US Army Considers Adopting an Interim Battle Rifle in 7.62NATO: eventually adopt 6.5

[stanc]

...several of the cross section photos of Russian bullets, in particular, show small amounts of lead used as a filler. There is a cost-savings to be gained from using a soft material to fill the space between a steel core and a soft iron or copper jacket.

Thus lead continues to have a place in military applications independent of civilian constraints.

The Russian and Chinese bullets are 1940s technology. Lead is not needed in modern steel-core bullet designs like the Swedish 5.56mm.