Hunting Washington Forum
Other Hunting => Waterfowl => Topic started by: Hilltop123 on September 22, 2025, 10:23:15 AM
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I am not going to get into the market conditions, that is shifting some to go all copper for a non toxic shot alternative. But, copper is toxic, to aquatic environments. Doubt me, throw a penny into an aquarium. It wont happen instantly, but it will kill any fish and other critters, eventually. So I figure it is just a matter of time, before copper is banned for at least waterfowl applications. Thoughts?
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I've never seen copper shotgun loads. Is that a thing?
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Yes, Boss is switching to all-copper shot.
Interesting angle on this. I had not considered environmental concerns with a copper load.
The Boss loads are still out of my price range for waterfowl loads. If any of you spring for them this year, I'll be curious to get your in-field performance reviews. I've hunted with the legacy Boss loads (bismuth) in the past and was more "meh" than "wow" for me. I know others who are big fans.
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Apparently the BOSS copper loads are a copper alloy that is non-toxic even in water. They are waiting for final non-tox approval according to their FB posts. There is another ammo loader that does have copper shot and a nontoxic bill of health. Looks like $415/ case or 200 shells. I'll stick to my hand loaded TSS/steel duplex at that price.
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I am not going to get into the market conditions, that is shifting some to go all copper for a non toxic shot alternative. But, copper is toxic, to aquatic environments. Doubt me, throw a penny into an aquarium. It wont happen instantly, but it will kill any fish and other critters, eventually. So I figure it is just a matter of time, before copper is banned for at least waterfowl applications. Thoughts?
Hang on there. Everything I can find about aqueous copper toxicity refers to copper sufates, chelated copper compounds Cu(XYZ..)*n, and copper zinc solid solution compounds. I haven’t found anything about metal copper toxicity except in limestone lakes where the carbonic acid can dissolve the copper metal.
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Biz loads do shoot well and hit hard but for $415 I can get 610 steel loads. I shoot about 50%. My money math says copper is a gimmick.
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Did a bit of reading and see that tungsten is not difficult to alloy with iron and so much cheaper than toxic copper. Why not just invest effort into a lead equivalent tung/iron shot?
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Tungsten metals are hard
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I think sourcing is component of this too. I thought I heard that they were able to find a domestic source of copper which isn't subject to tariffs.
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One look at this chart and the weight of tungsten compared with other metals and it explains why TSS (tungsten super shot) is so effective.
Copper is a lot cheaper than heavier metals, has less weight than lead but considerably more weight than steel, and copper isn’t nearly as toxic as lead, so copper may be a fairly good alternative to steel shot?
Looks like irridium would be killer! :chuckle:
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According to that chart, uranium has similar density to tungsten but costs less, could be a good option!
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According to that chart, uranium has similar density to tungsten but costs less, could be a good option!
You can also get one of those hand-held devices to make finding lost birds much easier. :chuckle:
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Many, many boats have some sort of copper bottom paint, but that is spread throught the worlds oceans. I can think of a few public places where there I wouldn't be surprised if there was a ton of shot deposited every season.
You never know, if they ban copper the manufacturers will switch to something else. I would't buy 10 pallets of copper shot, but I wouldn't be worried for the average waterfowler. Regulations take time.
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So far as I know USFWS has only approved pure copper shot with a protective anti-corrosion coating on it so far (which I believe is because it is toxic to aquatic life):
https://www.fws.gov/story/2022-04/nontoxic-shot-regulations-hunting-waterfowl-and-coots-us
Corrosion-inhibited copper - ≥99.9 copper with benzotriazole and thermoplastic fluorescent powder coatings
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According to that chart, uranium has similar density to tungsten but costs less, could be a good option!
You can also get one of those hand-held devices to make finding lost birds much easier. :chuckle:
That got a chuckle! Thanks!
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One look at this chart and the weight of tungsten compared with other metals and it explains why TSS (tungsten super shot) is so effective.
Copper is a lot cheaper than heavier metals, has less weight than lead but considerably more weight than steel, and copper isn’t nearly as toxic as lead, so copper may be a fairly good alternative to steel shot?
Looks like irridium would be killer! :chuckle:
This is interesting napkin math shows cost to produce a case of copper shotshells (250) it roughly $25 more than the cost to produce a case of lead shot, even less of a difference for steel shot. The markup to buy them is significantly more than that.
I am currently shooting boss bismuth’s. I’m not sure if I will shoot boss copper. I may just buy cases of Rio and send it.
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My former hunting partner used
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In all seriousness I usually buy the cheapest steel shot. I don’t mind Rio or Federal blue box