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TasunkaWitko 
Administrator
aka The Gipper
Joined: 10 June 2003
Location: Chinook Montana
Status: Offline
Points: 14753
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 Topic: steel vs. lead
Posted: 26 January 2004 at 05:00 |
| Steel vs. Lead: Differences You Should Know |
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 Clearly, steel is the most popular non-toxic substitute for "traditional" lead shot. However, steel shot is both harder and lighter than lead shot, two important factors which you must account for in order to maximize your shooting success. The key differences relate to:
- Shot size, and the number of pellets per load
- Initial velocity, and retained energy
(the energy values at specific yardages)
- Pattern performance downrange
- Shot string characteristics
The easy-to-understand charts and graphs that follow will help explain these differences so you can capitalize on them and improve your shooting results.
The chart below shows you the size of the shot pellets, the number of pellets in each shell (based on charge weight), and a side-by-side comparison of the pellet count, steel versus lead.
Since shot sizes in steel and lead are identical and steel weighs less than lead, it will require more steel pellets to make up a charge weight equal to lead pellets of the same shot size. |
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ENERGY COMPARISON: STEEL VS. LEAD
The chart below shows the comparisons between lead and steel shot (grouping "like" loads, with the steel pellets being two shot sizes larger than the lead pellet).
The chart compares velocity three feet from the muzzle, as well as retained per-pellet energy downrange. Note that by using a larger steel shot size, comparable velocity and retained energy at desired yardages are maintained. By carefully studying this chart, you can compare the retained energy for steel and lead shot of the same size (e.g., Steel 2 vs. Lead 2), and prove to yourself why a larger steel shot size must be used to yield similar retained-energy values. |
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COMPARATIVE PATTERNING STEEL VS. LEAD
Comparing "like volume" loads, with the steel shot being two shot sizes larger than the lead shot, note that since the steel shot is larger, there are less pellets in each shell. However, since the steel shot is much harder, it stays round, and flies truer to the target. At 40 yards, a higher percentage of steel pellets will be on target (within a 30" circle) than lead loads. At 60 yards, steel shot not only yields higher pattern percentages, but more actual pellets on target as well. |
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SHOT STRING COMPARISON: STEEL VS. LEAD
Lead shot, which is easily deformed upon firing, develops a relatively long, large-diameter shot string. Steel shot, because it is three times harder than lead, stays round, and develops a shot string that is 50-60% shorter and 60-70% narrower than lead. Or, looking at it another way, steel provides a much more precise "hitting zone" than you'd get with lead shot. We recommend that you practice shooting with steel shot so you can get used to its compact, hard-hitting "sweet spot" before hunting season. |
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TasunkaWitko - Chinook, Montana  Helfen, Wehren, Heilen Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen
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Orion
.375 Holland & Holland Magnum
Joined: 10 August 2003
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 555
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Posted: 08 March 2004 at 01:13 |
I have some older shotguns I enjoy using and of course steel would tear the heck out of them. I have switched over to tungsten-iron and bismuth. Yes, more expensive, but they pattern like lead and work the same. I've used steel for ducks and it has worked ok, but before bismuth was available as a reloading item, I tried them in their factory loadings and I was duly impressed.
The price on the bismuth and T-I has already dropped, so you may find it worthwhile to give them a try.
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"No man's opinion is any better than his background, his experience, and his general common sense." -- Jack O'Conner
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Guests
Guest
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Posted: 08 March 2004 at 03:00 |
I seem to remember that steel was required locally about 1979. The steel shot was expensive and poor performance. Prices have come down and quality gone up.The worse I remember was having some 3 inch steel left over from a prior year's hunting. i was setting on a small pothole with about 6 deks out. Two blacks set in real close under some overhanging trees. Just as they were in a feet-down mode to land i started to trist to my left and raise the gun, they flared right fast (like blacks can do). My left twisting body had to reverse and I swung as fast as possible on the 2 yd targets. When i fired I could see the wad separate from a solid (rusted?) steel mass. The shot pill hit the lead black's lowered leg and cut it off. the birds took of and I paddled over to the deks and picked up the severed leg. Talk aboout terrible shot performance!
But since that time the steel is much, much better. Two things I've changed. i stopped using 3 inch shells, you really don't need them IMHO, and i kill just as many birds, maybe more. I retired my sbs double 12 guage lightweight Italian double in favor of an 870 pump gun with a poly choke.
Bismuth and T-I are better than steel, maybe even better than lead, I've still got a case of steel Remington 2 2/3 inch, and that will last me a long time now.
BEAR
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d4570
.416 Rigby
Joined: 27 January 2004
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 9961
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Posted: 31 March 2004 at 04:01 |
 The new loads have over come the rusting prob. I like the steel loads,I dont reload shot shells so I relay on factory loads. The steel loads are FAST!!!!! I use them on all birds,from doves to turkey. You need to go to larger shot size then you would use in lead. A max load of #3 steel is insent beath on phesents, #3bb is great on geese, and #6's when you can find them work like lightning on huns!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Remember: Four boxes keep us free ,the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, AND the cartridge box
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Kingpin
.416 Rigby
aka Old IronSides
Joined: 01 July 2003
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 11716
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Posted: 01 April 2004 at 15:05 |
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In some circles, people are of the impression that steel shot wears out barrels. The short answer is, yes it can, if it were rubbing against the barrel wall. The true answer is, that it can damage older shotguns. Reason being, that steel doesn't compress when it passes through a barrel constriction (choke). What actually happens with a full choke barrel is, that the barrel bulges at a point behind the choke because of its noncompressability of steel shot. Look at the new shotguns today. All the barrels have much thicker walls than older shotguns of the same brand and design. I shoot steel shot through my Rem 1100 and my 870 because I choke tubed them. When using steel shot, it is NOT advisable to shoot them through a barrel with more than a modified choke. Full choke barrels will bulge without exception. Maybe not on the first shot, but when you abuse something long enough, shit happens. I have repaired many shotguns with bulges by cutting them off at the bulge and installing choke tubes. Now, as far as steel shot "wearing out a barrel," all modern shotshells are made with the shot, riding in a cup, unlike the loads of old that simply had plain wads in them. Although shotgunners who load their own shotgun ammo buy "wads," what they are really buying is, shotcups. Currently, no modern manufacturer loads plain wads in their shotgun ammo. A shotgun "wad" is an old term for when they were actually wads. I have, as a kid, used a "cookie" cutter to cut wads to put between the shot and the powder, and to cap them too. These are older practices, because of what I said earlier. In these days, shot doesn't ever touch the barrel unless someone loaded his ammo ALL wrong......................Kingpin
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There are times when a normal man must, spit in his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
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