The non-toxic ammunition conversation has been running in clay sports for fifteen years, and 2024 may be remembered as the year it moved from edge-case to mainstream. A handful of high-traffic venues now mandate lead-free loads on certain days, and the major manufacturers have responded with options that no longer feel like compromises.
Our field test put six lead-free options through a normal sporting course rotation. The results are mixed in the predictable places (pattern density at distance, secondary breaks on hard angles) but more even than the conventional wisdom would suggest. Two of the six performed as well as the lead loads we used as a baseline.
The full report covers patterns, on-course performance, and the price-per-shell math that determines whether non-toxic is a casual upgrade or a season-changing budget item.
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