When nontoxic shot became the law of the
land a decade ago, a whole new learning curve was created for
waterfowl hunters. Now, with more and more public and private
upland hunting land coming under nontoxic shot requirements -
not to mention our own personal evironmental concerns - we all
need to get ahead of the curve on our nontoxic shot options.
First came steel, then steel-like shot
Steel and tungsten shot pellets are both light in weight and
much harder than lead. That means they have less range and deliver
less energy to the target. Winchester published a flyer some
years ago urging hunters to perfect their duck calling techniques
because steel shot was not effective at ranges over 35 yards.
Since steel shot is not a reliable killer at the longer distances
at which ducks and geese are customarily taken, those hunters
really need all the help they can get - and as sales of new 3
1/2-inch 12-gauge and 10-gauge shotguns can attest - they are
getting it. These newer and heavier guns increase the hull capacity
for steel and steel-like pellets and are built to handle the
heavier recoil it takes to push magnum loads at higher velocities.
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Don't let ads showing holes in a sheet
metal target mislead you. This is the very reason many duck and
goose hunters put up their guns when there were no alternatives
to steel shot. Steel doesn't transfer its energy well to game.
It tends to go through the bird, leaving a wound like an ice
pick. Most real sportsmen would rather put up their guns than
have to wound four or five birds in order to harvest one.
What you should be looking for is flattened shot, not holes
in a steel plate. That's evidence of energy being transferred
TO the target, not THROUGH it. Lead-like malleability is the
virture you seek. Hardness is a negative. Steel is 10 times harder
than lead; and tungsten/iron is 25 times harder than lead (even
harder than the steel in your shotgun barrel). And because wads
must be much huskier to protect barrel walls from scoring by
steel and/or tungsten/iron pellets, there's less room for shot
in the hull. In a 3-inch 12-gauge magnum shell, lead shot has
45 percent more shot than tungsten/iron and 30 percent more than
steel. Reduced payload is only one of several shortcomings.
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When the irresistible
force meets the immovable object
Sooner or later, depending on shooting volume, steel shot is
going to pean out (as in ball pean hammer) and force the hardened
or stailess steel choke tubes into the threads of the milder
steel barrel. The rule of thumb being that when the choke tube
begins to stick in the barrel when you remove it, it's time to
throw it away! And, of course, steel-like shot is death to older,
thin-walled, tightly-choked shotguns.
Even in guns made for steel shot use, it is a wise man who uses
a choke tube lubricant to help protect against seizure. Colonial
Arms Choke Tube Lube (which contains fine particles of metal,
graphite and other additives known to enhance |
