Why Steel Shot Sucks

[CP]

It all boils down to sectional density (SD).  SD is defined as the weight of the projectile in pounds divided by the square of its diameter in inches.  SD provides a common reference for comparison of the ability of a projectile to penetrate its target. 

For example, take two projectiles:
1.   12 gauge lead ball
2.   an equal weight dart

The 12 gauge lead ball weighs 1/12 Lbs and has a diameter of .729 inches (SD = 0.1568 lbs/in^2)

The dart weighs the same but the diameter of its business end is much smaller therefore its SD is much greater.

Toss the lead ball at a sheet of plywood and it bounces off.  Toss the dart at the same sheet and at the same velocity and sticks in the wood.  Greater SD = greater penetration for a given velocity.

Take a look at the SD of various sizes of lead & steel shot (see chart):

The general rule of thumb for steel shot is to go up 2 sizes for an equivalent steel load.  Say I’m used to shooting ducks with 1.25 oz of #5 lead.  Then #3 should be about the same right? 

Wrong.  I have to go 5 sizes, all the way #B to get same SD as #5 lead.  But there are 50% fewer pellets per oz of steel #B than there are per oz #5 lead (172 vs 85) so I have to double my payload to get the same pattern density.  That means that I need 2.5 oz of steel #B to equal the performance of 1.25 oz of lead #5, right? 

Wrong again.  #B having a larger area than #5 has a higher drag coefficient (Same SD but higher Cd = a worse Ballistic coefficient) and therefore steel #B slows down faster than lead #5.  Now I have to up the velocity of the steel #B as well.  But it’s a moot point because nobody is going to shoot 2.5oz of anything at ducks. 

OK, next example.  Say I’m used to shooting geese with 1 5/8oz of #2 lead.  Forget it.  Steel is never even going to get close.

[BurleyDog]

I love to shoot ducks - divers and puddlers, as well as geese feet down over the decoys.

I have shot a 20 gauge 870 pump for 10+ years at waterfowl and never ever had a problem
killing birds over the decoys with steel.

I often equate the "heavier" loads with people trying to stretch the effective limit of a
shotgun which more often than it should eqauls crippled birds and unethical shots.
Part of the fun of waterfowl hunting is tricking the birds to actually commit to a spread
where steel #6's through a 20 gauge will do the job.

[CP]

Yea I know.  All of us that hunted waterfowl before the lead shot ban were unethical skybusters. 

[lokidog]

Have to agree with Burlydog. 

It doesn't mean you're an unethical skybuster... but steel can be very effective when shot distances are kept reasonable.  Reasonable being defined by a person's ability to consistently place a lethal amount of pellets on target during varying hunting conditions.

I grew up (in WI) having to use steel shot for waterfowl hunting on public land from age 12 (1976), I used lead for pheasants and grouse.  When I moved to OR in 1986 I was happy to be able to use less expensive lead for duck hunting on the bay.  In the first month or so of the season, I had many cripples that were lost since I could not row my little borrowed 8 foot dinghy fast enough to catch them.  I was shooting over decoys at the same ranges that I had previously shot steel, maybe a little farther away as it was more open on the bay than in the marshes where I was used to shooting.  I decided to try a box of #4 steel, we used #1 and #2 on giant canada geese in WI.  I ended up only losing two ducks the ENTIRE rest of the season using steel shot.  I think this is not because steel shot is more effective (obviously, ballistically it is not) but it was because that is what I was used to shooting at ducks.  I had ten years of practice with steel at ducks.

So yes, steel shot sucks, unless you are proficient with it.  And, for me, it sucks a lot less than paying $1 or more per shot for the available alternatives, I'll just keep my shots under forty yards thank you.

[Dustin07]

I used some of that tungsten this year and was pretty happy with it. but pricey pricey pricey.

[dawei]

Well my $0.02 is that I agree with BurleyDog, lokidog, and Dustin07. No hunter I know likes to use steel, however we are stuck with it so why not learn how to use it? Because of age (61), infirmities, and surgeries (Rotator cuff & total shoulder replacement); I use a 20ga for all of my shotgun hunting - turkey, upland, and waterfowl hunting. I learned decades ago to view ballistics charts with great caution; what the chart says is insufficient is often a great round/shell. Conversely what is often touted as being the best for a particular application often falls far short.

I don't use Hevi•Shot® for duck hunting simply because it is so expensive. I do use it for the occasional shot at a goose. I also use it when turkey hunting.

