Thousands of hunters are already experiencing the benefits of switching to lead-free ammunition. Whether you live in California where it’s required for hunting – or, like me, just want cleaner performance with less barrel fouling – copper (aka monolithic) bullets are the way to go.
You can find Barnes VOR-TX, which is the best lead-free hunting ammo, HERE. Or you can keep reading to learn all of my favorite lead-free hunting options in a variety of calibers.
Recommended Lead-Free Hunting Ammunition
| Category | Product |
|---|---|
| Best Overall | Barnes VOR-TX |
| Best for Deer Hunting | Winchester Copper Impact |
| Best for Elk | Hornady CX |
| Best for Bear | Federal Premium Trophy Copper |
| Best for Varmints | Nosler Ballistic Tip Lead Free |
| Best for Waterfowl | Fiocchi Golden Waterfowl Bismuth |
Best Overall: Barnes VOR-TX
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Readily available | Pricier than most other non-lead ammo |
| Clean shooting | |
| High ballistic coefficients | |
| Available in multiple calibers | |
| Great for reloading |
Why I Chose It
Barnes VOR-TX is top-of-the-line lead-free ammunition. It’s available in a wide range of easy-to-find rifle and handgun cartridges, such as:
Multiple variants of VOR-TX label ammo are available. Plain VOR-TX, which features Barnes’ lead-free TSX and polymer-tipped TTSX bullets, offers an excellent solution to any kind of hunt. VOR-TX LR label ammo showcases the superior long-range performance of the monolithic LRX. VOR-TX Safari (loaded with TSX bullets) and VOR-TX Reduced Recoil (TTSX) are both aptly named ammunition lines.
Barnes LRX
Barnes Long Range eXpanding (LRX) bullets are designed to exhibit impressively flat trajectories across vast distances, penetrate deeply, and fan out through penetration.
Barnes TTSX
Barnes Tipped Triple-Shock X (TTSX) bullets aren’t quite as ballistically efficient as the LRX, but still deliver deadly results on medium game throughout their respective cartridges’ effective ranges.
Barnes TSX
The cheapest of Barnes’ lead-free rifle bullet lineup, the Triple-Shock X (TSX) lacks a streamlined polymer tip but still kills swiftly courtesy of its high weight retention, capacity for deep penetration, and expansion, which takes the form of four sharp petals. Like the TTSX, the TSX features accuracy-enhancing Accu-Groove technology and a precision heel radius. As far as copper bullets go, you can’t go wrong with Barnes bullets. They’re reliable and effective on medium and large game, and generally fairly easy to find.
Continue reading Best Lead-Free Hunting Ammo: Is Copper the New Lead? on Ammo.com