New York State Hunters Facing a Lead Ammo Ban

[Grouse]

If this passes and you stocked up on lead hunting rounds, you will be pissed.  With just a week left in the legislative session, Assembly Bill A5728 has passed out of committee and will be voted on by the full Senate and Assembly and could go to the governor’s desk before the session ends on June 10.

New York State Hunters Facing a Lead Ammo Ban

 

https://www.fieldandstream.com/uncategorized/lead-ammo-ban-new-york?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR08C2uQqwB7pQR4Yqp7ibEj7iLPBEzj7KJqJN8w27ye7CVpEqMb22jfcz0

Edited June 6, 2021 by Grouse

[SpacemanSpiff]

Is this ban for public land hunting only?

[Nomad]

Yes state owned land only .

[Lawdwaz]

33 minutes ago, Nomad said:

Yes state owned land only .

Just let them get a foot in the door.....

[grampy]

8 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

Just let them get a foot in the door.....

Exactly right. The gun control nuts can't get what they want in one big grab. But little by little they keep chipping away. As we all know, NY is NOT gun friendly. Wake up and stand up.

[suburbanfarmer]

7 hours ago, grampy said:

Exactly right. The gun control nuts can't get what they want in one big grab. But little by little they keep chipping away. As we all know, NY is NOT gun friendly. Wake up and stand up.

No ground left to stand on, do our time and move to free merica, where ever possible. TX TN etc

[Grouse]

10 hours ago, Nomad said:

Yes state owned land only .

Not only state land.  NYC watershed lands as well, meaning ALL land within the NYC watershed area, public or private.  That includes most of the land in the Catskills, which is a huge area.

[132 eight pointer]

I am a state land hunter for decades. This is a stab in the back to us that have helped pay for State lands. The forests I hunt in Western N.Y. have nothing to do with the N.Y.C. watershed.This is anti-hunter combined with a feel good environmental protection fantasy.People are murdered frequently near where I work in Rochester and THIS is what the Democrats in the assembly find to be a priority? So I guess I will send my lead slugs to the landfill seeing as I won't have much use for them if this nonsense passes. Maybe the sponsors of this bill could be even greener and hand out condoms to the wildlife on State lands.

[132 eight pointer]

I received an email response from my state senator a few days ago . This bill will not be voted on until January now. So plenty of time for those that oppose banning lead ammo to take five minutes and send an email to your state reps in the Assembly and Senate.Please stand up for what you believe in. Too many are silent.

[Grouse]

Lead and Non-lead Hunting Ammunition: Interagency Working Group Convenes to Address a Complex Problem

This issue has been gaining a lot of attention nationally and internationally, with some jurisdictions restricting use of lead ammunition for big game and others setting up educational campaigns or incentive programs to increase understanding of the issue and promote a transition from lead to non-lead ammunition. To tackle this issue, DEC recently initiated a working group that brings together a variety of interest groups to conduct a comprehensive examination of the risks posed by lead hunting ammunition to wildlife and people in New York. The working group includes representatives from DEC, the New York State Department of Health, Cornell University’s Wildlife Health Program, and organized hunting and conservation groups. The group seeks first to thoroughly understand the issue and identify and engage key interest groups to understand their concerns. Then, after the comprehensive review and by December 31, 2021, DEC and the working group will develop recommendations to minimize the risks posed by lead in the environment from hunting ammunition and communicate this information to key interest groups and the public.

[greensider]

I will never use all copper ammunition don’t really care what laws they make 

[Nomad]

9 minutes ago, blackbeltbill said:

How much would this all Copper Ammo cost. I am guessing  much higher of course. 

 Guess time will tell how all this goes...

Higher and currently less of it is made . A wise hunter may wish to have some just in case it passes , because then all the guys who don’t follow these issues will all be out looking for it at once . 

[Grouse]

My research in 2020 indicated I could buy budget level hunting ammo for my .30-06 for $17 per box.  Privi-Partisan (PPU) 165 gr boat tail soft point was offered at that price online at a few places. 

Premium .30-06, like Winchester Supreme 165gr BTSP was $25 per box.  Many premium loads were more.

The least expensive copper .30-06 I could find in 2020 was $35 per box.  And that was not premium ammo.

So copper ammo tends to sell for about double the cost of standard hunting ammo.

 

With today's high prices, even with prices coming down some, copper ammo is still double the price of standard hunting ammo, bringing budget copper ammo to about $50 per box, if you can find it, and the variety of bullet weights is far less.  I cannot find any 150 gr copper bullets loaded in any ammo.

I have hand loaded copper ammo for my hunting rifles to be prepared, but all copper bullets are twice the cost of standard soft points in any caliber.  I have two boxes of copper ammo for all of my hunting rifles now, but won't hunt with it unless forced to.

Anyone who says copper isn't much more expensive than regular ammo, isn't talking about regular standard ammo.  They are comparing it to the most expensive premium ammo.

This law will definitely increase the cost of shooting.