I kill a lot of ducks every year using my 20ga gun(s) and steel shot. I use a Mossberg® Mdl 500C, an IMP CYL OEM choke and Kent® Fasteel®3" Mag 1500fps ⅞oz #2, 3, and 4 shot (#K203ST24-2, -3, -4). If over decoys I use #4 for the first shot and #3 for followup shots. When pass shooting it's #3 for the first shot followed by #2 through the OEM MOD choke.

For the occasional goose that comes in I use a Remington® SPR220 (Baikal® IZH-43) SxS. I use Federal® Ultra-Shok® 3" Mag 1350fps 1oz #1 steel (#PW209 1) and it folds honkers out to 40yds very cleanly. I also have a horded stash of the original Remington® Premier® Hevi•Shot® Nitro Magnum Waterfowl Loads 3" 1300fps 1⅛oz #4 (#PRHSN20M4). This stuff will fold a goose out to 50yds if you center the bird in your pattern.

When using steel shot conventional wisdom has always been "go two shot sizes up and use a more open choke". Many will argue against this, but I have followed this advice since 1991 when steel shot became mandatory for waterfowl hunting; and HAVE FOUND IT TO BE GOOD ADVICE! The steel shotshell ammunition we have today is leaps and bounds ahead of what we had to use back in the early 1990s. Look at Federal® Black Cloud®, Remington® HyperSonic®, and Winchester® Blind Side® for example.

[BurleyDog]

I will say this too. Hunting with a 20 gauge for geese I have found that I am
more aware of my shot placement on the bird. I tend to aim for the white cheek
patch and it is a very effective way to shoot at geese. In the face that is!!!

[singleshot12]

There is a new steel shot out on the market I'm looking forward to trying it's called (Federal Prairie Storm FS Steel) which has regular round pellets with ridged FliteStopper pellets inside a unique rear-braking wad. Suppose to have better patterns with the ridged pellets creating a larger wound channel. We'll see.

[Curly]

I sure miss the old days of shooting ducks with 1.5 oz of #5 lead, or 1 3/8 oz of #5's.  Those loads would fold them way out there. 

Killed a lot of ducks with #2 steel though after the lead ban, but had to pass up some of the marginal shots that might be presented.

[pianoman9701]

There's no question that lead makes it easier to kill birds, but I too get great satisfaction from making an effective spread and being able to call the geese to me so close that I can hear the wingbeat. It forces us to take better shots and it helps the environment and the birds.

[WSU]

Steel shot does suck.  No matter what anyone says, it is less effective.  I too prefer to kill ducks at 15 yards with their feet down, but that doesn't change the fact that steel shot sucks.

[Curly]

Steel shot does suck.  No matter what anyone says, it is less effective.  I too prefer to kill ducks at 15 yards with their feet down, but that doesn't change the fact that steel shot sucks.

 

[Dustin07]

using the more expensive load allows me to compensate for being a crappy/late/behind the bird shooter

steel shot will still knock them down if you hit them in the head within range.

the more expensive shots help compensate, and may be more justifiable, in my opinion, for geese and seaducks.

[dawei]

using the more expensive load allows me to compensate for being a crappy/late/behind the bird shooter

steel shot will still knock them down if you hit them in the head within range.

the more expensive shots help compensate, and may be more justifiable, in my opinion, for geese and seaducks.

Hevi•Shot® is great stuff, I use it every year for turkey hunting (not a lot of rounds fired [1-3] per season). It is just too flat out expensive to be shooting every time I waterfowl hunt however. I use it for an occasional goose that does a flyby of my dekes. I may shoot 1 10rd box for geese the whole season if that. YMMVH.

[h2ofowlr]

There is a new steel shot out on the market I'm looking forward to trying it's called (Federal Prairie Storm FS Steel) which has regular round pellets with ridged FliteStopper pellets inside a unique rear-braking wad. Suppose to have better patterns with the ridged pellets creating a larger wound channel. We'll see.

Wasn't this out at a few locations last season?  I saw that Winchester I believe is coming out with a new load as well where the pellets will be square.  Should be interesting.  I don't mind shooting steel, I kill just as many, but I probably burn through more shells than I did with lead.  Less cripples also.  The birds just seem to always be dead on arrival.  I think we quite using lead in the 80's when we finally ran out of lead shells.  Last year I saw 10-14 empty 1/O buck shot hulls on the dike.  Someone must have been taking tall shots at snows with lead.  I personally can't wait until some of these pattened shots are up and everyone can produce them.  A little more comp. to drive the prices down.  They mark them at a price the market will bear.

[singleshot12]

Not sure I've never seen it before and sure it's pricey too.. Back in the day I used load lead buffered 2's and 4's 2-3/4 in. for about $2 a box. Crunched greenheads @ 50-70 yrds every time. Really miss those days. Took me a few years to even figure out steel.Shoot them at half the yardage,pay ten times the price and still have as much cripples as retrieved. Yea steel sucks and wounds a ton of birds.

