What about ducks?

[dgold]

If you look at the charts in Lyman's Shotshell Reloading Manual, the MV reported drops off dramatically in the first 20 yards. You don't have near all that velocity at even that short distance.

As long as BLack POwder hunters pick their shots and keep them under 30 yards( steel shot shooters should also adopt this limit) you are going to kill ducks and geese. But, until someone makes a lead substitute shot that can be shot out of soft steel barrels, and in choked tubes without damaging either the barrels or chokes, the days of taking ducks and geese out at 40+ yards are history. Yes, I have seen an occasional goose taken at longer ranges. But I have also seen steel shot bouncing off the wings and chest of canada geese at 35 yds.

Can we shoot steel or Hevishot out of cylinder choke if we use steel shotcups?

 

[AJFedak]

The use of hevishot is as bad for your barrel as is steel. The problem is that the steel/hevishot does not compress as did lead, therefore there is a possibility of the barrel bulging as the shot column is initially moved forward. This is also the concern with a tight choke.

But now we have a new option (once again expensive) and that is Hevishot Classic Double. It was designed and marketed towards the "old expensive double barrel" guns. As I read their advertisement it says "26% denser than steel, but soft like lead. We would need to buy pre-loaded shells and take them apart.
http://www.hevishot.com/products_doubles.html

I still have some bismuth left in #2's and #5's, but next season I'm going to consider the new Doubles Classic.

 

[Flintfan69]

The use of hevishot is as bad for your barrel as is steel. The problem is that the steel/hevishot does not compress as did lead, therefore there is a possibility of the barrel bulging as the shot column is initially moved forward. This is also the concern with a tight choke.

But now we have a new option (once again expensive) and that is Hevishot Classic Double. It was designed and marketed towards the "old expensive double barrel" guns. As I read their advertisement it says "26% denser than steel, but soft like lead. We would need to buy pre-loaded shells and take them apart.
http://www.hevishot.com/products_doubles.html

I still have some bismuth left in #2's and #5's, but next season I'm going to consider the new Doubles Classic.

I have a hunch that the new ITX shot being sold by Ballistic Products is what is used in the Classic Doubles shells.
http://www.ballisticproducts.com/products.asp?dept=370

It's the "belted ball" description in the Heavy Shot ad that makes me think that they are one and the same.

I purchased a bag of #4 ITX shot a couple weeks ago. Being that we are finally having a "normal" winter here in Minnesota, I'll have to wait until spring to do some serious pattern and penetration testing. I'll post some observations after I'm able to put some down range.

 

[texcl]

At those prices I'll stick with my auto-5 and save the smokepole for upland game.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

This is actually in reply to a couple of people.

To those of you who have successfully used steel shot, what loads are you using? The accounts I've read where specifics were given ran more powder than shot in the range of the "field" or "heavy field" cartridge loads - say 3.1/4 to 3.3/4dr with a 1.1/4oz shot charge, where 3dr is the "equal volume" charge. I'm guessing that the heavy steel-shot shotcups helped counter the tendency of heavy powder charges to open the patterns.

Pure bismuth shot was never available commercially to the best of my knowledge - it was always a Bi-Sn alloy. Apparently the early shot was rather brittle and the tin percentage was increased somewhat (from 3% to 5%?) to reduce shot fracturing, but the reputation for being brittle was established. Lots of people have used the tin-alloyed shot bare in their bores with success, although what I've heard suggests to me that some sort of shot protector, if just a couple of thicknesses of paper, may reduce shot fracturing from any bore roughness (my 16ga, for example). My partners and I are still working through a dwindling supply of Bi-Sn #4s (weigh about like lead-alloy #5s). The few expen$ive patterns I fired with BiSn shot with a double-layer 4-petal shot protector of heavy paper (to verify the load work I did with the same weight of magnum Pb #5 shot) were very good with no flyers or obvious fractured shot (jagged or odd-size holes).

After the inventor of Bi-Sn-alloy shot died, production shut down. Several people were in negotiations to license production, and one is in production, but only for cartridge production so far, AFIK. Hunters' Bismuth was apparently an attempt to circumvent the patent, but I've never heard of ANYONE who succeeded in placing an order with them - the website does seem to be a derelict.

NiceShot/Ecotungsten is the most commonly available, if expensive, muzzleloader-friendly shot at the present, although there may be others coming out. Tungsten Matrix apparently works but is not available as loose shot in North America.

Shot can be soft enough to avoid deforming thin chokes when used in conventional lead-shot shotcups, but still be too abrasive to use bare. I don't yet know what HS Classic Doubles shot is. ITX may be usable without protection, but my doubts are increasing. I have yet to see a straight answer on how hard it actually is, just on how hard it is not, which strikes me as suspiciously evasive. "

 

[bingo1952]

Pure bismuth was tried but was far too brittle. The bismuth-tin alloy IIRC checked out at about 22 Brinell. Mild steel on the Rockwell C scale usually runs around 30-35. You can use steel shot with a modern shot cup and charges 10% to 15% greater to get your velocity up some but even then it is a 35 yard load at best and I wouldn't go smaller than #3 for ducks and BB for geese. F's or T's for geese is probably a better option unless you wait until the wings are cupped and the landing gear fully extended.

 

[AJFedak]

I bought a Pedersoli 10 ga SxS for using steel loads. It has the inter-changeable chokes, so right barrel improved cylinder, left barrel modified.

I use BBB's for sandhill cranes,BB's or #1's for geese, and #1's for ducks. I bought 3½" factory loads, remove the "inners", load 4 drams GOEX 2F,0.0625 over powder, 0.375 cushion wad, stuff the "inners" add 1 overshot card right barrel, 2 overshot cards left barrel. Works for me.