Green bullet

M855A1 projectiles for 5.56×45mm NATO rifles replace traditional lead alloy cores with an environmentally friendly copper core with a 19-grain (1.2 g) steel "stacked-cone" penetrating tip.
Solid copper bullets typical of the majority of nonlead ammunition certified for hunting in California.[1] The .25 caliber (6.4 mm) bullet on the left has a small cylindrical cavity in the nose, and the .35 caliber (9 mm) bullet on the right has a larger cavity holding an aerodynamic plastic tip.

Green bullet, green ammunition or green ammo are nicknames for a United States Department of Defense program to eliminate the use of hazardous materials from small arms ammunition and from small arms ammunition manufacturing. Initial objectives were elimination of ozone-depleting substances, volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals from primers and projectiles. These materials were perceived as causing difficulties through the entire life cycle of ammunition. The materials generated hazardous wastes and emissions at manufacturing facilities and use of ammunition caused contamination at shooting ranges. Potential health hazards made demilitarization and disposal of unused ammunition difficult and expensive.[2]

The Joint Working Group for Non-Toxic Ammunition was formed by the Small Caliber Ammunition Branch of the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center in October 1995. Members of the working group included the National Guard of the United States, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Army Infantry School, the Industrial Operations Command, the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the United States Department of Energy Kansas City Plant.[2]

  1. ^ "Certified Nonlead Ammunition". California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b Bunting, Wade H. (September–October 1997). "Green Bullets". Hazardous Technical Information Services Bulletin. 7 (5): 4–5.