The executive order President Trump signed on 17 September, Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage, gives the US Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce and War 180 days to propose changes to the rules restricting access to the land they manage, including a direction to “permit the use of traditional lead ammunition and tackle”. For the UK trade the consequence is commercial rather than legal: the two largest English-speaking shooting markets now point in opposite directions, and the makers and importers serving both will be carrying lead for one and non-lead for the other for years to come.

What the order does, and what it does not

The order was announced at a White House ceremony attended by executives from Beretta USA and senior figures from Ducks Unlimited and the Boone and Crockett Club, among others. It requires the Interior Department, within 90 days, to allow hunting of species not listed under the Endangered Species Act at the Castle Mountains National Monument in California and the Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, and applies a presumption that federal land outside national parks is open to hunting unless a local closure is justified, with encouragement for predator management, prescribed fire and grazing.

On lead it names no rule to repeal. Field & Stream reported that federal rules already require non-toxic shot for waterfowl and that there is no blanket ban on lead bullets for big game on federal land, so the practical effect will depend on what the agencies propose by March 2027. American demand for lead bullets and lead shot for upland game is, in other words, secured rather than created.

The British dates the trade is stocking against

The REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2026, announced on 3 March and applying in England, Scotland and Wales, ban the use and sale of lead shot for live quarry shooting and for recreational clay shooting from 1 April 2029, with exemptions for elite athletes in Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. Lead bullets in calibres of 6.17mm and above are banned for live quarry from the same date, and their use for outdoor rifle target shooting is restricted from 1 April 2028 unless a range operates the required risk management measures. Airgun pellets are not affected and Northern Ireland is outside the regulations.

The sale ban is the trade’s date as much as the shooter’s. BASC’s guidance is that shooters cannot stock up and use lead cartridges after the deadline, because the restriction covers use as well as sale, which limits the run-down trade a dealer might otherwise plan for early 2029 and puts the emphasis on moving customers across to steel, bismuth and copper before then.

Why a lead-friendly America matters at the counter

Manufacturers that serve both markets will carry lead lines for American hunters through and beyond 2029, so lead production does not end when British demand does; the question for the UK trade is how allocation, pricing and range depth on non-lead lines develop as the transition here accelerates. The argument that lead is a settled question has just been reopened on the other side of the Atlantic, and the British customer will hear it; none of it moves the dates on this side, and the dealer’s job is to say so plainly.

What happens next

The US agencies have until mid-March 2027 to publish their proposals, and the monument hunting openings fall due in December. In Great Britain the outdoor range restriction on lead bullets starts on 1 April 2028 and the live quarry and clay ban on lead shot, with the ban on larger lead bullets, on 1 April 2029. BASC’s questions-and-answers page and the regulations as made are linked below.

Useful links

The White House – the executive order Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage

BASC – the association’s questions and answers on the British lead restrictions

legislation.gov.uk – the REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2026 as made

Frequently asked questions

When can UK dealers no longer sell lead shot?

The use and sale of lead shot for live quarry shooting and recreational clay shooting is banned in England, Scotland and Wales from 1 April 2029 under the REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

Are lead bullets covered by the UK restrictions?

Yes. Lead bullets of 6.17mm and above are banned for live quarry from 1 April 2029, and their use on outdoor rifle ranges is restricted from 1 April 2028 unless the range runs the required risk management measures.

Does the US order change British law?

No. It directs US federal land agencies to propose rule changes within 180 days; its effect on the UK trade is commercial, through the makers and importers that serve both markets.

Related articles

Defra confirms lead ammunition ban timetable in sentience response – the dates every shooter in Great Britain now works to

EU scraps lead bullet ban in revised ammunition restrictions – how the European timetable compares

International perspective, September 2026 – the global trade picture this month

Sound moderator deregulation and the Crime and Policing Act 2026 – the other regulatory change reshaping the counter this year