Large enhancements in the width of the magnetization hysteresis were obtained by neutron irradiating Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oxand Bi2Sr2Ca(Cu1−yLiy)2Oz. By inducing Li(n,3T)&agr; reactions, high‐energy ions are produced, allowing a direct comparison of the effects of neutron damage and ion damage in polycrystalline powders. It is shown that the ion damage leads to significantly greater magnetization enhancements, particularly at intermediate temperatures (5, 30, and 77 K results are compared). Significant differences in the magnetic field and temperature dependencies of the induced pinning are quantified.