Life's too short to worry about burned out barrels. LOL. They're fun while they last. I've gone thru the factory barrel and now have a Shilen we're installing. Unfortunately I have to shoot non-lead bullets only, (California), but I've had pretty good luck with those in other calibers. I've got some 85 TSX and 80 TTSXs to work up once we're finished.
Even a rifle I bought with a burned out barrel without being told doesn't bother me. Just got a new barrel. It looks so sweet!
About copper. California's reasons by politics are crud. There are real reasons to use lead free ammo.
I to am California. Since I was 14 I used strictly non-lead for killing critters. One simple reason, I love raptors. I have rescued too many raptors with lead poisoning from eating critters shot with lead and not found or not picked up.
I have never ever had an issue with copper projectiles not performing. Just the opposite, they sometimes over perform.
Last week I decided to use up some 30-30 by busting some ground squirrels. Topped with Barnes 150 TSX FB, I had loaded these for close work on deer but they have been sitting for 4 years. Iron sights 10 shots got me 3 squirrels at 100 to 200 yards prone. That is not the important part. What amazed me is the damage. At 200 yards the hole out was half a squirrel.
And the real kicker, I fed them to my hawks without worry of lead poisoning.
As for humans eating game shot with lead. Yes we have survived this for centuries. It's not the adults that are affected, as with the hawks, it's the young.
