Shot Test in Smoothbore, copper plated #6s too small....

[roundball]

Disappointing range trip today with copper plated #6's I'd bought from MidwayUSA...and a known establish brand (Lawrence) at that. The turkey load I settled on for my Flintlock last year, with a bare bore and no shot cup, was regular #6 magnum shot averaging 16 pellets in a 5" circle at 40yds, and the load did fine on a Jake and a Tom at 40 & 30 yards respectively.

After the '07 season was over, and knowing that Winchester's Lubaloy (copper plated) shot was supposed to give better patterns in bare bores back in the days before plastic shot cups were used to prevent pellet deformation...I figured it would improve my pattern and reach even more, ie: less deformation = tighter pattern = extended range, etc, and ordered a some copper plated #6's to try.

As soon as I began measuring out some shot charges to get ready for the range trip I thought they looked an eyelash smaller than they should but let it go thinking maybe it was an illusion due to the copper color. Long story short, they did not pattern as well or as far as even regular magnum #6s.

Got home and poured a few out next to some magnum 6's and the mag 6's were an eyelash larger. Thinking some labeling mix-up may have occurred and they were probably really 7.5's, I put a few 7.5's next to them but the 7.5s were an eyelash smaller but not much...so these copper plated #6s are really about a #7.

Don't know if it's some sort of manufacturing mistake or what...but they're definitely smaller and lighter compared to basic lead magnum #6s and did not perform as well as them either. So I ordered a bag of copper plated #5s a while ago and if sized proportionally the way these 6's are, they should be about the size of #6s...or, if they're actually sized like #5s should be, that'll be OK too...have to wait and see what shows up.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Roundball: YOu probably know this already, but for the benfit of other readers, There is a " Rule of 17" that you can use to determine what size a pellet should be for a given size designation. Take the number of the shot and subtract it from 17 to get the actual diameter in hundredths of an inch.

For instance: #6 shot, whether chilled, Magnum, plated, copper, nickel, or just plain lead, should be .11" in diameter. ( 17 - 6 = .11"). #5 shot will be .12" in diameter( 17 - 5 = .12"). If you measure a few of the pellets you have, you can quickly tell if they are the size indicated on the bag. Use either a micrometer or a caliper to measure the pellets. :hatsoff:

 

[Bon Sauvage]

I was going to order some copper plated #5 shot myself but I think I'll hold off until I hear how your's measures out.

Ogre

 

[GreyWhiskers]

roundball,

Your original patterns are great. I haven't been able to do that with my 10 gauge. What barrel are you using?

Paul,

That's good info. Never heard of that "rule of shot."

I cut up a bunch of old shotshells while experimenting with a turkey load in my double. I noticed that #5 shot from different brands were a different size. :hmm:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Its " The Rule of 17" and its handy to use on all sizes of birdshot, but does not work for buck shot, which all measure greater than .17". (#4 Buck is .24" and they go up from there, with 000 Buck measuring .36") steel shot follows the Rule of 17, until you get to the larger shot, " steel BB", and lead BB are both .18". Steel "BBB" is .19", and " T " is .20.

Note: The steel or iron( so say) BBs that are sold for air rifles are actually .177". .003" does not seem like much but under no circumstances should steel BBs, or even Lead BBs, which are the larger size, .18" be used in an air rifle, NOR SHOULD THE air rifle BBs be used in any shotgun, as they are made much harder than the alloy steel BBs designed for use in shotguns. Few ML shotgun or smoothbore barrels today are designed to shoot Steel shot of any size. There are some exceptions, But if you don't own a shotgun that specifically says its okay to shoot steel shot in it, DON'T USE STEEL SHOT. The newer " non-toxic " shot that is made from iron or zinc and a polymer promises to be usuable in older barrels and in MLers, but its not yet available to reloaders. Hang on to the old shotguns, and fowlers. Help is on the way.

 

[roundball]

roundball,
What barrel are you using?

A 33" GM .62cal Flint smoothbore that I had jug choked full, and:

80grns Goex 3F
1 Oxyoke prelubed wad OP
120grn (1+5/8oz) #6 magnum shot
Circle Fly OS card


Also, this is an excellent site for .62cal smoothbore info:
http://members.aye.net/~bspen/SmoothboreLoads.html

 

[roundball]

Kudos to MidwayUSA...they wrote back and told me to just send the remaining copper plated 6s back and they'd issue a credit...

 

[Runner]

Roundball, you mentioned magnum shot. Does the hard "magnum" shot shoot better for you than regular chilled shot? In my gun, the chilled shot is much better than the Knight brand "magnum" shot that comes in bottles. Never really wondered about why until I read this.
I picked up some Knight brand "Magnum" shot off a blanket a few years back, thinking that I would work up better turkey loads with it. The stuff shot miserable out of my gun and I eventually mixed it with some mixed shot in a big coffee can and shot it up that way at squirrels and such.
I never considered the copper plated shot after that because the soft stuff shoots so well in my gun.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I don't know anything about Knight brand shot. I have never seen it to buy it. I do think that mixing brands of shot can lead to all kinds of differences that affect patterns. I shoot Lawrence, and Hornady shot brands. In my modern shotguns, Magnum shot, which as more antimony than does chilled shot, gives slightly better patterns, and perhaps 2 yards further for penetration tests, over chilled shot performance. Is it worth the slightly extra cost? I really don't think so, at least not for target practice.

You can buy plated shot, both copper, and Nickel, from Ballistic's Products, if you want to try them. Any time you get a new brand or lot of shot, check the shot pellet size to make sure you have the size you ordered, and is stamped on the bag or bottle. I have found quite a variance with what manufacturers call chilled shot, as to the diameter of the pellets that pass for a given size. I found less variance with Magnum shot, and plates shot seems to be even more consistent in diameter. Chilled shot also gave me many more pellets that were oblong, or misshapen in some other way. At one point there was only a dollar difference in what they were charging for chilled shot over Magnum shot, and I bought magnum shot even for practice to gain the better quality control. I have not reloaded shotgun shells for about 10 years now, so I can't say what is being sold today, or whether the quality control has improved on the Chilled Shot.