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Joined: 23 May 2016 Posts: 1

Gents , I am having a difficult time complying with my shooting club's restriction on lead shot use for trap. I do not reload shot shells and cannot find steel shot in sizes 7's, 8's or 9's!. Seems like no company that I know makes these yet the steel shot craze is rapidly spreading across the country to various ranges as erroneous as it may be. Would anyone here have an idea on how I can get non-toxic target loads for my 16ga. I shoot at the range about 5 times a year before taking the shotgun in the field for birds which is what I really do. Target shooting just gets my mechanics polished at best. Thanks and hope to get advice. Crying or Very sad

Hello smokey2002
and
Welcome to the site,

This is a hard row to hoe, except for reloading one's own.

Cabelas is trying but no 16 gauge here but do have 12,20, 28, and 410

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Winchester-reg-Xpert-Steel-Game-Target-Shotshells-Per-Case/706168.uts?searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D734095080%26CQ_refinements%3D%257Ec1%253DShooting%26CQ_search%3D16%252520gauge%252520steel%252520ammo%26CQ_st%3Db

Mike

Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 3177 Location: NCWa

I don't use steel shot, but I understand the ballistics are considerably different from lead and similar shot, so it may be building incorrect technique to use steel for practice if you then use lead for hunting.

Joined: 15 Dec 2005 Posts: 287 Location: missouri

Joined: 15 Jun 2010 Posts: 1358 Location: Twin Cities, MN

If you're shooting trap or skeet there's really no change in your lead when shooting steel. It's not til you're getting out past 30-40 yards on a crossing target that you MAY notice a change in lead if you are a highly skilled shooter.
For what the OP wants he can either buy expensive nontoxic shells

http://www.rstshells.com/store/p/42-16-Ga-2-1/2-Non-Toxic-Vel-1225-1-oz-Load.aspx

, or start reloading his own steel target loads. The other option is to find a new gun club.
Regards,
Jeff

Go for 7/8 ounce of steel #7 and a good wad unit to protect the barrel, and use I/C for trap and Cylinder for skeet. http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Steel-Shot/products/70/ I strongly doubt any gun barrel so configured would be hurt by using a regular polyethylene wad unit with #7 and smaller steel shot, as it will no doubt flow better through the constrictions of forcing cone and choke than larger shot. Bore damage problems with very hard non-toxics result not just from shot hardness, but from shot size causing bridging and not "flowing" smoothly.

The requirement of non-toxics for waterfowl resulted in the introduction of steel as the economic choice. This led to the need to increase shot size by about 2 numbers to acheive the per-pellet energy needed to bring down most large waterfowl. These large pellets, with their apparent greater friction and lesser compliance against one another vs lead, led to bridging problems which created high contact stresses on barrels. That's a problem for shooters of large, tough birds -- waterfowl/pheasant. Since steel was basically a waterfowl shooter's issue, we were all led to believe any steel load would damage every barrel. This is reminiscent of the shotshell industy's cautions that resulted in the notion that any blackpowder load would hazard every damascus barrel.

The clay target sports can use much smaller shot and avoid the bridging potential. That coupled with open chokes and longer forcing cones typically used for the tighter-patterning very had shot (steel, tungsten, etc) makes for a situation much less likely to damage shotgun barrels. Of course, as the bore gets smaller, the problem re-emerges -- it's a ratio of shot size to bore size thing. If I were shooting a 20, 28 or .410, I'd be using #9 steel.

So for target shooting, open the chokes and forcing cones on old guns and have at it with #7 or smaller steel. If you were really worried, you could reinforce the shot cup with a thin layer of Mylar (cut strips of old ovehead projector slides and plastic file folders -- lots cheaper than the BPI product you have to trim anyway). Those guns will still work great with lead -- you don't need as much choke as you'd think, with the plastic wad units we have nowadays. Of course if you have a Purdey or something you value similarly, maybe such modifications are a route you don't want to take -- its up to you. I had one of my Model 12 16's opened to .005" choke and had the forcing cone lengthened. I'm using regular lead shot plastic wad units, and shooting 7/8 oz. #3 steel with no damage.

Of course all of this is just my opinion and experience, and who knows, things might be different for others.

P.S. -- Something else to think about -- what is a "steel shot compatible" barrel as advertised by several companies? It's nothing more than a chrome-plated bore. Chrome plating (HARD chrome -- ha ha like there was a choice or a difference -- chrome plating is chrome plating) was used to make cleaning easier and less necessary -- anti corrosion, etc. How thick is that plating? Less than .001". Chrome plating does not make the substrate material any stronger and more resistant to penetration (the definition of hardness, by the way), and hence contact stress. Well now those chrome bores are "steel and tungsten compatible", even if you put a "full" choke tube in them. Anyway, I doubt #7 steel is much of a hazard to a 12 or 16 bore.

Member Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 1863 Location: Wisconsin

Find somewhere else to shoot. Reno