Non toxic shot help

[GermanShorthair]

Hey guys I have a fuasti o/u shotgun thats a couple years old now, I have been doing some research on if I am able to shoot steel.  All I have come up with is a fleur de lis stamp and I have no idea where to look on the gun for the stamp.  Any imformation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[fethrduster]

I can't think of any new guns that aren't designed to withstand steel.  You should be fine as long as it isn't choked tighter than modified.   That said, I would pony up for some tungsten, nice shot or ITX.  It's more expensive, but hits harder than steel and will not damage barrels, regardless of choke.

Here's a pheasant I took this morning with 1oz #5 tungsten in a very light 6000 psi handload in a 2.5" paper roll crimped hull,  at only 1150fps, out of an 1880's 16ga damascus hammer gun.  It's very effective, with almost no recoil.  Steel sucks.

[GermanShorthair]

thanks a bunch, I was thinking of going modified in place of a full choke and ic in place of modified.

[thinkingman]

Great pic!
That's why we hunt upland birds.

[AWS]

fetherduster are you using straight tungstun or a tungsten matrix like nice shot or ITX?  If it's straight tungsten what wad are you using.;  I'm shooting and older Darne 2.5" 12ga and am loading Nice Shot and ITX over PB and fiber wads.

AWS

[MP123]

Thats an awesome pic fethrduster! 

[T-Bone]

thanks a bunch, I was thinking of going modified in place of a full choke and ic in place of modified.

Smart idea; in general, steel patterns at least one degree tighter than lead. I would never shoot steel through a flush mounted FULL choke tube. Especially in a nice SXS, you risk a stuck choke tube or muzzle damage.
The other tip for shooting steel is to move up one-two shot sizes to get the smaller lead size performance; I.E., use #4 steel shot to duplicate #6 lead and #2 steel shot to duplicate #4 lead.  You won't lose much on the pellet count as steel is more uniform than lead; so the pellet count of the larger steel shot nearly duplicates the pellet count of the smaller lead shot. Just remember to check the shotshell box for the product with the highest velocity and you will get near "lead-like" performance.
Hope this helps.
Tom

[Camp David]

Great Pic  Damascus barrels for the most part can withstand modern loads. Over the years the Damascus barrels were not manufactured correctly and they "unwound" when subject to high pressures. Not sure how the fuasti o/u shotgun was made, but most likely it will not have a Damascus barrel. I did some research and most people seem to be happy with fuasti o/u shotgun. One guy was shooting 3" steel out of it with no problem. This gun has screw in chokes. Most chokes will say "not for steel" if they are ...not for steel.

[fethrduster]

fetherduster are you using straight tungstun or a tungsten matrix like nice shot or ITX?  If it's straight tungsten what wad are you using.;  I'm shooting and older Darne 2.5" 12ga and am loading Nice Shot and ITX over PB and fiber wads.

AWS

I'm using Kent TM cannibalized from factory 12ga 2.5" paper shells with fiber wads.  I hate to cut them up but I don't have any other supply of shot yet.  I'm going to get a bag of #6 or #5 ITX or Nice Shot eventually.  I'm using a 2.5" Federal paper or plastic hull, 16ga SG16 wad, longshot, and either an o/s card or a polywad spreder disc depending on what barrel I'm shooting it in.

[fethrduster]

Great pic!
That's why we hunt upland birds.

Thanks for all the compliments!  I absolutely love taking pics of guns and birds.  It doubles (pun intended) my enjoyment of the sport immensely.

[fethrduster]

Great Pic  Damascus barrels for the most part can withstand modern loads. Over the years the Damascus barrels were not manufactured correctly and they "unwound" when subject to high pressures. Not sure how the fuasti o/u shotgun was made, but most likely it will not have a Damascus barrel. I did some research and most people seem to be happy with fuasti o/u shotgun. One guy was shooting 3" steel out of it with no problem. This gun has screw in chokes. Most chokes will say "not for steel" if they are ...not for steel.

Sorry to correct you, but damascus barrels do not "unwind."  Reports of early damascus failures were likely due to obstructions in the barrels and/or loading smokeless powder by volume (as you do with black powder) rather than weight, resulting in a huge overload.  Sherman Bell in the Double Gun Journal tested 30 damascus barrels in all varieties, from wall hanger rusted twist barrels with loose ribs to high end ones, and they all withstood pressures between 20-30k psi before showing signs of bulging.  When they finally did let go, they split lengthwise along the barrel, usually just ahead of the chamber area, and didn't unwind as people assume (steel barrels, in contrast, shatter when they let go). The welds in damascus guns are actually quite strong due to the fact that they are forge welded.  All that said, I would not shoot any gun that has overly thin barrels that have been honed out.  If in doubt, have it checked out by a competent smith.

[Camp David]

FeatherDuster,
Thanks for correcting me...Looks like you have a better knowledge of these old guns than I. Keep those pictures coming! What camera do you use?

[fethrduster]

No problem.  Thanks for being agreeable.  I've done a lot of research into it because I get asked about it all the time, seeing as how I shoot damascus guns quite often.  There are a lot of misconceptions out there. 

I use a Panasonic Lumix dmc-TZ3 digital camera because it has a Leica lens and it's easy to use.  It's a great camera.   I use the macro setting for close ups, and then I tweak them in my mac to really make them pop.   I even use the video setting occasionally.

[Camp David]

FeatherDuster,

Thanks for the camera and gun info. I'm in the market for a new camera and the Panasonic Lumix dmc-TZ3 might be the ticket.