Lead isn’t the only bad-boy bullet material out there anymore. Steel is coming under fire for its propensity to ignite blazes when it ricochets. Most competitive shooters already know that steel ammo is a no-no for matches that have metal targets.
Showing up with bullets that are magnetic is the easiest way to get DQ-ed because no one wants their expensive plates being damaged by steel-core ammo.
But it looks like the problems with steel extend beyond that. According to a story in the Salt Lake Tribune, steel bullets started at least 18 fires in Utah last year, one of which burned more than 1,600 acres.
As a result of these incidents and a study conducted at the U.S. Forest Service’s Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, the Bureau of Land Management has banned the use of steel-cored ammo on public lands in Utah.
I’m hoping this ban doesn’t spread elsewhere, but to prevent that from happening we need to think twice before running steel ammo through our guns in areas where there is a fire risk.