New York Game Wardens Go Green No more Lead Ammo
Well at least for training purposes according to a press release issued earlier this week.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today a new initiative to switch to “green ammo” from lead-based ammunition for Departmental firearms training to help reduce the impact of lead at firing ranges.
Commissioner Grannis said: “DEC is committed to leading the way in finding new ways - large and small - to reduce the amount of contamination that is released into our environment. DEC’s 464 Environmental Conservation Officers and Forest Rangers are leading the state by implementing a common-sense change to use non-toxic ammunition in order to protect public health and the environment from the effects of lead.”
The push towards lead free ammo started in California mainly to address concerns over the restoration of the Condor and the effects of lead poisoning on these birds. The Hog Blog has had extensive coverage on this issue and the impacts on California but hang on folks it’s coming our way as well.
Now as a hunter and a shooter I can tell you that it is important to become proficient with your weapons that you use and to know exactly where your bullet will strike. I can also tell you from experience that any alteration to the round you put in the chamber to shoot will impact where you’ll hit on the target even from a bench rest. Many of us know that certain guns we own do better with a particular brand of ammo as well as bullet type, size etc. You can take a Remington 30/06 165 grain bullet and a Federal 30/06 165 grain round fire them from the same gun and get a varying degree of accuracy from the gun just because of the different brands and the make up of each of those rounds.
Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today a new initiative to switch to “green ammo” from lead-based ammunition for Departmental firearms training…
How can we expect Law Officers to train with one type of ammo but carry another when they perform their duties?
I’m shooting at targets or big game if my proficiency is off most times peoples lives are not at stake but a Law Officer is a totally different story.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not opposed to protecting the environment but at the same time I think we need to take a common sense approach. Many of those who’ll push this green effort have an agenda to eliminate hunting all together and that’s why I’m a bit skeptical when I see efforts such as this. I got to admit that I do not know for sure how well this “green ammo” stacks up against the lead ammo but I guess NY must have their doubts if it is going to just be used for training. I hope officer and rangers lives are not being jeopardized by this experiment of sorts as well as the general public who depend on these men and women to carry out day to day duties that on occasion involve the discharging of a firearm.
Folks can definitely start looking for this in their neck of the woods. I’d actually expect to see a move away from lead affect target ranges much sooner than it affects hunters, since the lead accumulation in the ground has proven to be a really significant pollution issue when it leaches into the groundwater supply. Law enforcement and public shooting ranges around the country have found that the costs of clean-up are extremely high… and landowners are being held responsible for groundwater pollutants.
The military experimented with tungsten bullets in the northeast (MD or NH, I can’t remember) and found that the tungsten was actually worse.
Right now, the race to develop green ammo is proceeding pretty slowly, but it will most likely accelerate now that CA has passed this lead ban, and more and more shooting ranges are being challenged to protect the environment. Copper ammo (Barnes) is good, but still expensive. There are other alternatives, but most are still very new and haven’t been tested thoroughly.
By the way, for most hunters who are interested in “going green”, the Barnes bullets really do offer superior performance in many guns. While there are some folks who’ve had negative experiences, the newer bullets such as the TSX and MRX are pretty consistent in turning out tight groups and excellent terminal performance. The original “X” bullet from Barnes was more problematic, and is usually the culprit when you read or hear about horror stories such as barrel fouling, inconsistent accuracy, etc. This isn’t a plug for Barnes, so much as it is to suggest that folks give it a try before knocking it.
By the way, if you’re opposed to anti-lead legislation, I’d encourage you to get active in the legislative process and discussions now and stay that way. Sportsmen need to make their voices heard, or we’ll continue to be treated as a politically insignificant “fringe” group… as we have seen here in California.
Thanks for the link, Moose.
Comment by Phillip — January 3, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
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I wouldn’t worry too much about accuracy. We’re talking handguns, so it’s degrees of paper plate at 20 feet, not groups at 200 yards. If you can hit a paper plate with green ammo, you’ll be able to hit it with lead.
Comment by GrillingGreg — January 5, 2008 @ 5:08 pm