Lead Free: What works?

DiRTY DOG

DiRTY DOG

Well-known member
Some of us currently shoot lead free, or will be soon. What works for you? I'm mostly interested in field reports for rifle bullets: 204, 223, 22-250, 243, or other? Whatcha got and how's it work?
 

130 TTSX from the 30/06

80 TTSX and 80 GMX from the .243 Win


Got some 55 TTSX for the .223 for this fall, can't see'm not working great.
 
I took a nice buck antelope last season with a 22-250 and a barnes bullet, cant remember the exact one, but it has a blue tip. It was a moderate load as that was what shot the best. the shot was at 400 yards if I remember right, a buddy of mine had ranged it with the rangefinder, shot hit behind the left shoulder, and we found the bullet under the hide in front of the right shoulder. The antelope ran about 30 yards and piled up. the wound channel was on the small side, with very little lost meat, but it was obvious that the bullet did open up even at that range. that is the one and only animal that I have ever used a barnes bullet one. I usally like the regular speer, sierra, and hornaday bullets. oh and the hide damage was just a 22-30 caliber hole going in.

Wyoming recently changed our minimum calibers for big game, to include 22 centerfires for antelope and deer, and so I wanted to see what would happen. so the year before, I took an antelope at 61 yards with a 223 and a 60gr partition.

both the 223 and the 22-250 did really well, even though I felt like I was hunting with a pellet rifle with them {that's why I got so close to the one with the 223} So after both of those hunts I am still on the fence about both the barnes and the small calibers for light big game. Did I do it? yes. Did the smaller rounds and barnes bullets do their jobs, yes. am I sold on the idea that the 22 centerifres are a good choice for light big game? I don't know. both of these shots were good shots, under very good conditions, but what happens when the animal turns just as you release the shot?
 
black hills 62 grain tsx dropped a 150 lb hog at about 150 yards. Whacked a couple coyote pups with it while hog hunting. It worked fine, but no expansion. FWIW its just the largest caliber I own and the hog hunt was free on my friends private land. If I had to pay 500 bucks or hunt public land I would use a bigger gun.

Took a coyote at about 100 with a 36 gr varmint grenade. It worked fine.

the varmint grenade shot about 1.5 moa from a cz 527 varmint. The 62 grain tsx shoots around moa from a tikka t3.

Primary problem is the cost of lead free and lack of availability when ammo is scarce.
 
I was hoping for more input on lead free bullets for predator hunting calibers, not deer guns.

Barnes TTSX probably works great, but they're pretty expensive even for reloaders. I like to plink here and there and practice with my hunting rifle. That gets expensive with the Barnes TTSX and you're not supposed to switch back and forth between them and regular bullets.

What about Varmint Grenades, or Nosler lead free? Anybody use those in 204, 223, 22-250?
 
Originally Posted By: DiRTY DOGI was hoping for more input on lead free bullets for predator hunting calibers, not deer guns.

Barnes TTSX probably works great, but they're pretty expensive even for reloaders. I like to plink here and there and practice with my hunting rifle. That gets expensive with the Barnes TTSX and you're not supposed to switch back and forth between them and regular bullets.

What about Varmint Grenades, or Nosler lead free? Anybody use those in 204, 223, 22-250?

DD,
I've used the 36gr VG in a 22 inch barreled 22-250 Stevens 200. This has been my truck gun for sometime now. That bullet and a stout load of varget would put five shots a lil under a inch at 100 yards, but shot big patterns at 300 yards. I took two yotes and five coons with it. Performance was similar to the .17 Remington on yotes under a hunert yards. If it wasn't for poor grouping at mid range I would've stuck with it due to the fact it was fur friendly "in my experience".
 
I have had good results shooting coyotes with my 1-8" twist 22-250 with the Barnes 55 gr MPG bullets. I like the 55 gr bullets instead of the 35 gr to 40 gr bullets for coyotes. The Barnes 55 gr MPG bullets have also done a good job on coyotes out of my 223AI 1-8" twist barrel.

I have shot the Nosler BT Lead Free Varmint 40 gr bullet quite a bit out of my 223AI and my 223 Rem at squirrels and they do a good job.

The Hornady 35 gr NTX Lead Free bullet is now my favorite squirrel bullet in the 223 Rem. I have not shot any coyotes with the Hornady NTX 35 gr bullet but I saw two friends of mine kill 7 coyotes with them and they did a good job on those 7 coyotes.

The Barnes 62 gr Varmint Grenades did a good job on coyotes out of my 243 WSSM and my 243 Win.

I have shot 4 coyotes with my 243 Win with the Nosler BT Lead Free Varmint 55 gr bullet. The other day I re-loaded some different 243 Win loads with different powders with the Nosler 55 gr bullets. If I can get the Nosler 55 gr Lead Free to group good I will quit using the Barnes 62 gr Varmint Grenades.
 
Another one for the Barnes TTSX in several calibers. On Pdogs the 55gr Nosler is OK out of the 22-250. We do not have to use them ( TEXAS) but I sometimes go places I do.
 
I don't have to shoot lead free at all, still switched every caliber over to ttsx/tsx for everything but plinking and prairie dogs. Best bullet I've ever used. I wouldn't shoot 100 of them a day for price reasons.

FWIW, you can switch back and forth all day, every day, and it doesn't matter. At all.

From what I've read on the varmint grenade, I'd expect a lot of fur damage and lost animals on anything bigger than a prairie dog.
 
From my experiences of shooting the 22 cal 50 gr and the 243 cal 62 gr Varmint Grenades they don't expand as reliably as most of the lead varmint bullets do.

I shot some ground squirrels that crawled off while shooting the 22 cal 50 gr Varmint Grenades out of my 223 Rem. I never saw that happen with lead varmint bullets.

I get way more exit holes on coyotes with my 243 Win shooting 62 gr Varmint Grenades than I got when I shot 75 gr V-Max lead bullets.
 
Originally Posted By: NdIndyI don't have to shoot lead free at all, still switched every caliber over to ttsx/tsx for everything but plinking and prairie dogs. Best bullet I've ever used. I wouldn't shoot 100 of them a day for price reasons.

FWIW, you can switch back and forth all day, every day, and it doesn't matter. At all.

From what I've read on the varmint grenade, I'd expect a lot of fur damage and lost animals on anything bigger than a prairie dog.

Regarding TSX/TTSC: Barnes used to recommend cleaning every 15-20 shots or when accuracy degrades, also not switching back and forth between Barnes copper and regular lead/copper bullets. Barnes has deleted that info from their web site since I last looked in Jan. Apparently their phone techs also gave this advice.

I have not tried myself, I have followed Barnes' advice up till now.
 
62 TSX 223AI ...coyote
IMG_0168.jpg
 
While not my main bullet in my 220 Swift, I do shoot the Barnes 36 gr Varmint Grenade at well over 4000 fps using AA2700 powder. I have shot several coyotes with it and never has splashing, torn up fur or anything like other reports from earlier posts.
It is not my "go to" bullet as long range (beyond 400 yards) it just does not have the energy but for any coyotes inside 400 I have had good luck with it.
In fact, the two coyotes in my avatar were shot with the Barnes 36 gr Varmint Grenades.
 
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