Clay shooting goes green
Moves away from conventional plastics are clearly well under way and the speed of change visibly increasing in pace with ever more products made from, or wrapped in, some form of ‘eco-friendly’ biodegradable biopolymer. Cartridges have come in for close attention ever since the BBC programme Drowning in Plastic aired some years ago and now heightened with moves to phase out lead shot.
Suitable materials that resolve the many issues raised and provide commercially viable alternatives are not readily found or sourced. Like it or not, steel shot is the only cost-effective option for the majority of volume use and brings issues of its own. Being very hard, steel shot requires stronger wads, especially for larger shot sizes and heavier loads. Extra-thick HDPE (high-density polyethylene) has been the proven solution until now. It remains to be seen if the newly developed biopolymers can fulfil the most arduous duties.
The Spanish BioAmmo company has shown great foresight and unwavering commitment to help shooters fight the evolving eco wars. Interestingly, this company makes its cartridge cases and wads from the biopolymers it has developed. These are used for its game and clay loads, in both lead and steel shot types. We received samples of each shot type for clays for review.
Clay Shooting magazine, now part of