Edited June 18, 2021 by Grouse

[virgil]

43 minutes ago, Grouse said:

My research in 2020 indicated I could buy budget level hunting ammo for my .30-06 for $17 per box.  Privi-Partisan (PPU) 165 gr boat tail soft point was offered at that price online at a few places. 

Premium .30-06, like Winchester Supreme 165gr BTSP was $25 per box.  Many premium loads were more.

The least expensive copper .30-06 I could find in 2020 was $35 per box.  And that was not premium ammo.

So copper ammo tends to sell for about double the cost of standard hunting ammo.

 

With today's high prices, even with prices coming down some, copper ammo is still double the price of standard hunting ammo, bringing budget copper ammo to about $50 per box, if you can find it, and the variety of bullet weights is far less.  I cannot find any 150 gr copper bullets loaded in any ammo.

I have hand loaded copper ammo for my hunting rifles to be prepared, but all copper bullets are twice the cost of standard soft points in any caliber.  I have two boxes of copper ammo for all of my hunting rifles now, but won't hunt with it unless forced to.

Anyone who says copper isn't much more expensive than regular ammo, isn't talking about regular standard ammo.  They are comparing it to the most expensive premium ammo.

This law will definitely increase the cost of shooting.

I just ordered three boxes of Hornady 180 grain 30-06 yesterday from Outdoor Limited and my buddy ordered three boxes of 270.  i paid $50 per box.  Those three boxes will last me for years.

[Swamp_bucks]

On 6/17/2021 at 9:09 AM, Nomad said:

Higher and currently less of it is made . A wise hunter may wish to have some just in case it passes , because then all the guys who don’t follow these issues will all be out looking for it at once . 

Just placed an order for 3 boxes of 30-06 through my local shop. Hopefully they come in this summer

[Grouse]

48 minutes ago, virgil said:

I just ordered three boxes of Hornady 180 grain 30-06 yesterday from Outdoor Limited and my buddy ordered three boxes of 270.  i paid $50 per box.  Those three boxes will last me for years.

Copper ammo?  Which Hornady round?  How much was the shipping?  

A 180 gr copper bullet is a long bullet and may require a faster twist rate than your 06 has in the bore.  A 150 gr copper projectile is as long as a 180 gr lead projectile.  Longer bullets need a faster twist.

Edited June 18, 2021 by Grouse

[virgil]

31 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Copper ammo?  Which Hornady round?  How much was the shipping?  

A 180 gr copper bullet is a long bullet and may require a faster twist rate than your 06 has in the bore.  A 150 gr copper projectile is as long as a 180 gr lead projectile.  Longer bullets need a faster twist.

Hornady 30-06 Superformance 180gr. SST.  Shipping $14.95

 

[dbHunterNY]

5 minutes ago, virgil said:

Hornady 30-06 Superformance 180gr. SST.  Shipping $14.95

GMX is the lead free hornady stuff. sst has a lead core.

[Grouse]

Wow, Superformance SST is going for $50 per box now?  (With shipping they come to $55/box)

I wonder what the GMX loads are going for.

Edited June 19, 2021 by Grouse

[Farflung]

Grouse-you mentioned that  DEC has convened a interagency group to study the  lead issue. What  are the  hunting groups and conservation groups that are representing the sportsmen/shooters of NY. I might like to be involved, at least peripherally. 

[ATbuckhunter]

I personally only use non-lead ammo in all of my hunting, but I wouldnt want to impose this on anyone else. I just dont feel its right to do that as well as not really seeing too many benefits to it. 

[NonTypical]

I have some GMX as well as Barnes solid copper in 6.8SPC that I no longer need and are for sale. Just sayin...

Edited June 21, 2021 by NonTypical

[avg. joe]

I use all copper, my choice. I've been loading the Barnes bullets for deer for several years in 30.06. They are great in the .06, but, as was stated earlier, some rifles don't have the twist rate for them. That could lead to some testing different bullet weights to get one that works, and that could get pricey and even to the point of not being able to find the ammo to figure it out. This isn't the time for this. Bullets are in demand and scarce in some cases. If they plan on doing this it could lead to a bigger lack of hunters in the field. You can't shoot if you don't have ammo!

[ADK Native]

From what I have read, the politicians supporting this lead ammo ban state its because "lead" is a "health hazard".

These same politicians voted for the legalization of marijuana.  Obviously these politicians pick and choose what is a "health hazard".  A number of doctors have warned the use of marijuana in some people leads to mental illness, not to mention it is a gateway drug for those who are so mentally ill they need more powerful drugs to be intoxicated.  Added to the is the "health hazard" of everyone who uses marijuana does so to become intoxicated.  These leaves them vulnerable to accidents, a real health hazard. 

 

 

[Grouse]

The concern about lead ammo on the watershed lands seems to be speculative.  Those lands have been hunted with lead ammo forever.  Is there a lot of lead in watershed water now?  If not, why is there a concern there will be?  Seems more like an abusive power grab to burden Catskill area hunters with such a ban, when there is little evidence it is more of an issue there than in the rest of the state.