[dawei]

There is a new steel shot out on the market I'm looking forward to trying it's called (Federal Prairie Storm FS Steel) which has regular round pellets with ridged FliteStopper pellets inside a unique rear-braking wad. Suppose to have better patterns with the ridged pellets creating a larger wound channel. We'll see.

Federal® loads three different types of shells with Flitestopper® pellets in combination with the Flitecontrol® wad..............
• First came Premium® Black Cloud® with Flitestopper steel. The ratio is 40% Flitestopper steel and 60% Premium® brand steel. This loading was developed in 2007.
• Next came Prairie Strom® Lead (Pb). This ammunition was developed in 2009. It contains a mixture of 30% Flitestopper nickel-plated lead and 70% copper-plated Premium® lead.
• The latest iteration is Premium® Prairie Storm® Flitestopper® steel. This loading is a 50% each load of Premium® and Flitestopper steel and is a new loading for 2011. IT IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN #3, 4 steel. This loading is designed for upland hunting, NOT waterfowl hunting.
EACH OF THESE THREE LOADS PATTERN AND PERFORM DIFFERENTLY!

[Dustin07]

using the more expensive load allows me to compensate for being a crappy/late/behind the bird shooter

steel shot will still knock them down if you hit them in the head within range.

the more expensive shots help compensate, and may be more justifiable, in my opinion, for geese and seaducks.

Hevi•Shot® is great stuff, I use it every year for turkey hunting (not a lot of rounds fired [1-3] per season). It is just too flat out expensive to be shooting every time I waterfowl hunt however. I use it for an occasional goose that does a flyby of my dekes. I may shoot 1 10rd box for geese the whole season if that. YMMVH.

I bought mine originally for hunting snows and sea ducks. Scoters seem to wear kevlar vests so I figured it would help... but because I of work I ended up out of state as much as I was in state so I didn't hunt as much as I anted this year and used my hevi on puddlers  it knocked em down

[sakoshooter]

i'd have to agree with Burleydogs's first post.
I shoot steel 3's early switching to 2's and BB's late season with no complaints. I shoot Hevi-shot or Kent Matrix for geese. If the geese are decoying well and we're in layout blinds, I'll shoot steel BB's.
Last year I shot a few boxes of Hevi-Metal. I'll be shooting it again this year.
I'd have to say that if you're not satisfied with steel shot loads, there are more alternatives than you can shake a stick at. And many of them are better than lead.
What sucked about steel shot early on was not the shot but the wad mostly and the fact that it was loaded to lead shot velocities. The steel shot loads on today's market work just fine witin the ethical range of a shotgun.

[singleshot12]

And many of them are better than lead.

I would have a hard time agreeing that any other metal could be better or more lethal than lead. Even the 3 bucks a bang stuff hasn't come close to the 20 cent buffered lead loads I used to load..

[CP]

And many of them are better than lead.

I would have a hard time agreeing that any other metal could be better or more lethal than lead. Even the 3 bucks a bang stuff hasn't come close to the 20 cent buffered lead loads I used to load..

 

I should start a new thread on why steel alternatives suck but it can really be boiled down cost.  For an insane price you can get something that is almost as good as lead, but since the metal is so expensive the payloads are smaller or they mix in some steel or mystery metal and still charge you big $$$$.

[CP]

witin the ethical range of a shotgun.

what exactly is the ethical range of shotgun?

[BurleyDog]

witin the ethical range of a shotgun.

what exactly is the ethical range of shotgun?
[/quote]

I wish more people would actually ponder this question. First time I took my neice and my wife out duck hunting the thing they kept saying way "I can't believe how close they have to come before you can shoot at them"

[Dustin07]

I like 15 yards. I know some guys on this forum are dead-eyes at 40+ tho.

[Coho]

High velocity steel #4's = dead ducks < 40 yards..

[h2ofowlr]

witin the ethical range of a shotgun.

what exactly is the ethical range of shotgun?

I think the question should be directed towards the shooter not the gun.  With the right loads and a skilled marksman shooting birds out to 70 yards on the pass may be accomplished routinely.  Some unpracticed shooter may have an ethical range of 15 yards.

