What’s everyone’s take on copper bullets?

[Buckmaster7600]

What’s everyone’s take on copper bullets? I think every hunting rifle I own is now sighted in for copper bullets. I think the performance on critters surpasses lead in almost every way. My tractor AR was the last thing to get switched over within the last couple weeks. This time of year I’m constantly shooting woodchucks and other unwanted varmint around the farm while haying and food plotting. Although I know the evidence is very inconclusive we have a mating pair of eagles around that I’ve seen eating what’s left in the field and I don’t want to risk causing them harm. I can’t remember the last deer I killed with a lead bullet. 
 

I’m 100% against any kind of bans so I don’t want this taken the wrong way but I’m just curious who else has or won’t make the switch? 

[Wolc123]

I used Remington 12 ga copper sabots a year or two and they worked ok but didn’t group as well as the Hornady 2-3/4” SST’s that I use now.  Their performance inside the deer was better though.  I might have a box or two of those left.  
 

 Have you got any 150 gr (preferred) or 170 gr lead 30/30 Federal or Winchester deer hunting ammo stockpiled that you would be willing to part with ?

[Buckmaster7600]

56 minutes ago, Wolc123 said:

I used Remington 12 ga copper sabots a year or two and they worked ok but didn’t group as well as the Hornady 2-3/4” SST’s that I use now.  Their performance inside the deer was better though.  I might have a box or two of those left.  
 

 Have you got any 150 gr (preferred) or 170 gr lead 30/30 Federal or Winchester deer hunting ammo stockpiled that you would be willing to part with ?

Back when I hunted shotgun zones, I used those on my 20ga as well. They killed the hell out of deer!

 

I have lots of it but not that I’ll part with, sorry.

[grampy]

Back when it was shotgun only here. We killed a pile of deer with the copper solids. Worked great.

I just made up 100, 270 140gr Hornady SST's for my partner and my hunting rifles for this fall. But this winter I'm planning to make up a hundred or so rounds of a copper rifle bullet. Will play with the recipe a bit and see how they shoot? I certainly enjoy my time on the reloading bench. Also my trigger time on the range. So the experimentation will be fun.

From everything I've researched so far. The copper bullet will kill critters just as dead as a lead bullet. 

[Nontypical]

I’ve used copper slugs in my shotgun for years. I’ve always had good results with Barnes and Federal. 
For my rifle, I do have some Cavity Back Projectiles in 105g and 120g for my 6.8. They perform outstanding and have proven to be very accurate. Here’s a recent thread from another forum where he performed gel tests on both of them. 
https://www.68forums.com/threads/105mkz-vs-120mkz-gel-test.139510/#post-1472030

Edited August 6, 2023 by Nontypical

[dbHunterNY]

Cost sucks. Not a long range bullet at all. Just don't have the velocity for expansion. The fragmenting non-lead stuff from Lehigh and others might just make for a pita processing deer. They hit hard though and retain weight at reasonable distances.

[Larry]

I reload all my center fire rifle and handgun ammo. I do reload monolithic bullets and I do hunt with them. They work just fine in my 6.5 creed and my 6mm. but the only bullet for my 444 is the Barnes 225grhp and at the speeds of the 444 the peddles break-off. Wish Hornady made a 44cal. monflex. One thing you have to remember with a monotonic is the longer the range the less expansion you will get. For most of us that won't be a problem. One you don't have a problem with under penetration. I would not use a monothic on woodchucks unless they were made with powdered metal only because they won't come apart on impact there made to stay together. You have a greater chance of the bullet coming off the ground.

[Doebuck1234]

Have shot remington copper solids out of my mossberg deer gun sence I started deer hunting with it,if I do my part correctly it hits its mark

[sbuff]

Barnes and thor shoot great in my muzzleloaders . I think at some point the laws will require us to switch ,I'm not ready for that with my rifles . I have one box of underwood ammo for my mini 30 but haven't sited it in . 

 

[mowin]

At some point, we're going to have to switch. Public and private, at some point lead will be illegal to uses in any situation, making the stockpiles of ammo some have, useless. Government doesn't give two shits about the safety of critters, this is a slow methodical plan to make those stockpiles basically useless (in the governments eyes), and make ammo harder to get and more expensive. 

[ShootEm]

Funny I was just thinking about this exact topic. I've only ever used copper in 20ga slugs, which gave great results on the handful of deer taken with them.

Here's my dilemma, and I'd imagine a dilemma for most of us:

With the background checks for ammo looking "probable" for September, I was planning on making a big order to stock up. Now with the murmurs about lead bans, do I dare stock up on my Hornady American Whitetail and the usual suspects in 9mm and .45, basically rolling the dice that lead bans are a ways off and won't render the supply useless? Or do I put out the money for copper in at least rifle calibers to try to beat the background checks and not worry if the lead ban murmurs get louder?

[Ogee]

24 minutes ago, ShootEm said:

Funny I was just thinking about this exact topic. I've only ever used copper in 20ga slugs, which gave great results on the handful of deer taken with them.

Here's my dilemma, and I'd imagine a dilemma for most of us:

With the background checks for ammo looking "probable" for September, I was planning on making a big order to stock up. Now with the murmurs about lead bans, do I dare stock up on my Hornady American Whitetail and the usual suspects in 9mm and .45, basically rolling the dice that lead bans are a ways off and won't render the supply useless? Or do I put out the money for copper in at least rifle calibers to try to beat the background checks and not worry if the lead ban murmurs get louder?

Taking deer with the 9mm? What bullet and distance?

[dbHunterNY]

10 hours ago, Larry said:

I reload all my center fire rifle and handgun ammo. I do reload monolithic bullets and I do hunt with them. They work just fine in my 6.5 creed and my 6mm. but the only bullet for my 444 is the Barnes 225grhp and at the speeds of the 444 the peddles break-off. Wish Hornady made a 44cal. monflex. One thing you have to remember with a monotonic is the longer the range the less expansion you will get. For most of us that won't be a problem. One you don't have a problem with under penetration. I would not use a monothic on woodchucks unless they were made with powdered metal only because they won't come apart on impact there made to stay together. You have a greater chance of the bullet coming off the ground.

i initially looked into monolithic bullets because of shooting woodchucks. i'd shoot over 80 every year on the farm and didn't want it being a detriment to hawks and similar birds of prey. i had built up such a stock pile on lead core ammo and couldn't readily find say barnes varmint grenade stuff in 223 in enough quantity. numbers of chucks around are much lower and in check now. i instead shoot the ones i see in our fields and around the barnyard then toss them somewhere out of sight from above. with all the smaller fur bearers around they don't sit there long or go to waste.

[dbHunterNY]

7 minutes ago, Ogee said:

Taking deer with the 9mm? What bullet and distance?

not speaking for Shootem but i know multiple people that have taken deer using a 9mm within bow range. one used 124gr and the other 147gr self defense ammo. i've been meaning to also give a 9mm a go. I've got special 2 piece steel cased ammo made by Seismic that's loaded with 185gr hollow points and somewhere approaching 1,000 fps out of my full size P226. not non-lead ammo though.

[ShootEm]

25 minutes ago, Ogee said:

Taking deer with the 9mm? What bullet and distance?

Oh no, not for hunting, just talking FMJ and self defense ammo as I'd imagine those will be the next things they try to round up, ya know, for the "good of society".  I should've separated the rifle portion from the handgun part, my apologies!

Edited August 7, 2023 by ShootEm