How to choose your cartridges

In this video, Sylvain Lessard shares various tips to help hunters in choosing their ammunition. He discusses the difference between lead and copper bullets, as well as three well-known rifle cartridge manufacturers.

Transcription

Sylvain: We cannot stress enough the importance of going to the shooting range to become more familiar with your weapon, its mechanism and its performance. And most importantly, to adjust it. But I think that the hunter's main dilemma is in the choice of ammunition.

Cartridges are nowadays manufactured by many companies and the selection is so vast that choosing one can definitely be mind boggling! Take, for example, waterfowl ammunition, which is manufactured by many companies. Pellets come in all shapes and sizes and can be composed of various materials. It is very difficult to choose the right cartridge in relation to the targeted game. Is it a small duck, a cackling Canada goose or a giant Canada goose? Simply put, only a well-trained advisor will be able to answer you well.

I think that major trends regard the actual rifle. Historically, the rifle bullet is made of lead. Lead allows a sudden crushing in contact with the animal, rapidly causing death. However, drawbacks have recently been associated to lead. Among other things, it leaves a residue that can be toxic or even harmful to human health when eating your meat. It also has the annoying habit of breaking up into several small particles upon impact.

Did you know that certain wildlife territories currently require specific rifle bullets for their game?

Anyway, there are companies now that specialize in the manufacture of solid copper bullets. The advantage of copper is that it does not leave any toxic residue and that it retains its initial energy upon impact with the animal, causing a quick and clean death.