16ga.com ~ View topic

Just to preface this question, A couple of months ago I was able to score 12 boxes of 1 oz. #6 Federal Game loads for $3.50/box. This morning I was talking with my old man and was saying that I wish I could have gotten a couple of boxes in 7 1/2's too. He goes on to tell me that I can just pull the 6's from the shells and substitute the 7 1/2's.

My question is, is this safe to do, as long as I'm only putting an ounce of shot back in?

Also, if this is kosher, why couldn't a guy do the same with the new NiceShot for non-tox loads without getting really deep into reloading?

Thanks. Dan

Guest

Unless you know of a easy way to replace the shot with a different shot and recrimp, I have always reloaded the conventional method due to time and effort of attempting to crack open a factory load. Ballistic Products makes a product to cut your shell open to allow you to take the shot, wad and powder. It does make your hull useless only for firing your primer on Ney Years!!! You can replace the same weight of lead with another size of pellet provided they are both the same weight. You get into trouble when you try to mix the various non-tox with lead due to their specific gravity i.e. shot volume.

The only reason I ask about the Niceshot is that it says it is a direct replacement for lead shot and that you can use lead components and recipies for reloading it. This would make it somewhat affordable to me then if that is the case.

Not sure what the specific gravity of either substance is, but want to say I saw somewhere that the Niceshot it 10.2g/cu. cm and isn't lead around 11 g/ci. cm?

Guest

Doing a WAG estimate of thie NiceShot, it seems to be around 92% density of lead which is in the ballpark of Bismuth. I don't know if it is the same product but with a different name. Can you provide a website?? I can't imagine the stuff is cheap and I purchased the last few cans of Bismuth from BP at a very expensive price. If I'm spending $1-3/round, I want everything to be perfect with that shell. The idea of sticking a small flat screwdriver to open a factory lead load to replace with the expensive shot just seems counter productive. If you don't have a decent 16 gauge reloader, you can pick up the MEC Sizemaster for a little money (possibly used). Get a Universal Charge Bar and shoot the Remington Game Loads for target practice. Save your empties and pick up the SP16 wads. Join the reloading group and find a couple good receipes and load some nice field handloads with nice crimps. Your crimp is very important in establishing a proper handload and if done right, is almost as good as a factory load and it will perform better.

Good luck!!!

You are correct, it is rather expensive. ($50 plus shipping for 2.2#'s)

Here is a link to their website www.niceshotinc.com

I was just thinking about trying it as a way of not spending the extra money to get the press, scale, etc. at possibly a little cheaper price. I haven't hunted waterfowl in several years and only had the idea after having to use steel shot for Pheasants in South Dakota this past fall. I was not impressed with the performance of #2 steel in factory 16 gauge loadings.

I guess for the amount of shells that I'd be using on a yearly basis, it's probably just as cheap to buy factory loads. Although, at $3 a pop from RST and really no other alternative yet (Hevishot is supposedly coming out with a Classic Doubles loading), I'm thinking maybe it's not a bad investment to buy the reloading setup.

Thanks for the info.

Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 38 Location: midwest

"Nice shot" is not a cousin of bismuth. It is more dense. Typical bismuth shot (alloy with Sn) is only about 85% of chilled lead shot density. Pure bismuth is about 9.7 gm/cm3

Plated shot (which as no ‘real’ specific gravity…but rather a type of an average) at about 10.1 to 10.7 gm/cm3…Nice shot falls in this range and is a true (albeit expensive) lead substitute. Obviously reloading data makes no differentiation between plated lead and pure lead shot (at about 11.34 gm/cm3).

I’ve used “Nice Shot” in lead shot data with nothing but good results.…but am not convinced I’ll be using it full time any time soon.

Still have much bismuth shot (bought an obscene amount before it went bye-bye this year) and I’ve also tried some hevishot reload in my 16’s with choke tubes that can handle it. BP make a MM wad for the 16 and the hevishot data was just DEADLY in my 16 BPS in the cattails this year. Bought 50 lbs of hevishot 6’s before the stuff went out of sight over a year ago…saw it coming.

You could dump out what ever lead shot shell you wanted….but I’d not recommend it. Just use Nice shot as it says…lead substitute…and get a cheap MEC and begin the real adventure of reloading. God help you….

Thanks for the help guys. I looks like I'm probably going to start purchasing some equipment.