Non-Toxic Shot Sucks

[mossy8352]

Has anyone tried the loads below? I would try them if I could find them here where I live. Seems like a less expensive alternative to hot steel loads (sort pf like HS 13 turkey loads and their geese/duck loads). Not taking sides just curious .

http://www.hevishot.com/images/stories/_Pheasant/HEVI-MetalPheasant.pdf

[AWS]

Another old MN/WI duck hunter here, been shooting steel for a long time  I have no problems with it.  Just started loading ITX and Nice Shot for my vintage smoothbores and high end Muzzle Loader.  I am slowly getting the lead out of my rifles also.  Last season I hunted with 55gr Nosler Lead Free Ballistic Tips in my coyote gun, worked just fine.  Am loading 75gr X bullets in my 250 Sav. and will be working with the 40gr NBT Lead Free in my 22-250 and a couple other 22 cal. this season.

I retired from the abatement industry and I look at it this way.  They told us Cigarettes won't hurt you, asbestos is a miracle material and your telling me there is nothing wrong with lead.   I need to carry an inhaler, damaged lungs from smoking, people I know are dying from asbestosis and everytime I get a chest cold I worry about it, maybe not using lead now will make life a little better for someone in the future.

I'm not going to go out and campain for a lead ban but I'm not going to fight it or stop hunting because of it.
AWS

[Heredoggydoggy]

Get used to it.  We are a nation of extremes in all we do.  Lead will not jump up and grab you by the throat.  It works slower than that.  In my day, we washed our car parts in leaded gasoline, with no gloves.  in 36 years of construction work I washed down lots of things with Lacquer Thinner, MEK, Acetone, Tolulene, and other assorted solvents.  No gloves.  Inhaled the fumes from Contact Cement and other adhesives, and the above.  No masks.  Now people can't understand why I shake so badly I can't shoot a pistol with any accuracy, and offhand rifle shooting is a lost cause.  I don't blame anybody.  We didn't know.  Now we do, and people are afraid of anything that has to do with toxic substances.

[Bob33]

I can almost guarantee you that Hevy-Metal shot will not be cheaper than any steel loads.  It is good but expensive: probably around $4/shell.

[dscubame]

4 bucks a shell!!!!!!!!

[johnnyaustin44]

It defiantly would be nice to be able to reasonably buy something other than steel but even paying 30 a box for shells isn't gonna make you HIT more ducks just kill more efficiently on birds that may not be hit as well.  but hopefully there will be a cheap and better alternative for steel soon

[AWS]

It costs me about $1.60/shell to load nice shot, 1oz #5 in my 12ga and about $1.20 to load ITX 1oz 4.5 or 6 shot or about $35-$40 a box of 25, not that far off of the price of premium steel and I get to use some of the nicest handling guns ever made.

AWS

[Bob33]

Looks to be about $25 for 10 shells.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=877690

[mossy8352]

The blend I wrote about in the above post is $24.99 for 25 shells as it is a blend of steel and heavy metal.

While this is still higher than lead it is close to Black Cloud and others and I think it will out perform the others like the Turkey loads do?

http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseProducts.aspx?pageNum=1&tabId=3&categoryId=17567&categoryString=653***9217***9486***&brandId=1837