Utah restricts steel core bullets

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is winchester white box, magtech and umc all lead core?

does it say on the box or something cuz i dont see it
 
It may or may not. WWB and Magtech FMJs are lead core but I don't know about UMC. Magnets are the only definitive test.
 
Handgun ammo is not steel core, if it is the ATF often determines it is subject to the federal law against 'armor piercing' handgun ammo, which determines if something is armor piercing based on what it is made of.
This has been stretched and applied to many rifle calibers for which there is also handguns, such as 7.62x39, 7.62x51/.308 etc This has prevented many from even buying surplus in such calibers, as many nations have made iron core or 'steel' core rounds in mass because they are less expensive than solid lead cores because iron is cheaper. Resulting in much of the world's surplus illegal in various calibers in the United States.
If it actually is a handgun caliber like 9mm you can be fairly certain none of the ammo you buy in a store for it will have a steel core.


If it is commercially sold handgun ammo it is very unlikely it has steel in it.
So you don't have to concern yourself buying ammo for your 9mm pistol. It won't have a steel core.
 
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I think that is a sound list of restrictions considering the possibilities. I just hope they are all lifted when the danger is over. That is what we shooters need to be vigilant about.
 
Once again, commercial handgun ammo (and just about ANY handgun ammo sold in the US) is not steel-cored. That's against federal law.

Rifle ammo may be.
 
Problem with that is you can get a false positive if the jacket is ferrous.

rule actually says steel jacket or core. magnet is the proper test. If you have a steel case then you should probably pull a bullet first.
 
This basically means mil-surplus ammo. The sale of the ammo isn't banned, they just don't want you shooting it outdoors on public land during a time of extreme fire danger.
 
"5. The use of any steel-jacketed or steel-core ammunition of any caliber."

Magnet test works since either jacket or core is covered under the regulation.

This sounds like it is only a restriction on what can be used when shooting on public lands, not a blanket restriction? If so, sounds reasonable in the dry season...
 
What do you bet the restriction is made permanent, though? Some dumbass here started a fire that's still going on. He fired off a Dragon's Breath shotgun round in the forest while drunk.
 
I don't like it, but it won't be permanent. Not here.

They are talking about Tula/Wolf ammo. I put out a request to everyone I know to tell them to not use this stuff for now, voluntarily. The brush here is so dry you can ignite it with telekinesis. This ammo will spark visibly in daylight. I shoot at a rock quarry where there is nothing to ignite.
 
A magnet won't prove it's steel. Maybe they need to include iron in the regs.

"5. The use of any steel-jacketed or steel-core ammunition of any caliber.""

I just stuck 3 rounds of 9mm Swiss-made RUAG/Geco ammo to a magnet on the refrigerator. The bullets are stuck to the magnet, not the cases. It has a bimetal jacket - iron covered with copper.

Somebody actually ran a lab test on the stuff:


"Results

Jacket wt.-18.32grains
Core wt.-105.422grains

Jacket
4.83% Cu (plating)
94.6% Fe
.63% traces of Zn, Pb, Bi, Ni, Cr, Al

Core
98.65% Pb
1.3% Cu
<.05% Al, Fe, Bi, Zn

Samples run on ICP-OES in aqueous acid solution (digestion), 10% Aqua Regia by volume.

Yes, 95% Iron jacket (not steel) with a 5% copper plating. Core is lead."
 
So your saying that iron is not magnetic or that it wont create spark? Or that the ban should include iron specifically?
I guess I don't get your point.
 
I'm surprised they didn't list tracer ammo. That stuff is much more of a fire hazard than steel jacketed ammo.
 
"So your saying that iron is not magnetic or that it wont create spark? Or that the ban should include iron specifically?
I guess I don't get your point."



My point was: A magnet won't prove a round of ammo has steel in it. It could have iron in it. So maybe they need to include iron in the regs to make it easy to test ammo.

The iron in my bullets stuck to the refrigerator magnet. Iron is an element and it's soft compared to steel. Iron is used to make steel, which is an alloy.

If they include iron in the state regs along with steel, then it would be easy to test ammo with a magnet.

I have no idea if a copper-covered soft iron jacket will spark or not. I try not to shoot at rocks and target hangers.

John
 
? Elemental iron isn't used to make anything.
Any alloy from crude cast iron to the finest steels will yield sparks when struck against something hard.
 
This will probably end up in a semantics gutter brawl but I put the steel/iron bullets in the same catagory as what we have come to know as steel shot as far as identification. AFAIK game wardens still use magnets to check the shot you use in the field so I would consider the same method to be used in enforcement of the temperary bullet ban.
I don't know the language in the specific ban but I guess ferrous metals should be what is used since they all can cause a spark and are magnetic.
 
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Tracers are already illegal on public land. I saw tome ammo marked 'tracer' in Sportsman's Warehouse a few weeks ago, and I called them on it, they said; "Would we sell it if it was illegal?" I bit it off and walked away.

It is not illegal to poses tracer ammunition. I'm no expert on BLM land regs since I'm not near any, but haven't read a law saying you can't shoot tracers on private land.
 
This will probably end up in a semantics gutter braul but I put the steel/iron bullets in the same catagory as what we have come to know as steel shot as far as identification..
I didn't really think of the steel shot deal.. don't shotgun birds so much.
Kinda ironic that to perhaps save a couple birds or something from groaking on ingested lead shot or something, perhaps many fires are started via steel shot. steel is steel
 
"Elemental iron isn't used to make anything."

There's the lab analysis. Where's the usual 1% or 2% carbon used to make steel?

"Jacket
4.83% Cu (plating)
94.6% Fe
.63% traces of Zn, Pb, Bi, Ni, Cr, Al"
 
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