Range Report: EcoTungsten/Nice-Shot

[roundball]

For the possibility of getting a chance at some geese on a local farm, I needed some non-toxic shot for my .62cal smoothbore...tried steel but wasn't satisfied. So I bit the bullet and ordered some EcoTungsten/Nice-Shot...the latest non-toxic and one that is advertised to be a direct replacement for lead in terms of same loading recipes, same performance, but no special shot cups, won't harm your oldest, finest shotgun, etc, etc, etc.

I tested EcoTungsten #6's today against my proven turkey load of lead magnum #6's as a very critical way of testing...looking for a very tight pattern to get killing head shots out to 35-40 yards, and found EcoTungsten to be as advertised.

Because my EcoTungsten shot charges cost about $3 each, I first check tested my smoothbore with a few 'lead' turkey loads, then several shots using 'nickel plated #6's as possible improved turkey loads for the future, then finally, I tested 5 shots of EcoTungsten. The turkey target below shows the average results at 35 yards through a 'Full' Jug Choked barrel, 80 pellets on an 8.5"x11" target paper with no shot cup. (lead=54 pellets, nickel plated=58 pellets, EcoTungsten=80 pellets)

Should be excellent for geese head shots in this full choke barrel if I'm limited to that due to 3 fairly close houses, or should also be fine out of the Imp.Cyl.+ barrel for wing shooting if I find there's clearance and angles to do that...just need to figure out the schedule and flight path the geese take in and out of that farm pond.

 

[tg]

That looks like it should do the job, Man that Eco stuff is spendy, since my wingshooting has gone south it would be cheaper for me to just buy a bird...

 

[roundball]

"...Man that Eco stuff is spendy..."

No question about it...and my buying some is not an indication that I "have money"...for me it came down to these issues:

1) Do I want to try my hand at Flintlock geese: Yes

2) Must I use an approved non-toxic shot: Yes

3) Steel is the cheapest...is it the answer: Not for me in a .20ga...I tried steel but it requires a special shot cup and the payload is somewhat small in a .20ga, have to use #4s or #2's which have very low pellet counts in small .20ga shot cups...my results were unsatisfactory

4) What other non-toxic is available that performs like lead and doesn't require a special shotcup: EcoTungsten

5) Is it expensive: Yes, very...but I don't need a lot, just a few shots worth to try some geese.
Also, since it looks like/acts like lead, none has to be wasted for exhaustive testing...just do 99% of testing with real lead, then a few EcoTungsten shots to confirm.

As it stands right now, I'll never shoot another shot from this supply unless there's a goose in the sights...and who knows, that might never happen

 

[WV MZL HUNTER]

I'll buy a turkey for $3.00 ha ha

great job, thanks.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Well done Rball, can't wait for the pics :grin:

Britsmoothy.

 

[Flintlock58]

Looks like a good load even though a little pricey. I see Ballistic Products has a new tungsten-iron shot available that is comparable to Bismuth. I havent decided if I should try it for this fall??

 

[roundball]

If its the AD I saw recently, it's only rated at being 20% heavier than steel, and that's not a lot...don't know if it requires a special cup or not.
I did see where a company in Canada annouced they were gearing up in 2008 to start making Bismuth so that might start becoming available again.

EcoTungsten is extremely expensive...too much so for general waterfowl use doing a lot of shooting, at least for me it is...if it becomes popular enough maybe some other manufacturers will jump on the bandwagon and that SHOULD drive the price down...right now, its too expensive (for me) to just shoot as a general rule.

PS:
They list their EcoTungsten as kilos, not pounds.
Each kilo = 2.2 lbs and I bought quantity two kilos.
Each kilo comes in a plastic bag inside a little box not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes.

And this is no joke...when I set them on a shelf with my reloading supplies, I actually put a sticker on each one and wrote the price of $70 on each box...figure if I croak before I use it and they start giving away my stuff, I wanted somebody to realize how much it cost.

Next thing is what to do while hunting...for the world the stuff looks like nickel plated shot...so a game warden would probably assume that's what it was, and since EcoTungsten is so new he's probably never heard of it and would write me up.

The little boxes have the manufacturing labels all over them so I'm going to carry one of those little boxes in a ziploc bag, have a couple of premeasure reloads inside, etc. to be able to show him the official box if I get stopped.

 

[hawk]

what canadian co.?

...at the price of that eco shot...might want to brush up on market hunter tactics...

 

[roundball]

what canadian co.?

...at the price of that eco shot...might want to brush up on market hunter tactics...

And a stick of dynamite can't be THAT expensive :grin:


Can't remember the name...maybe a Google search of 'Bismuth shot Canada' might turn up something

 

[roundball]

what canadian co.?

I found what I was remembering...saw this on the "shotgun world" forum:


"...talked to Will Bilozir at a gun show in Edmonton, Alberta...he is the Canadian rep for Ballistic Products. His intent is to begin production of bismuth shot near Dewinton, Alberta in 2008.

Initially, Number 4 will be the largest size produced. Production of larger sizes requires a different industrial set-up and a much greater initial investment. Still, up to Number 4 should do for small game non-tox areas, ducks and your standard six-pound snow goose..."

 

[Flintfan69]

Check out the new "ITX" shot at ballisticproducts.com

It is a blend of tungsten and iron, but softer (it can be flattened with a pliers) than other tungsten shot.

Don't know what to think of the "belted ball" shape of the pellets, but honestly, all the Bismuth shot I used over the years was hardly a perfect sphere either.

Much more reasonable priced than the other hand loadable non-toxic shot out there (other than steel). At $130 for 7 pounds, I think is where Bismuth was when it was discontinued last year. Still expensive, but much more manageable than some of the others. Especially for muzzleloaders where you probably won't be shooting 100's of shots a season.

Bad thing is that it looks like they are currently out of stock. Looks promising though.

 

[44-henry]

We had a discussion about that shot on another forum and somebody thought it was dead in the water. It is unfortunate if it is true since the stuff looks pretty promising.