CA and the whole "lead ban"

[Powderedtoastman]

I'm still trying to figure out what options there are to hunt with lead free round balls/slugs/anything?! The ITX round balls by ballistic products are not on the (extortion) list of approved lead free projectiles. Does anybody have info. on how I can legally take a deer next season with my Lyman Deerstalker? I was looking at sabot's but none of those are even on this garbage list.

 

[mooman76]

Do you know if zink is expectable? It takes a higher temp but you can cast your own and allot of people would give zink away.

 

[James Stella]

It is kind of a catch 22 on the ITX. They do not list them as round ball but they do list them as approved shot for shot guns. I think it is an un-plugged hole. So it is approved kind of. I am working up loads right now to hunt with it.

 

[Dewey]

IMHO, Zinc is too light - a density of about 7.1 g/mL vs leads 11.4. :td:

Personally, I would go with the ITX. :thumbsup:

Also personally, I would never live in CA !!! :td:

Nothing personal ...... :surrender:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Contact the California D.F.W.
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations
They are the only ones that can answer your question.

 

[Spikebuck]

I don't know if it's on the list or if Rotometals plans to get it on the list, but they are a California company and make a 90% Bismuth / 10% Tin bullet casting alloy for molding your own balls/bullets.

It's pretty pricey! $16.99/lb this week on sale.
http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/leadfreebulletalloy.htm

 

[James Stella]

OK I did a little research on the Fish and Game Web Sight. This is the link to the approved ammo.

https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Nonlead-Ammunition/Certified

Go to the third link from the bottom, tombob outdoors. They make the ITX round balls. Click on the link and go to the bottom. The round balls are now approved.

 

[Skychief]

God bless you guys living in California, seriously. :surrender:

 

[coloradoclyde]

CDFW and the California Fish and Game Commission have developed a process to certify projectiles as meeting the nonlead threshold (less than or equal to one percent lead content) for purposes of these regulations. Manufacturers are required to undergo an application process to have their ammunition certified as legal for use. If you would like your product(s) considered as legal projectiles in California, please submit a Nonlead Cartridge/Projectile Certification Application. https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=82801

Once your application is received and approved, the ammunition/projectile(s) will be added to CDFW's list of certified nonlead ammunition. The department will notify each applicant after a review has been made of the information submitted.



If you have any questions about the process or the forms, please contact Mary Sommer at (916) 445-3549 or [email protected].

Sounds like a great business opportunity for someone...

 

[roundball]

I'm still trying to figure out what options there are to hunt with lead free round balls/slugs/anything?! The ITX round balls by ballistic products are not on the (extortion) list of approved lead free projectiles. Does anybody have info. on how I can legally take a deer next season with my Lyman Deerstalker? I was looking at sabot's but none of those are even on this garbage list.

I researched, acquired, range tested, then took deer with solid brass balls in my .58cal a few years ago. Deadly accurate, worked perfectly, meets the requirement of having less than 1% lead in its make up, etc.
Posted all the info + manufacturing info here for some CA citizen to coordinate getting it submitted to CA for review / inclusion.
Apparently no one bothered...

 

[coloradoclyde]

Still Bragging about your brass balls? :rotf:
Last time I checked Hunting big game was illegal in almost every state if using a non-expanding projectile....How much do those brass balls expand???
I can't advocate breaking the law..... : :nono: :shake:

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Roundball,

I think your idea of using brass is sound. If memory serves me, the size of available balls was an issue for smaller calipers. Maybe things have changed. I need to look into it.

I experimented with ITX and Bismuth/Tin with limited success.

We've got a couple more years here before the total lead ban but it'll be here before we know it. GW

 

[GreyWhiskers]

CC,

I looked into the expanding requirement a few years ago. Apparently it's not required in CA for muzzleloading. GW

 

[Scota4570]

Winchester now makes a zinc shotguns slug. They are comparitively cheap.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Simply because the California DNR has a list of "approved" ammunition, does the LAW actually say the projectile MUST be on this list, OR is the list provided for the convenience of the hunters and for the game wardens?

I ask as the law when first introduced simply said "lead free"...and the brass projectiles suggested and tested by Roundball, or projectiles molded from Rotometals Bismuth & Tin alloy match that criteria.

How the heck is a GW gonna know for sure the projectile is one of those brands in a BP firearm unless they actually test the item in the field after pulling it anyway?

:idunno:

LD

 

[coloradoclyde]

How the heck is a GW gonna know for sure the projectile is one of those brands in a BP firearm unless they actually test the item in the field after pulling it anyway?

They won't....and I don't know how you would pull a brass ball....but the law says they can just take your gun.

 

[roundball]

Roundball,
I think your idea of using brass is sound. If memory serves me, the size of available balls was an issue for smaller calipers. Maybe things have changed. I need to look into it.

I only researched a couple companies that made precision balls, but that's what I recall as well...but my interest was finding a suitable size for big game hunting such as deer, etc, and the one that jumped out was the .5625" diameter for use in my .58cal.
However, I had mentioned back then that if someone in CA had the interest, they could contact the manufacturer and work with them to at least:
A) Get their existing .5625" approved for use;
B) And supply them with a couple other sizes that they might be interested in manufacturing for the ML market such as;
.432" for the .45cal
.482" for the .50cal
.522" for the .54cal

Remember a couple things:
1)
There's no screwing a ball puller into a solid brass ball, so I went with a slightly smaller size diameter ball (and thicker patch) to be absolutely certain there was no chance of getting a ball stuck in a barrel yet was amazed at the accuracy.
2)
Brass is lighter than lead...the .5625" ball for the .58cal weighed between the weights of a .50 and .54 ball at 201 grains.
So (IMO) brass balls in a .45/.50cal would be best suited for small game and the .54/.58/.62 for big game.

 

[Dewey]

Winchester now makes a zinc shotguns slug. They are comparatively cheap.

Seems to me that a zinc slug could be lengthened to add the needed mass, but you couldn't do that with a round ball.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Lengthening will decrease stability.

 

[coloradoclyde]

God bless you guys living in California, seriously. :surrender:

I never could understand why people always bash California.....After all this forum is from California.
Perhaps it's just partisan politics....or like herding sheep...once you get the first one to go up the chute the rest all follow.

Either way it doesn't help their situation.