[sakoshooter]

This is probably going to get some hair rais'n but here goes.
Since I've been active at a numerous shotgun clubs for 30+ years, shooting trap, skeet, sporting clays and most of the shotgun games that have come down the pike, I'll air my opinion on "range".
Clay targets can easily be broken with one(1) pellet. Live birds take considerably more. A DU study a few years back concluded that the average mallard needed 4 pellets in vital areas for a clean kill.
Most skeet targets are broken @ 21 yds. Trap @ 31 yds.
Continental trap allows two shots if you miss on the first. I'd venture a guess that about 50% of those second shots connect.
Some of the other games we play offer shots out to about 70 yds. IE: 27 yd Anne Oakley IE: First shooter calls target, misses, second shooter misses, third shooter misses, fourth shooter 'chips' target - visible chip. First three shooters(missed)are out of the competition. Ususally dbl elimination. Most of the time in this game and the other games similar, if the first shooter misses, so do any others that attempt. Many do not even attempt because they know their chances are almost nill. The first shooter in this game has about a 40 - 45yd target. Everyone else has a much farther shot even though they are already ready to shoot(guns mounted).
Trap load: 1 1/8oz lead #7.5 - 390 pellets.
Duck load: 1 1/8oz steel #2 - 140 pellets.
First, in hunting, a bird needs to be hit. Second, it needs to be hit hard enough and with enough pellets to kill it cleanly. Not crippled so you see it go down on the neighbors property with no chance of retrieval or worse, dies that night from a crippling wound.
As stated earlier, ethical is determined by the shooter. 70yd shooting at ducks/geese is rediculous even with tungsten loads. Patterns are so sparse past 50yds and pellet energy is reduced below what could be considered lethal for enough penetration through thick feathers, skin and meat that these shots are basically unethical for a first shot at a healthy bird. Now a follow up shot on an already hit bird at these distances is another story.
There were a couple threads last fall talking about a similar topic. Bottom line, pattern your load, shoot your gun untill you're comfortable and confident with it and above all, know you and your gun's limiations. Seriously folks, is crippling birds our objective as hunters? Heck no. Would you gut shoot your elk because it was your only shot? Of course not. Unethical. We have to know when not to shoot. Sometimes you just let em go simply because they didn't come in close enough.
I do not shoot past 50yds as the norm. 40yds and under is what I'm looking for. They will come into this range if you do you part.
I make about 25 trips to various duck/goose spots every year. Mostly to Nisqually. I unfortunately see literally hundreds of birds crippled every season, mostly by hunters taking unethical shots at passing birds that are way to high. Many of these birds go down inside the refuge, probably die and do not benefit anyone. I'd also venture to say that they were not counted in that hunters daily bag limit either.
To address the 'alternative' shot options: Hevi-shot has a density of 12, lead shot - 11 and steel shot - 7.8. Some of the other tungsten shot products have a density close to lead, right around 11. Lead deforms when it hits bone, slowing penetration. This has been proven over and over. Tungsten does not. It penetrates further than lead. Many of the ducks I've shot with Hevi-shot or the like actually have exit holes. Also, lead cannot even come close to the velocities of today's steel or tungsten loads simply because it deforms in the chamber thus creating terrible patterns.
Actually steel shot can penetrate further than lead at resonable ranges with a large enough shot size because it doesn't deform.
Check out this link:
http://shotshell.drundel.com/pelletcount.htm
Lead is gone. Has been for a long time for waterfowlers. It's on it way out for upland hunters in many areas and many of us will see it's dissapearance for big game huning in our life times. Arguing about it is a mute subject.
Today's steel shot or tungsten loads have been refined over the years as have the wads they're loaded in and the chokes they're shot through to the point of being very effective within their intended range. This range is ultimately determined by you when in the field.
We do not have referees out in the field. It is ultimately our responsibility as hunters to know what is ethical and what is within the limits or ourselves and our equipment.
There are a lot of ducks but there are not enough for any of use to cripple and waste them.

[CP]

My hair is still down.  I agree with most of what you wrote there.

[TheSkyBuster]

what exactly is the ethical range of shotgun?

150 yards   

[BurleyDog]

great post sakoshooter!

I usually don't shoot at birds past 15 yards. I like for them to never knew what hit them... one second flying down to meet your buddies (decoys) next instant dead and falling to the water for an easy retrieve for my aging dog.

I can't wait for the season!!!!

[singleshot12]

Lead deforms when it hits bone, slowing penetration.

And once deformed causes major havoc within the birds body resulting in more folded birds .
You are right lead is gone and gone for good, but from my experience heavy metal or steel with it's speed and penetration creates cleaner holes with less internal damage which results in more fly away cripples that end up dieing later too far to be retrieved. Any big game hunter will agree that the more deformed or mushroomed their bullet is when hitting meat and bone the faster the kill.
I agree with all other points though.

[Coho]

That transfers energy as shock to the bird. Steel uses velocity and increased pellet count or some people like more massive pellets.

