The military experimented with tungsten bullets in the northeast (MD or NH, I can’t remember) and found that the tungsten was actually worse.

Right now, the race to develop green ammo is proceeding pretty slowly, but it will most likely accelerate now that CA has passed this lead ban, and more and more shooting ranges are being challenged to protect the environment. Copper ammo (Barnes) is good, but still expensive. There are other alternatives, but most are still very new and haven’t been tested thoroughly.

By the way, for most hunters who are interested in “going green”, the Barnes bullets really do offer superior performance in many guns. While there are some folks who’ve had negative experiences, the newer bullets such as the TSX and MRX are pretty consistent in turning out tight groups and excellent terminal performance. The original “X” bullet from Barnes was more problematic, and is usually the culprit when you read or hear about horror stories such as barrel fouling, inconsistent accuracy, etc. This isn’t a plug for Barnes, so much as it is to suggest that folks give it a try before knocking it.

By the way, if you’re opposed to anti-lead legislation, I’d encourage you to get active in the legislative process and discussions now and stay that way. Sportsmen need to make their voices heard, or we’ll continue to be treated as a politically insignificant “fringe” group… as we have seen here in California.

Thanks for the link, Moose.