Over the past several years, pressure from the European Union to ban the use of lead in hunting ammo has prompted most ammunition manufacturers to introduce new loadings based on alternative metals and alloys, although rifle ammunition has, for the time being, remained exempt from the proposed restrictions.
From the outset, many hunters viewed these new lead-free loads with considerable skepticism when not open mistrust, particularly regarding their field performance and accuracy in centerfire rifles.
It is also fair to say that the first generation of these cartridges—often sold at premium prices—did little to inspire confidence. Over time, however, prices have become more competitive, while bullet design, powder and manufacturing technology have advanced significantly. Today, many manufacturers offer premium lead-free hunting loads capable of delivering excellent terminal performance, outstanding accuracy and the ability to retain velocity effectively at extended ranges.
For this test, we evaluated the Sako PowerHead Blade, loaded with a monolithic bullet made from pure copper. Naturally malleable and ductile, copper offers excellent controlled deformation on impact, which Sako manages through what it describes as a five-stage terminal performance design.
According to Sako, these "five stages of terminal performance" begin with the polymer tip, which initiates expansion on impact, followed by a funnel-shaped nose cavity that accelerates bullet upset. Internal expansion grooves then promote rapid expansion to a preset diameter, while a smooth expansion section regulates mushrooming to its optimum size. Finally, the solid rear shank limits expansion at very short impact distances, preventing excessive deformation and preserving the bullet's energy for deep penetration.
The Sako PowerHead Blade is the first lead-free ammo load to feature a monolithic bullet designed, developed and manufactured entirely in-house by the Finnish company to strongly limit fragmentation while ensuring reliable expansion even at lower impact velocities. Previous Sako Leadless loadings, by comparison, were assembled using Barnes bullets.
The PowerHead Blade projectile is cold-formed from pure copper and features a polymer tip with three micro-slits seated over a hollow-point cavity internally pre-scored with five grooves. Upon impact, these create five expanding petals. The bullet body incorporates three distinct bearing surfaces: the forward secant ogive transitioning into a cylindrical section, a rear cylindrical section terminating in a boat-tail profile, and an intermediate driving band between the two.
For this test we received several boxes of .308 Winchester ammunition loaded with the 162-grain PowerHead Blade bullet. We fired them through a Remington 700 fitted with an H7 chassis and a Noblex Inception NZ8 2.5-20x50 riflescope featuring the MHR first focal plane reticle—a rifle-and-optic combination that has consistently delivered excellent results for us, even beyond 500 meters (547 yards).
All testing took place at Long Range Roma, a facility offering shooting distances out to 600 yards. For obvious ethical hunting considerations, however, we limited our evaluation to distances of up to 300 meters (328 yards).
The ammunition performed extremely well, both in terms of accuracy and measured velocity.
With a 100-meter zero, the factory ballistic data predict bullet drops of 13.4 cm (5.3 in) at 200 meters and 48.7 cm (19.2 in) at 300 meters. Our measured trajectory was slightly lower than predicted—approximately 1.5 cm (0.6 in) more drop at 200 meters and nearly 5 cm (2 in) more at 300 meters. Accuracy, however, remained consistently below ½ MOA, with five-shot groups measuring 12 mm (0.47 in) at 100 meters, 19 mm (0.75 in) at 200 meters and 43 mm (1.69 in) at 300 meters. Group size was measured center-to-center between the two most widely spaced bullet holes.
Velocity and standard deviation were measured using a Caldwell VelociRadar, supplied by Strobl.cz
Average muzzle velocity over a ten-shot string was 806 m/s (2,644 fps), approximately 9 m/s (30 fps) below the factory-stated 815 m/s (2,674 fps), with an ambient temperature of 26 °C (79 °F).
Standard deviation measured 3.92 m/s (12.9 fps) over ten shots, with an extreme spread of 13.5 m/s (44.3 fps). Recorded velocities ranged from 799.2 m/s (2,622 fps) to 812.7 m/s (2,666 fps)—excellent results by any standard.
The PowerHead Blade lineup currently includes 14 chamberings, ranging from .223 Remington to .375 H&H, with two bullet-weight options available for several of the most popular cartridges, including .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, and 7 mm Remington Magnum.
The suggested retail price for a box of twenty Sako PowerHead Blade .308 Winchester cartridges loaded with the 162-grain bullet is $59, although retail pricing may vary and could be lower at your local dealer.