[dawei]

And once deformed causes major havoc within the birds body resulting in more folded birds.
You are right lead is gone and gone for good, but from my experience heavy metal or steel with it's speed and penetration creates cleaner holes with less internal damage which results in more fly away cripples that end up dieing later too far to be retrieved. Any big game hunter will agree that the more deformed or mushroomed their bullet is when hitting meat and bone the faster the kill.
I agree with all other points though.

Have you seen what Black Cloud® with FliteStopper™ steel does? It really shreds ducks & geese.

[CP]

High Speed steel sounds good, but the larger, lighter pellets lose speed quicker than denser pellets do. Keep in mind that higher muzzle velocity does not equal higher velocity at target impact.

[Coho]

True..that's where the < 40 yards comes in.

[sakoshooter]

Lead deforms when it hits bone, slowing penetration.

And once deformed causes major havoc within the birds body resulting in more folded birds .
You are right lead is gone and gone for good, but from my experience heavy metal or steel with it's speed and penetration creates cleaner holes with less internal damage which results in more fly away cripples that end up dieing later too far to be retrieved. Any big game hunter will agree that the more deformed or mushroomed their bullet is when hitting meat and bone the faster the kill.
I agree with all other points though.

Since a lead pellet is already a mushroom onto itself, any further deformation tends to slow it's forward progress. Sectional density was explained by CP in his original post. A ball or pellet's sectional density is as good as it gets. Any deformation would lower it significantly.
A bullet mushrooming is slightly different in that it's penetration is based on limited expansion, weight retention and velocity with enouigh bullet shank below it to drive it forward and in a straight line. That comes straight from Jack Carter(inventor Trophy Bonded Bear Claw & Sledge Hammer bullets).
To compare shotguns to rifles shooting lead(apples to apples as best we can), we'd have to compare shotguns shooting lead pellet loads to muzzle loaders shooting round balls, not cylindrical projectiles.

High Speed steel sounds good, but the larger, lighter pellets lose speed quicker than denser pellets do. Keep in mind that higher muzzle velocity does not equal higher velocity at target impact.

A #4 steel pellet will lose it's velocity much faster than a #4 lead pellet if both are shot at the same velocity. Fortunately steel loads and many tungsten loads are loaded to much higher velocities.
Higher muzzle velocity does indeed equal higher velocity at the intended target providing that this target is kept within the intended range of the load being used.
If you're trying to compare a lead load to a steel load using the same pellet size, no contest.
If you compare a lead pellet to a tungsten pellet of the same size, no contest there either as the tungsten far out performs lead in every category: Retained velocity, energy and penetration.
Also, a 1 1/8oz steel load has the same amount of pellets as a 1 1/2oz lead load given the same pellet size. Most waterfowlers of the day shot 1 1/4 - 1 3/8oz lead loads because that is what was available. Most steel loads offer a higher pellet count than their older brother in a lead load. Many of today's super charged 3" loads surpass their older lead counterparts. Not to mention the 3.5" loads available these days.
And as far as price goes, most things have gone thru the roof in that regard. Shotgun shells are still darn cheap.
As far as mystery metal in Hevi-Metal shells goes: Hevi-metal is 50% steel, 50% Hevi-shot by volume. Not by pellet count. The ratio is even better because it's loaded with Hevi-shot two sizes smaller than the steel shot it's sitting on top of. That means that there are a lot of lethal pellets at close range and when the steel pellets slow, the Hevi-shot pellets will continue to be lethal and not hindered by the steel pellets. This info is on their site.
Check out all the info on this link:  http://shotshell.drundel.com/steel.htm
Take a look at this chart comparing pellet energy. Steel pellets need to be about 2 sizes larger to match lead energies. Since steel is available in much higher velocity loads than lead can even be loaded to, I'd have to say that the good old days of lead(I started hunting ducks in 1968), killing ducks at unimagineable ranges, deader than dead, is mostly in our heads.

[270Shooter]

I used to ate steel, but I think that it isn't too bad anymore, fasteel 3's and 4's kill em just as good as anything I have seen. Stell patterens much tighter than lead.

[lokidog]

I used to ate steel, but I think that it isn't too bad anymore, fasteel 3's and 4's kill em just as good as anything I have seen. Stell patterens much tighter than lead.

How are those teeth doing?   

Good post Sako.

Ethical range = "... but steel can be very effective when shot distances are kept reasonable.  Reasonable being defined by a person's ability to consistently place a lethal amount of pellets on target during varying hunting conditions." from post #4.

[270Shooter]

There good, just have to clean the birds very well, no pellet hole goes unchecked