New SAKO Cartridge Line with Lead-Free Powerhead BLADE Bullets -The Firearm Blog

With the European Union in discussions to ban lead in ammunition several companies are busy extending their existing and developing new product lines. Sako from Finland has developed a new lead-free BLADE bullet which is said to meet the needs of the most demanding lead-free hunters.

One of the challenges in the development of a bullet with alternative materials has been the inadequate performance in the situations where the bullet doesn’t expand for small game/long range impacts or when it’s fragmenting down on close situation/bone hits. With the Blade Tip, 100% pure ductile copper and 5-Stage terminal architecture, the SAKO Blade is said to offer excellent performance on different shooting distances and various sizes of game.

From the Product Announcement:

The future of lead-free bullets has come! Made from 100% copper, the Sako BLADE
introduces the terminal BLADE Tip that, together with 5-stage bullet expansion
architecture, expands the bullet even at the lowest impact velocities, while also
ensuring high resistance against bone hits and close-range shooting situations. As the
latest addition to the Sako Powerhead cartridge series, the Sako BLADE offers
unparalleled cartridge features:

100% PURE COPPER BULLET

Pure copper has unbeatable characteristics in ductility. This leads to improved
mushrooming at low velocities of long-range shooting and makes it the bullet of
choice for shooters looking for a lead-free option without compromising performance.

REACTIVE EXPANSION DESIGN

The unique Tri-Blade Tip design, together with the reaction chamfer, provides
immediate bullet expansion initiation and optimized mushrooming upon impact at
various shooting distances, no matter the size of the animal. Due to its refined design,
the bullet also has a high ballistic coefficient for a flatter trajectory.

MATCH-GRADE PRECISION

The match-grade precision of BLADE has been achieved through the benefits of high-level
manufacturing knowledge. State-of-the-art machining production takes accuracy and
consistency to a new level, making BLADE the best monolithic copper bullet on the
market.

100 YEARS OF CARTRIDGE EXPERIENCE
Sako Ltd. is the world’s only manufacturer of both cartridges and rifles. The unique
combination of R&D and rigorous testing lead to unparalleled cartridge consistency,
ensuring you can trust Sako cartridges in every situation.