Lead free bullet guides
Everything we get asked about moving to lead free: which Fox Classic Hunter weight suits your cartridge and your quarry, what changes when you switch from lead, and where the rules are heading. Written for UK stalkers. Browse the shop.
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The complete reference for the Fox Bullets range sold in the UK.
Fox Bullets: complete guide
What Fox Bullets are, how the copper-zinc Classic Hunter is built, which calibres and weights are made, and where to buy them in the UK.
Full range, specs and prices
Every Fox Classic Hunter weight stocked in the UK, with ballistic coefficient, bullet length, box quantity and current price.
By calibre
Which Fox Classic Hunter weights exist in each bullet diameter.
6mm / .243 lead free bullets
Both Fox Classic Hunter weights in 6mm (.243) — 80gr and 100gr — what each suits, and the twist rate you need.
6.5mm / .264 lead free bullets
All three Fox Classic Hunter weights in 6.5mm — 100gr, 123gr and 139gr — with ballistic coefficients and what each is for.
.270 / .277 lead free bullets
Both Fox Classic Hunter weights in .270 (.277) — 130gr and 145gr — and which one suits red and fallow.
.30 / .308 lead free bullets
All three Fox Classic Hunter weights in .30 calibre — 130gr, 150gr and 165gr — and which cartridges they suit.
By cartridge
Loading Fox Classic Hunter in the common UK stalking cartridges.
.243 Winchester
Which Fox Classic Hunter weight to load in a .243 Winchester, the twist rate question, and what the 2029 restriction means for the calibre.
6mm Creedmoor
Fox Classic Hunter in the 6mm Creedmoor: why the faster twist opens up the heavier option, and which weight to pick.
6.5 Creedmoor
All three Fox Classic Hunter 6.5mm weights in the 6.5 Creedmoor, and why the 123 grain is the one most people should load.
6.5×55 Swedish
Loading Fox Classic Hunter in the 6.5×55, including the pressure caution that applies to older Mauser actions.
.260 Remington
Fox Classic Hunter in the .260 Remington, and the twist rate question that separates older rifles from newer ones.
6.5 PRC
Fox Classic Hunter in the 6.5 PRC: why the 139 grain is the natural pairing for a fast, flat magnum 6.5mm.
.270 Winchester
Both Fox Classic Hunter .277 weights in the .270 Winchester, and why this cartridge takes to monolithics easily.
.270 WSM
Fox Classic Hunter in the .270 Winchester Short Magnum, and the seating depth question that comes with a short, fat case.
.308 Winchester
All three Fox Classic Hunter .30 calibre weights in the .308 Winchester, and why this is one of the easiest cartridges to move off lead.
.30-06 Springfield
Fox Classic Hunter in the .30-06: more case capacity, a long action and no twist rate worries.
.300 Winchester Magnum
Fox Classic Hunter in the .300 Win Mag, and why high velocity changes what you should expect from a monolithic.
.300 WSM
Fox Classic Hunter in the .300 Winchester Short Magnum, and the seating depth trade-off of a short action.
By quarry
Bullet choice for each of the UK deer species.
Lead free bullets for roe
Which Fox Classic Hunter weight suits roe deer, the legal minimums in England, Wales and Scotland, and why lighter usually wins.
Lead free bullets for muntjac
Bullet choice for muntjac, the separate legal minimums that apply to them in England and Wales, and why placement beats power.
Lead free bullets for CWD
Bullet choice for Chinese water deer, the lower statutory threshold that applies to them, and what their habitat means for shot selection.
Lead free bullets for fallow
Which Fox Classic Hunter weight suits fallow, the legal minimums across the UK, and why fallow deserve more bullet than roe.
Lead free bullets for red
Bullet choice for Britain's largest deer, the legal minimums in England, Wales and Scotland, and why penetration matters most.
Lead free bullets for sika
Why sika are tougher than their size suggests, which Fox Classic Hunter weight to choose, and the legal minimums that apply.
The lead-free transition
What the phase-out of lead ammunition means in practice.
UK lead ammunition restriction
The confirmed timetable for restricting lead ammunition in Great Britain, the 6.17mm calibre threshold, and which shooters are affected.
Switching before 2029
A season-by-season plan for moving your deer rifle off lead in good time, rather than in a rush the winter before the deadline.
Rules across the UK nations
How the lead ammunition restrictions apply across Great Britain, why Northern Ireland sits under a different framework, and what to check locally.
Forestry England and public land
Why many stalkers on public forestry have already moved to lead free, and what land manager policy means alongside the legal timetable.
Game dealers and venison buyers
Why parts of the venison supply chain ask for non-lead carcasses, and what that means for a stalker selling into it.
Lead in game meat
The health and environmental case behind the move away from lead ammunition, and what it means for people who eat what they shoot.
Technical guides
Twist rate, zeroing, fouling, expansion and reloading.
Twist rate for lead free bullets
Monolithic bullets are longer than lead bullets of the same weight, so twist rate matters more. How to check yours will stabilise the weight you want.
Choosing a lead free bullet weight
Why matching your old lead bullet weight is usually the wrong move, and how to pick the right monolithic weight instead.
Zeroing lead free bullets
Why your point of impact shifts when you change to a monolithic bullet, and how to work back to a reliable zero.
Copper fouling and cleaning
Why lead free bullets leave copper in the rifling, how alloy bullets reduce it, and how to clean a barrel without damaging it.
Reloading Fox Classic Hunter
What changes when you handload a monolithic bullet: seating depth, jump to the lands, case capacity and a safe approach to working up.
How lead free bullets expand
The mechanism behind controlled expansion in a monolithic bullet, and why the depth of the tip cavity is the design variable that matters.
Ballistic coefficient explained
What G1 ballistic coefficient actually means, when it matters for stalking, and the published BC of every Fox Classic Hunter weight.
Terminal performance and carcass damage
What happens when a monolithic bullet strikes a deer, why penetration is deeper than the grain weight suggests, and what it means for the venison.
Comparisons
How Fox Classic Hunter compares with other lead-free bullets.
Copper-zinc vs solid copper
Why some lead free bullets are turned from pure copper and others from a copper-zinc alloy, and what the difference means for accuracy, fouling and expansion.
Fox vs Barnes TSX / TTSX
How the copper-zinc Fox Classic Hunter compares with the solid copper Barnes TSX and TTSX for UK deer stalking.
Fox vs Hornady CX
Two copper-alloy monolithic hunting bullets compared: material, tip design and what each is built for.
Fox vs Sako Powerhead Blade
Two European lead free hunting bullets compared, and why the components-versus-factory-ammunition question usually decides it.
Fox vs Norma EcoStrike
Two European lead free hunting bullets compared on material, tip design and availability as reloading components.
Fox vs Nosler E-Tip
Both are alloy monolithics with polymer tips. What actually separates the Fox Classic Hunter from the Nosler E-Tip.