Navy Arms Shot gun: Using Steel Shot??

[tbarrow]

I have a friend that has offered to sell me an older (20+ yrs.) Navy Arms shotgun. He tells me its very similar to the shotgun Cabelas advertises. Couple of questions. 1) He tells me it has chrome lined barrels. I want to use it for duck hunting, does anyone know if this gun will handle steel shot? I assume the chrome lining is more of an anti fouling thing?? 2) Is there a way to tell if a gun can handle steel shot. i.e. some kind of markings on the barrel 3) Anyone have any idea ball park, rough guess what something like that what my buddy is offering would sell for?? It is in used but not abused condition, he takes good care of his equip.

Thank you in advance,
Tadd Barrow

 

[Rebel]

I have an older Navy Arms double barrel .12 ga that i have been using for years. It doesn't have chromed bores but i have shot a lot of steel shot through it for ducks and geese. As long as the bores are cylinder bore with no choke, and you use the special heavy plastic Steel Shot cups, there is no problem shooting steel. I called and asked them at Navy Arms before i ever tried it in mine. After all the steel i have fired through mine, the bores are still like new. If the one you friend has does have chromed bores it might be ok to shoot steel, as long as you use the shot cups, even if it does have choked bores. You might call Navy Arms and ask them first though to be safe.

 

[paulvallandigham]

The problem with choked barrels and steel shot, is that the barrels are choked for lead shot. With some steel shot sizes, a modified choke for lead will throw a Full Choke pattern with Steel. Unfortunately, a Full Choke barrel designed for lead does not shoot full choke or even tighter patterns with steel.

Rather than using steel shot, your friend should consider buying Hevishot and using it in his choked shotgun. Using the protective plastic wads, and mylar sleeves, he should get good patterns with the hevi-shot, and not damage the barrels.

 

[ffffg]

as shotgun shot gets lighter, it takes bigger pellets to get the same energy to pennetrate to the vitals to kill/knockdown a critter.. remember birds have a layer of feathers that resist pennetration to some degree.. its thicker in winter.. this makes several problems.. steel density is lighter than lead so it sheds velocity faster than lead shot of the same size.. if you increase the size to get the same energy at hunting ranges, its larger size reduces pennetration more than the smaller lead counterpart.. this is offset in modern guns by using higher velocity, 1300-1500 fps if possible.. a decent killing velocity for lead is in the 1150 ft per second muzzel velocity range (modern guns).. your steel shot load could very well be in the 950- 1100 fps possibly more if your experienced, and not out in cold weather.. for these reasons steel shot isnt a good choice in muzzeloading shotguns in my opinon.. if you go up one size in lead or a little more with bismuth it gives you similar results as with a modern gun but at bp velocities.. i havnt tried heavy shot, and if you can keep fouling under control, so the plastic wont give you blowby after several shots in your hunting conditions, then it could work fine.. but pattern pattern, pattern, also again in the weather you plan to hunt in.. check pennetration by shooting a campells soup can with modern gun you are having success with on the bird you want to hunt.. match pennetration with your muzzeloader with shot that works similar in pennetration and pattern at yardage that this all comes together and this is your max range.i have better luck with body shots with black poweder than wing shots with single shot smoothbore and cylinder choke.. this makes all this above very important.. a choked sxs shotgun works very well with black if its done right and isnt as picky or problamatic as a cylinder bore.. the second barrel with full choke is wonderfull for finishing off birds youve knocked down.. .. dave.