[cet]

I read an interesting article on the topics which can be found here:



http://www.policeandsecuritynews.com/janfe...eammunition.htm



Is anyone using non-toxic ammo? Given how much lead gets in the air at indoor ranges, it sounds like it would be the safest to shoot.



Any ideas on how much more it typically costs than the cheapest stuff?



Any recommendations on a particular brand?



Many Thanks!



Cet.

 

[srva]

I have used frangible/non-toxic ammunition quite a bit.



+

Works fine - Fired over 2000 at Thunder Ranch witout a problem

Clean - They generally don't dirty the gun to badly

At in indoor range they are really nice, as long as everyone is using them or you are alone.

Frangible is great for shooting steel targets as there is no splash back even when shooting as close as 5 yards.



-

Winclean and Federal NT are clean and reliable but should not be used for steel as they seem to splash back more than lead jacketed bullets.

Expensive - Cost the same as premium jacketed ammunition

Difficult to reload - Need to get non-toxic primers and be careful not to break the bullet during seating/crimping



Suppliers



I have purchased loaded ammunition from TTI Armory and it is very reliable.

 

[raz-0]

Yeah, I've got to mess with some of them.



Cost? Absurd on frangibles. at least the ones I have used are sintered copper for the most part, and copper prices are through the roof. Even before the last copper spike, we were looking at a cost roughly 3.5-4x the cost of FMJ plinker ammo for loaded ammo.



Beyond cost, there is also a QC issue. It's not hard to "undercook" the formula and get VERY fragile bullets, or to "overcook" them and get armor piercing bronze bullets. As far as serious social situations go, I'd be concerned about uniform performance. For practice, i guess it is less of an issue.



Another problem, especially form a LEO standpoint is training with .223 rifles. The frangibles tend to break tips of the bullet off on the feed ramp every now and then.



then there is the biggest problem IMO. Which is that they are largely sintered copper. Yeah, you can shoot a steel plate at a few feet, and it's like getting sand thrown in your face. However, That's lots of little copper particles coming back. Most people don't seem to realize copper is toxic in your system much like lead, just not quite as bad. Mouthfulls of fine particulate copper aren't good for you either.



IMO, the "safest" stuff to practice with is TMJ or hollow point ammo over lead-free primers. Since It appears PMC is effectively gone, the only choice for non-tox primers is alaso gone.





The other good choice is to practice outdoors.