Cryptic crossword clue
Bullets containing iron used by tribal leader in hard-fought battle 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SLUGFEST

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "hard-fought battle" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hard-fought battle = slugfest.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does SLUGFEST mean?

SLUGFEST noun
  1. A baseball game in which many runs are scored, especially by home runs.
  2. A game or match in which heavy blows are exchanged.
  3. Tough, heated contest

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