The effect of steel shot and its pitfalls

Shadowryder said:
I have heard true or not hence the question that steel shot only applies if shooting 28 gram or more is this the case,
PS.
I do not hunt purely clay shooting.
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Steel does not compress as it goes through the choke like lead does. It is that pressure that causes the damage to end of the barrel if it is too tightly choked.
I would treat all steel loads the same, no more than half choke. Even light loads are compressed as the go through the choke.
 
Enfield2band said:
Bismuth is the usual alternative to steel but at about £43 for 25 they are too expensive for most people.
If you have an old English shotgun and want to use it occasionally you could use bismuth so the gun does not end up obsolete.
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Why not copper or is it too expensive?
 
HarrySmithsonian said:
Why not copper or is it too expensive?
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I don't know the answer to that.
I'm sure if it was a viable alternative someone would be manufacturing it.
If you contact one of the cartridge manufacturers and ask them what the alternatives are they will probably inform you of what they are and why.
I think gold would be the ideal alternative. It is dense and soft and will not cause any of the alleged pollution of lead.
It has no practical use other than that man has put a false value on it. It is good for coating electrical contacts to stop corrosion and not much else.
 
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Enfield2band said:
Steel does not compress as it goes through the choke like lead does. It is that pressure that causes the damage to end of the barrel if it is too tightly choked.
I would treat all steel loads the same, no more than half choke. Even light loads are compressed as the go through the choke.
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I think you have misunderstood my question,
that by new regulations steel shot only applies if shooting 28 gram or more is this the case,
 
Shadowryder said:
I think you have misunderstood my question,
that by new regulations steel shot only applies if shooting 28 gram or more is this the case,
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Sorry, I don't understand the question. Can you enlighten me regarding the new regulations please?
Has the HSS put out something that has not been widely reported yet?
 
Enfield2band said:
Sorry, I don't understand the question. Can you enlighten me regarding the new regulations please?
Has the HSS put out something that has not been widely reported yet?
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I was told by our club secratary that if not hunting the lead ban will not apply to cartridges under 28 grams,
I just wondered if anyone else heard of this to verify.
 
Shadowryder said:
I was told by our club secratary that if not hunting the lead ban will not apply to cartridges under 28 grams,
I just wondered if anyone else heard of this to verify.
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That is a bit premature of the BASC to say that.
Until the HSE publish their findings, good or bad, we can only carry on as we are.
 
Enfield2band said:
Contact a manufacturer and ask why they don't use copper. there must be a reason why it has not been offered as an alternative to lead.
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Some do or did offer pure copper cartridges .
Siarm even sold copper shot at one point for homeloading.


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Pure Copper Shot.

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I dare say price was a factor in it.

Almost 25euro for ten cartridges.

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53euro for 25 cartridges .

Only to be used in shotguns that are OK with steel.

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Flinty said:
Approx values Scrap Copper £5.50 kg Scrap Lead £1.30 kg Melting points Copper 1000 C Lead 340 C
Gold might be a tad more expensive Shrug tt😊
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Bit out of date, Dry bright wire £7.00 per kg , Heavy copper £6.53, Its going up because of high industrial demand in EV's batteries etc.
I cant see copper as a viable alternative

For most wildfowlers the advent of Steel shot is nothing new, nearest alternative to lead is bismuth but although similar to lead in weight it is very brittle & shatters at the slightest impact. Many of our members reported hitting ducks knocking them down & only wounding them. On plucking or dressing out it was often found that pellets had broken up on impact. Buffering shot helps & open chokes are a must with bismuth even more so than with steel. Fire a load of bismuth 3's out of a full choke & what comes out the muzzle is often 12's or smaller. Interestingly i found that bismuth actually performed quite well in a muzzleloader with black powder as pressures & velocity are lower.
 
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