After a very long and complicated process we finally have a date for the ban on lead ammunition - 1 April 2029. The government has put down a Statutory Instrument which means that as of that date it will be illegal to sell or use lead cartridges or bullets with a very few exceptions. Those exceptions include bullets for rifles below (but not including) .243 calibre for which there is no effective alternative to lead, and shotgun cartridges for elite international athletes. 

This outcome has been inevitable for many years. Lead is toxic and has already been banned for many other uses. The prohibition process started when the UK was still in the EU, which is also heading towards a ban on a similar timetable.

For a long time, the question has therefore not been whether lead ammunition will be banned but when, and crucially what effect that will have on the shooting sector. Six or seven years ago the outlook for shotgun shooting in particular was worrying. Non-lead ammunition was not widely available. It was either expensive, of questionable quality, or in the case of effective steel loads contained plastic shot cups.

Some cartridge manufacturers were alive to the political reality and carrying out research and development, but others were in denial. Meanwhile shotgun owners were swimming in a sea of misinformation about the impact of the inevitable ban. If shooting was to avoid a cliff edge moment when lead was banned, then something had to change. It was in that scenario that in 2020 the Alliance, along with our colleagues at BASC, the National Gamekeepers Organisation, the GWCT and others, committed ourselves to a five-year voluntary transition away from lead ammunition. That announcement caused a big reaction in the shooting world, much of which was not positive, but generating a response was exactly the point. From cartridge manufacturers through to end users, it was critical that everyone accepted the reality of the situation and took the necessary steps to ensure a smooth transition, rather than putting their fingers in their ears and pretending that a ban was not going to happen.

Personally, I have not used lead since that announcement, nor have I used steel with plastic shot cups which was (regrettably) the staple for wildfowlers until biodegradable shot cups became available. I have experimented with a whole range of cartridges in different guns, from modern 12 bores to 20 bores to vintage guns, and have never felt that my shooting has been constrained by my cartridge. Some would point out that given my shooting, missing with steel is no different to missing with lead, but I have silenced quite a few shoot lunch philosophers by telling them that I have been using steel whilst they opine on how ineffective it is.

What has changed fundamentally since 2020 is that there are now non-lead cartridges available for nearly every gun for nearly every purpose. In most cases that is a steel load and there has been a growing understanding that standard steel cartridges can be used in nearly all guns and is perfectly adequate for the vast majority of shooting scenarios. Of course, there have been and will continue to be some issues. If you are in the small minority who shoot with a Damascus barrelled gun or a .410 then steel is not going to work for you, but there are other solutions. If you are shooting at stratospheric birds then you will probably need high performance steel and a modern steel proofed gun, but let’s be honest you have probably not been shooting them with an English side by side and 28 grams of 6s.

Now that we have a date it is time to grasp the nettle, make sure you have a non-lead cartridge you are happy with and is suitable for your gun. Whilst the ban does not come in until April 2029, the reality is that supplies of lead ammunition will become restricted well before that date as manufacturers switch over to non-lead production and look to clear their stocks.

The good news is that the outlook for shooting is good. We can have confidence that the transition away from lead is not going to have a significant negative impact on game or clay shooting, both of which will continue to thrive. There is a battle to fight over shotgun licensing, but beyond that the move away from lead is a positive both for the environment and the game market. By accepting political reality and embracing the opportunities that change brings shooting will only grow stronger.