non-toxic shot required

[Runner]

It is dove. squirrel, duck, goose, rabbit, turkey, and several other seasons here right now. I have been hunting on some Conservation property close to home that requires non-toxic shot be used for all purposes. I have a pretty good BB load worked up, but it isn't worth a darn for doves or woodcock. This gun patterns so well with lead that I was sure getting a good pattern with steel was gonna be no problem. I bought the steel shot cups and ten pounds of number five steel shot. Well, I worked on it yesterday. The patterns are erratic as heck. At thirty yards, half of the pellets bury themselves in the surface of plywood almost flush, but not quite. To get the penetration I have to up the powder to levels where the gun kicks pretty good. Today I am going to try the full choke tube. That makes loading more difficult, but it may help the pattern.

Anyone having any luck with steel shot? It did not seem to matter if I used a thin or thick card under the cup. It did not seem to matter how far I cut the cups. I missed a Gatoraide jug at 30 yards completely, TWICE!

 

[Mike Brooks]

I know you don't respect anything I have to say, but other than lead shot, the only other thing I can get near consistant results with is bismuth shot. Some of my friends report fair results with this tungsten polymer stuff......I havn't tried it. If it isn't lead, I've always found an increase in shot and powder is needed to gain something near the killing performance that lead does.
For me and muzzleloading fowlers,, steel sucks. :results:

 

[musketman]

Here is your answer, copper plated shot...

Shot sizes:

4 & 5 3% antimony
Shot size 6 4% antimony
Shot size 7-1/2 6% antimony


http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...DUTF-8%26sa%3DN

 

[colt100]

Here is your answer, copper plated shot...

Shot sizes:

4 & 5 3% antimony
Shot size 6 4% antimony
Shot size 7-1/2 6% antimony


http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...DUTF-8%26sa%3DN

This is still lead shot and doesn't meet requirements for non toxic shot. At least not where I hunt.

I have heard good things about bismuth, but it is pricy.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I have heard good things about bismuth, but it is pricy

Yes, but it beats the heck out of shooting steel. I've veer felt comfortable shooting projectiles out of my barrel that are harder than the 12L40 my barrels are made out of....shot cup or no. There's just too many things that can go wrong with steel that will ruin the barrel in a multi thousand dollar gun.
I've found that once I 've done my pattern work with bismuth and landed on something that works, I only use it to hunt with and don't find it's too pricey for the few shots I get while hunting. The amount you use before you find the magic pattern load can be the pricey part.

 

[colt100]

how do your lead loads look with bismuth subsituting? I was thinkig that if you found a good lead load, you could just use bismuth with that load and have good groups without the added expense.

 

[Runner]

Copper plated is not on the Federal list of non-toxic that I know of. It has to be on the federal allowed list to be used here. It is not listed in the book here.

 

[musketman]

Copper plated is not on the Federal list of non-toxic that I know of. It has to be on the federal allowed list to be used here. It is not listed in the book here.

You said: "I have a pretty good BB load worked up, but it isn't worth a darn for doves or woodcock."

Isn't BB's just copper covered lead?

Or do you mean BB size lead shot?

 

[Rebel]

MM, they have BB size steel shot. That is what he is refering to.

 

[Runner]

BB's are steel, not lead.

 

[Rebel]

Yea they are, but they still make BB sized steel shot that is not copper coated like regular BB's.

 

[Runner]

The 6000 packs of BB's in the milk carton type packages on sale are cheaper than buying the BB sized regular steel shot. I use them because of that and the fact that you can buy them at any Wally world.

 

[Rebel]

Ya gots a point there. :: I have had better luck with kiling ducks and geese with #1 steel. there is more shot in the pattern, and it just seems to work better. I have taken large Canada geese at over 30yds with that shot in my cylinder bore double barrel.