Copper projectiles won't be for every one but it is certainly worth keeping the health aspect of lead poisoning in mind when harvest meat for the table

I use TTSX for this reason. I watched a you tube video of american wildlife rangers xraying shot game and the lead contamination goes further than the visibly shot meat. TSX kill like thors hammer and turn a 223 into a credible deer round so the only counterargument is the higher cost per projectile. I shoot few enough deer that it doesn't matter.

For varmiting I just use lead as I don't plan on eating what I shoot. I have standardized on 50g VMax for varmiting so there are lead fragments all over the place with that. They are cheap and kill well though.

In a couple of other threads I have asked a question about pass through projectiles creating a venturi effect and sucking blood etc out onto vegetation. After reading what is written here about lead, (noboots) I am wondering if the pass through type projectiles - Barnes, AB's etc also suck any (or at least some) metal fragments out with them reducing the area of contamination ??
Does make me concerned about the dog eating trimmed meat

Originally Posted by 2post

https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....highlight=Lead

A cut & paste from the above thread, since my views have not changed:

I think the possible ingestion of lead by myself, friends, and family, from eating venison I have harvested is a very real concern.
A quick online search on lead poisoning from eating game meat will have alarm bells ringing, particularly since there is no safe level of exposure to lead.
From personal preference I continue to use conventional lead-cored bullets over monolithic copper bullets.
My advice would be... shoot your deer low and forward and leave the entire front end of the animal.

I would add to this that the possibility of health effects beyond the neurotoxic should not be discounted. It is only due to very good fortune and modern medicine that I am still here to write this after a health incident some years back, and my confirmed elevated lead levels were possibly to blame.

Fragments definitely go a fair way from the impact zone but it would seem unlikely for them to reach the back steaks from a hit to the heart/lung area.

The problem with many studies on lead is the many other factors that create exposure. Living in old houses with old degraded lead paint is a great way to up your lead intake.

I only hunt with copper bullets for this reason. Wildlife also benefits as birds, badgers and foxes etc are eating the gralloch that would usually be littered with lead fragments.