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09-17-2006, 10:18 AM
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'Lead-free bullets'
'Lead-free bullets' safe for the environment.
New bullets: Lethal to humans, but environmentally friendly Europe's largest defence company has come under fire after it emerged that it is working on "environmentally friendly'' munitions, including lead-free bullets. The Campaign Against Arms Trade described the policies of BAE Systems as a "laughable'' attempt to make the company appear ethical. But BAE Systems said it was not embarrassed about its efforts to protect the environment or by a statement on its website that "lead used in ammunition can harm the environment and pose a risk to people". The firm's director of corporate social responsibility, Dr Debbie Allen, said that although it may seem strange to have a "green'' policy for munitions, it was important to consider their environmental impact. "Weapons are going to be used and when they are, we try and make them as safe for the user as possible, to limit the collateral damage and to impact as little as possible on the environment,'' Dr Allen said. Symon Hill, of the Campaign Against Arms Trade, told the Sunday Times: "BAE is determined to try to make itself look ethical, but they make weapons to kill people and it's utterly ridiculous to suggest they are environmentally friendly.'' A spokesman for BAE Systems said the firm, which stopped using depleted uranium in its products in 2003, had a clear policy governing efforts to safeguard the environment. On its website, the defence giant states that it also aims to design products that are safe to handle and transport. Such products include a range of "insensitive'' shells which are less likely to explode by accident and have an unlimited shelf life. 
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09-17-2006, 02:37 PM
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I personally like the idea. I'm all for helping out the environment. You get what you put out and if we're killing the environment and we live in it, what's there left for us?
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"Supplements are supplements to your training, nutrition & most of all attitude." -Mehdi
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09-17-2006, 04:30 PM
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at least when the last two people on the earth both die in a duel using lead free bullets the rest of the world can enjoy the enviroment.
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liberation through self brutalization, real men don't fear pain and thus can't be controled.
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09-18-2006, 01:08 AM
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when i used to do clay pigeon shooting with my dad, we had to use lead free shot as we were shooting out to sea...
thousands of pellets going out to sea every day x 365 x 15 years the club has been open ps, my dad came 4th in the world championships in america this year  Wooooooot
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Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead
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09-18-2006, 01:14 AM
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U.S. Military “Green Bullet”
A Technical Report by Don Mikko, US. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory non-toxic, frangible bullet development ABSTRACT This article is written in order to inform other firearms examiners of new non-toxic, frangible ammunition developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for America's military America's military is about to lock and load with new ammunition that's tough on enemies but easy on mother earth. It's known as the "Green Bullet", which is a new lead-free projectile that defense officials say is just as lethal as the standard 5.56mm without harming the environment. The Army led effort is designed to one day end the use of environmentally hazardous materials in small-arms munitions for all services. The new round will replace the copper-jacketed lead core with a copper-jacketed tungsten tin or nylon core Military officials hope the program will soothe growing environmental and health concerns that have led to the closing of hundreds of live-fire training sites around the country. Currently, the newly designed ammunition is restricted to small arms caliber's ranging from 9mm to .50 caliber. Engineers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are using powder metallurgy techniques to produce metal matrix composite simulants for lead. Bullets are being fabricated from mixtures of powdered metals, and/or coated metal powders or particulates that are consolidated to form dense metallic materials. High-density metals such as tungsten are mixed with lighter, softer metals such as tin and zinc to produce components with controlled density and mechanical properties. Powder metal mixtures are simply cold pressed to produce a high-density material. No heat treating or sintering of the composite simulants is necessary to achieve the appropriate properties. The combined processes of mechanical interlocking and "cold-welding" bond the metals together, and can be varied to control the properties of the non-lead core. Bullets can be pressed directly to shape, or cores can be produced that can be swaged into projectiles, with or without jacketing. Processing conditions and composition can be used to control density, i.e. ballistic performance and weapons functionality and impact properties, i.e. penetration and frangibility. The primary goal of the project is the development of functional, high density, non-toxic small arms projectiles with controlled impact behavior, i.e. frangibility, for training and field use. Preliminary results have been achieved using cold pressed mixtures of metal powders. Core materials with densities similar to lead have been fabricated and tested. Small caliber bullets including 5.56, 7.62,9mm, .38 and .45 caliber, have been produced employing the same techniques used for the construction of lead-containing bullets. Ammunition was assembled to match current specifications for the given caliber and test fired. Factors such as velocity and accuracy were recorded and found to be similar to those of the lead-containing projectiles. It was also found that terminal performance, i.e. impact properties, could be controlled through selection of materials and processing. An advantage of the powder metallurgy approach for the fabrication of bullets is the ability to vary the properties of the materials over a wide range. The impact properties of the bullet can be controlled through composition, selection of starting materials and processing conditions. The use of wetting agents and coatings has permitted even greater control of the bonding of the materials and thus terminal behavior. Another advantage of the powder metallurgy approach is that the composite core materials are completely recyclable. The binder and high-density metals are NOT chemically bound and the binder metal does NOT wet the dense constituent. The metals are easily reclaimed from the scrap collected at firing ranges employing simple heat treatments. This will provide a new and less expensive source of raw materials, inevitably lowering cost. In contrast, non-toxic simulants employing polymer binders will have to be burned to reclaim the metals, complicating the ability to cost-effectively reuse the materials. Conclusion The powder metallurgy approach has the potential not only to produce quality high density, non-toxic bullets that are a direct replacement for lead, but also to revolutionize many of the aspects of bullet design and performance. Significant reductions in environmental pollution can be achieved through the development of ammunition projectiles, which are composed, of materials that are not environmental or health hazards and are economically recyclable. Acknowledgement I would like to thank Mr. Rick Lowden for his contributions to this article. NOTE: The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the author and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.
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09-18-2006, 01:18 AM
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lead is being taken out of everything, not just bullets...
over-hyped by right wing 'ohhh but my gun wont hurt the big bad man any more' red necks. i work in the IT industry, lead free is a big thing here... British gas industry was absed on using lead pipes, now all being ripped out. people are just using this to back their arguments on some other agenda when the big picture is being missed. Lead is bad mckay....
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Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead
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09-18-2006, 01:25 AM
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Quote:
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09-18-2006, 01:28 AM
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it will have to go back to the days of 'they dont like it up'em'
__________________
Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead
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