16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 863 Location: NoDak

I hate steel!!! Here is my sad and POed tale. Went out today to a WPA for some pheasant hunting. I always hunt them with a 12ga when I have to use steel. Well my son said why don't you take one of your 16's, I thought why not. Lots of birds, got one that came up close, but lost two, due to them not being hit hard. Legs dropped and pulled feathers, just kept sailing along. Both birds were out about 25 to 30 yds. Only had a couple hours to hunt so had to pack it in.

I just don't think that the 15/16 oz load is enough. I was using #2's, but after this, I'll stick to a 12 for steel, bigger payload. 117 pellets IMO just is not able to do the job at 30 yds.

Would like to try some other non-tox, but can't find any. Anyone have any idea were I can get some?

Never did like steel, even for ducks.

All the best!!

Greg

Guest

I shoot steel through my 12 gauge 3" (previously handload) of 1 1/8 oz @ 1500+ fps. I put my steel reloader away for now that Kent ammo has a decent steel loads, I don't shoot anything less than 1500 fps with steel. Putting a 2 3/4" load through a 16 gauge doesn't represent a high fps and it would interesting what your load's fps. Unfortunately, if you don't have a high launch speed with steel, you might as well as shoot sand. As you might have read on one of your earlier post, you need a combination of pattern density and retained energy. If I have to shoot steel through my 12 gauge, my normal round is a #2 and #3 @1500 in a 1 1/8 oz load. If you want to shoot non-tox with your 16, I would find some TM or Bismuth and you'll get better results.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

Don't EVEN get me started about steel shot Evil or Very Mad

Member Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Posts: 317

There are alternatives to steel. Especially for the handloader. Bismuth has never let me down on ducks or pheasants. Sure, its expensive, but not that much more. Pick you shots and put the pellets where the bird will be. You come to expect one shot kills from bismuth handloads.

Member Joined: 31 Aug 2007 Posts: 238 Location: Lodi, CA

I hate steel period.

Here is your problem: not many choices left after steel.

Bismuth shot for reloading has about disappeared.
Bismuth shells are all about gone (check BP or Precision).
Kent TM is disappearing and very expensive.

So what is left? Hevi Shot? I loaded that and shot it through a cheap 870. A lot of it. I would not wish that on my brother in-law's gun. HS is for the gun you don't care about.

I hate to say it, but for the moment unless you have a secret supply or are willing to pay more that $2 a shell, we are stuck with "steal" --oops, I mean "stole"...eg.."steel"?

On a side note --In California they are getting ready to set the stage to band lead and lead core bullets for deer hunting. Why? Because supposedly the California Condor is getting lead poisoning from eating all those deer that are shot and then lost by hunters. Yep, that's right. Hunters shoot and then loose thousands of dear in California each year with lead core bullets which in turn are then surgically removed and digested by scavenging California Condors. In turn, the poor big birds digest so much lead from these bullets that they die from lead poisoning.

Think maybe I could sell my Arizona beach house to some of these "Big Game Biologists" at UC Davis? It has a great view of the Pacific Ocean and I will let it go cheap given the current market.

Think for a start I'd move out of Ca. Sounds like it ain't what it used to be.

Member Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 665 Location: Louisiana

Try www.ecotungsten.com if you want a useable product.

Guest

As much as I enjoy my 16 gauge, I also understand that there is a place and time for the "correct" gun. When you could shoot lead for everything, a 16 could be a decent gun for decoyed waterfowl but with the non-tox situation, it's no longer the case. Unless you're really rich (which I unfortunately not), I have to stick to steel for most of my waterfowl shooting since I go through alot of rounds and I'm a big believer of "less is better" esp. with steel shot. My standard load is an 1 1/8 oz in 3" 12 gauge @ 1550 fps. Depending upon conditions, I have a very comfortable load to take birds up to 45 yards (yes, I know I make those shots on a very consistent basis). Since I shoot mostly rice fields and have good dogs, we have almost zero loss with cripples dues to lack of hiding areas for the crips. If I shot natural heavy cover would I have different tactics and shoot my birds closer?? Definitely, yes...

Getting to a 16 gauge in pheasant hunting in a non-tox area are the only choices are bismuth and TM. I've purchase many boxes of both in the past and am always on the lookout for any available of those two any where in the country. When the good Dr D. put a notice of Bismuth @ a reasonable price, I purchased another case for my 16 gauge inventory. My take with using very expensive rounds for non-tox 16 gauge pheaant hunting is how many rounds are you actually going to shoot?? Given the cost of gas, food and other items, an extra couple of dollars to spend on a few shells is not going to break your trip and you're better off with a load that will really drop the birds.....

My $.02.....

just shoot lead and be done with it!

Guest

In alot of areas of this country esp. federal waterfowl refuges, only non-tox shot is allowed for other non-waterfowl birds like pheasants. I would love to shoot lead on those places but given the fines, we have to come up with other alternatives esp. if we want to continue shooting our 16 gauges.