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ABSTRACT
A complete transition to the use of lead-free ammunition in the UK is impeded mainly by concerns of the shooting
community about availability, prices, and effectiveness of lead substitutes. This paper assesses those claims. Steel,
Tungsten Matrix, and bismuth-tin shot cartridges are made in the UK and are readily available on-line. Lead–free rifle
bullets are imported, and are also available on-line. Steel shot and lead shot cartridges are priced similarly. Tungsten
Matrix and bismuth-tin shot cartridges, and lead-free rifle bullets cost more than their lead equivalents. However, those
costs are small compared with the total costs of shooting game in the UK. Based upon the experiences of hunters in the
USA, Denmark and Germany, it has been demonstrated that all UK game species can be hunted effectively with lead-
free gunshot and rifle ammunition. Regulations and prices affect, directly, product availability and public consumption.
Without broad government regulation, and in the face of low shooter compliance, little incentive exists to market lead
ammunition substitutes. It is concluded that, for both shotgun and rifle game shooting in the UK, there is no limitation
on availability or significant price barrier to adopting lead-free ammunition regulation. It is also concluded that any
future regulatory considerations should relate to the poisoning of wildlife, lead exposure to humans from eating lead-
shot game, and international obligations to reduce risks of lead exposure throughout migratory bird flyways.
Key words:Lead-free ammunition, non-toxic ammunition, shotgun, rifle, commercial availability, effectiveness, regulatory
comparisons
INTRODUCTION
Wildlife in both coastal and inland wetlands and in terrestrial
habitats of the UK are exposed to lead from several sources,
principally from lost fishing weights, shot from game and
target shooting, and spent bullets from game stalking. Wildlife,
primarily birds, are exposed to these either through direct
ingestion of shot from the environment, as with waterbirds
and terrestrial gamebirds, or ingestion of ammunition or its
fragments in the flesh of game animals or gralloch (gut pile),
as with scavenging or predatory raptors. A large number of
reports in the scientific press indicate that these forms of spent
lead constitute an established risk to animals (Butler et al. 2005,
Potts 2005, Thomas et al. 2009, Newth et al. 2013, Payne et al.
2013), and also humans who consume game meat killed with
lead ammunition (Knott et al. 2010, Pain et al. 2010, Green and
Pain 2012). The single problem of lead exposure in wildlife
and humans is best resolved by replacing lead used in fishing
weights and sporting ammunition (i.e. lead shotgun shot and
lead-based rifle bullets) with non-toxic substitutes (Thomas and
Guitart 2003, Thomas 2010).
Availability and use of lead-free shotgun and rifle
cartridges in the UK, with reference to regulations in
other jurisdictions
Vernon G. Thomas
Department of Integrative Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
Corresponding author email address: