At the heart of the British shooting lifestyle is the collective respect for nature. In 2020, the effects of lead shots were becoming a concern for our natural environments and caused industry leaders to reevaluate our impact. In a bid to protect the wildlife while still respecting the heritage of British shooting, it was decided that lead shot and single-use plastics would slowly be replaced by non-toxic options. 

This news doesn’t alter the current rules and lead shot may still be used for the time being. To help you better understand these new regulations, we’ve developed a guide detailing what the non-toxic options are and what you can use in your gun and on the field.

This news doesn’t alter the current rules and lead shot may still be used for the time being. To help you better understand these new regulations, we’ve developed a guide detailing what you can use in your gun and on the field and also a separate document below detailing what is available today on the market for both steel shot and non-toxic cartridges.

At the heart of the British shooting lifestyle is the collective respect for nature. In 2020, the effects of lead shots were becoming a concern for our natural environments and caused industry leaders to reevaluate our impact. In a bid to protect the wildlife while still respecting the heritage of British shooting, it was decided that lead shot and single-use plastics would slowly be replaced by non-toxic options. 

This news doesn’t alter the current rules and lead shot may still be used for the time being. To help you better understand these new regulations, we’ve developed a guide detailing what the non-toxic options are and what you can use in your gun and on the field.

Our factory can conduct an assessment and provide a technical report on your shotgun, including the barrel and action condition, and offer an opinion as to which category of steel shot cartridge is suitable for use in your gun. Where appropriate, we’ll recommend the required work if you want to have your gun brought up to a high-performance steel-proof standard.

We can also advise what type of non-toxic cartridge your gun is currently suitable for.

We always recommend consulting a gunmaker before using steel shot in your shotgun. The cost for the assessment is £160 (plus VAT) per gun.

For more information or to arrange the service, please contact Daisy Wales in the Purdey Gunroom at +44(0)20 3428 2121 or email allan.utermark@purdey.com

The barrel assessment includes:

• General barrel condition
• Chamber size
• Barrel wall thickness
• Bore size
• Choke configuration
• Barrels on/off the face of the action
• Action assessment
• General condition of action
• How tight is the gun