Now that the government has announced their four-year timeline for the banning of lead ammunition, many shooting people will be asking: will my shotguns be consigned to history come the 2029/30 shooting season?
The resounding answer from gunsmiths, the proof houses, cartridge manufacturers and shooting organisations is ‘no’. No matter whether you have a pair of 19th century best English sidelocks, a Spanish boxlock or a modern Italian over and under, there is a non-lead option available for most already.
The advice given out by the proof houses on use of steel shot with shotguns suggests that ‘standard steel’ shot only be used in guns proofed from 1954 onwards and with chokes not tighter than ½. ‘High performance steel’ shot should only be used in barrels proofed for that shot type, indicated by a fleur de lys proof mark. Damascus barrels are deemed unsuitable for any type of steel shot.
If your gun conforms to those criteria then great, there are options available for 2 ½” and 2 ¾” chambers in standard steel game loads in 12 bore and 20 bore. Even better, these standard steel game loads have bio-degradable wads, eliminating pollution of the countryside entirely. These loads work just as effectively as lead on almost all birds shown in shoots across Britain. I have used 2 ½” chamber 30g steel cartridges through my 1904 Westley Richards with success on shoots across England, including on late January cock pheasants which could only be considered ‘high birds’. And yes, 1904 is clearly before 1954, but the barrels have taken plenty of steel shot and held up without blemish.
There is also a solution if your gun is choked tighter than ½, has Damascus barrels, is particularly old, has thin barrel walls or is of a less-usual bore size. The slight hiccough is that the solution bears a higher cost. Bismuth cartridges are available for all of these eventualities but the cartridges are rather more expensive than equivalent lead or steel loads. If you want to continue using your great-grandmother’s 19th century, Damascus barrelled, 16 or 28 bore hammer gun then this is your option. When the complaints come flying in that bismuth cartridges are unaffordable, it might be worth considering that if one is paying £50 + VAT for every pheasant on a day’s shooting, an extra £1.50 per shot is quite a small percentage increase.
Cartridge manufacturers have a considerable task ahead of them to meet full demand of game and clay shooters by summer 2029, but have already made great progress in load development. There have been obstacles hindering the path in the last few years such as the pandemic, global supply chain tumult and the various wars raging in Europe and the Middle East. These obstacles show little sign of slowing up, but cartridge manufacturers won’t have a choice – adapt and overcome is their only option. In due course even more fantastic non-lead cartridge varieties will be rolling off their factory floors to cater for all needs.
A wide variety of steel shot loads for game shooting is readily available on the market today, and the Alliance encourages all guns to try it out this coming season and get ahead of the curve. The future is inevitable and leaving lead behind is essential for the long term sustainability of shooting. Other countries that gave up lead shot years ago have not stopped using old guns, the same can and will be said for us. We can rest assured those who rightly champion the proud gunmaking heritage of Britain have years of good sport to come.
If you are unsure about the suitability of your guns for non-lead shot, it is recommended that you seek the advice of a reputable gunsmith.