Winchester Ammunition is offering two new lead-free products to better meet range requirements designed to curb toxins spread from lead-based ammo.
Both feature zinc core full metal jacket bullets with lead-free primers: a 9mm Luger 90-grain load with a muzzle velocity of 1,325 feet per second (fps) and a .40 S&W 120-grain that flies at 1,250 fps, according to a press release.
"Today’s shooters are a diverse crowd, and they are also extremely eager to spend as much time on the range as possible," Brett Flaugher, Winchester Ammunition vice president of marketing, sales and strategy, said in the release.
"That means it is vital to produce ammunition that performs at a high level, capable of being used in any modern firearm, is affordable and that meets the requirements of the ranges where they shoot," he added. "These two new Super Clean products do just that."
Some 15 percent of the U.S. population -- or 34.4 million people -- participate in target shooting, according to a 2010 study by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Lead-based ammo can spread lead vapor and dust, exposure to which can cause health problems.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends for workers and shooters to take steps to protect themselves from lead exposure in party by by using personal protective equipment such as gloves, eye and ear protection, and full outer clothing; and by washing hands and face with soap and water or lead decontamination wipes after shooting or handling spent cartridge cases or cleaning weapons -- especially before eating and drinking.
