non-toxic beginner
- Thread starter BirdmanMI
- Start date
berettadouble
Member
I put my lead loads in steel boxes and hunt happily.
Shawk
Member
I switched to 1 1/4 oz 3" Black Cloud steel (12ga) this season almost exclusively due to hunting a lot of public now. I tried another brand as well, but I'm really impressed with this stuff. I'll shoot #2, #3 & #4 depending on the conditions... #3 would be my choice if I only could have one. I'll likely quit buying lead all together so I don't get caught sometime with a lead shell or two left in my pocket by accident on public ground.
I absolutely can't believe Iowa hasn't done this state wide...
We'll assume you're joking...
BrowningCitori
Member
My hunting partner shots #3 1 oz loads in his over and under 20 and kills plenty of roosters. I prefer #6 early and #4s later in my 12 ga. Steel shot works just fine, IF you hit the bird. I haven't shot a rooster with lead in decades.
KSBrittman
Active member
I have had very good luck with Winchester Drylok and Hevi-metal all in 3 " 20 ga one ounce of shot # 3s
I went to the pattern Board and tried a number of loads these are what worked best for me in steel .
wisturkeyhunter
New member
Just curious why you use steel for pheasants in Montana?
I think the point of the OP was that the place he was/is hunting is going to be a non-tox area the next hunting season. So, lead will not be allowed.
I also have used the HM 3" shells in #4's and loved their performance....
No tox
I use Federal Heavyweight 2 3/4-1 1/8 oz. 7 shot turkey load in my 20 gauge with either IC or LM choke depending on time of year and whether alone or in a group. Geez that stuff will pound a bird a ways out and shoot soft. Missing is expensive, so it costs me plenty. Kent Tungsten Matrix would be as effective, I bet.
I use Federal Heavyweight 2 3/4-1 1/8 oz. 7 shot turkey load in my 20 gauge with either IC or LM choke depending on time of year and whether alone or in a group. Geez that stuff will pound a bird a ways out and shoot soft. Missing is expensive, so it costs me plenty. Kent Tungsten Matrix would be as effective, I bet.
I finally went exclusively to non-tox this year for all my upland hunting. There are areas in SD where I can still legally shoot lead but for a variety of reasons I've switched to all steel. I've had good luck with #4 steel early in the seaon for pheasants and sharpies. Late season I use #3. All 3" shells and I shoot Kent and Federals out of a IC or LM choke.
If you can afford it there's no doubt that Hevishot or Kenty TM are the best non tox options. Especially if shooting a 20ga.
If you can afford it there's no doubt that Hevishot or Kenty TM are the best non tox options. Especially if shooting a 20ga.
What I have found is that you actually save money by using a BETTER
shell in the long run. For example, if you shoot a duck and merely WING
HIM and are forced to shoot one or two clean up shots to finsih him
are you really saving money when you MIGHT have been able to cleanly
take him with one BETTER shell?
why wouldn't you?
wisturkey hunter
maybe because using non-tox really IS the right thing to do! Lead is nasty stuff. I'll admit to still using it myself, but rarely. My concern isn't really about birds ingesting it off the ground, I don't think that's a big issue. In my mind a bigger concern is raptors eating eating cripples and ingesting the stuff. Every year numerous raptors are brought into wildlife rehab units after ingesting lead, most likely from eating crippled birds. Not only is that not a good thing, it also doesn't make hunters look good to the non-hunters. I have shot most of my roosters for the last 10-15 years with steel, not the expensive alternatives. I am somewhat conservative with my shot distances (no good reason to just "throw steel in the air"), and see absolutely no issues killing game. I usually shoot a 20 ga and start with a #3 in the first barrel, usually cylinder choke, followed by #2's in the second-improved cylinder and most birds are stone dead when they hit the ground. I do shoot premium steel loads, not the cheap stuff and try to find 1 oz loads. I think the "crippling issue" with steel is way overblown IMO.
wisturkey hunter
maybe because using non-tox really IS the right thing to do! Lead is nasty stuff. I'll admit to still using it myself, but rarely. My concern isn't really about birds ingesting it off the ground, I don't think that's a big issue. In my mind a bigger concern is raptors eating eating cripples and ingesting the stuff. Every year numerous raptors are brought into wildlife rehab units after ingesting lead, most likely from eating crippled birds. Not only is that not a good thing, it also doesn't make hunters look good to the non-hunters. I have shot most of my roosters for the last 10-15 years with steel, not the expensive alternatives. I am somewhat conservative with my shot distances (no good reason to just "throw steel in the air"), and see absolutely no issues killing game. I usually shoot a 20 ga and start with a #3 in the first barrel, usually cylinder choke, followed by #2's in the second-improved cylinder and most birds are stone dead when they hit the ground. I do shoot premium steel loads, not the cheap stuff and try to find 1 oz loads. I think the "crippling issue" with steel is way overblown IMO.
By the way, I wasn't meaning to call anyone out on this , especially wisturkeyhunter. I guess my point is, why not. Lead has it's issues, non-tox has been required for years on waterfowl and there's been a whole lotta ducks and geese killed with it, and it's required in so many places that I've pretty much just made the switch and don't have any issues - other than biting into an occasional pellet. YOUCH! You can tell it ain't lead If i do my part i find it kills quite well and believe me i can cripple just as many with lead.
If i do my part i find it kills quite well and believe me i can cripple just as many with lead.
Bob M
New member
I'm closer to 70 than 60, some of my most favored guns are my age; they don't like steel and neither do I, but I shoot primarily waterfowl so no tox is part of my world.
As stated by others, the HeviShot, Federal Heavyweight, and Kent TM loads work as well,or better, than lead in my opinion but they are pricy. They will make a twenty bore shine!
My experience with steel is limited to ducks and a few geese on occasion. I have found that a 1oz load of 3s, patterned in my 20ga to determine the best choke for it, gives ample shot density and penetration to about 40yds on mallards. And it doesn't break the bank to shoot them.
Bob
As stated by others, the HeviShot, Federal Heavyweight, and Kent TM loads work as well,or better, than lead in my opinion but they are pricy. They will make a twenty bore shine!
My experience with steel is limited to ducks and a few geese on occasion. I have found that a 1oz load of 3s, patterned in my 20ga to determine the best choke for it, gives ample shot density and penetration to about 40yds on mallards. And it doesn't break the bank to shoot them.
Bob
wisturkeyhunter
New member
By the way, I wasn't meaning to call anyone out on this , especially wisturkeyhunter. I guess my point is, why not. Lead has it's issues, non-tox has been required for years on waterfowl and there's been a whole lotta ducks and geese killed with it, and it's required in so many places that I've pretty much just made the switch and don't have any issues - other than biting into an occasional pellet. YOUCH! You can tell it ain't lead
I'll stick with lead as long as I can but I can see your point.
I do agree steel is a lot better than most think even in a 20 gauge.
Sorry, not trying to hijack the thread here, but in terms of pellet count, how does 1oz of steel compare to 1oz of lead? "Standard rule" is that lead is two sizes smaller than steel I.e. #4 steel = #6 lead and #3 steel = #5 lead, but what about in pellet count? Does an ounce of steel equate to more pellets in the shell due to steel weighing less than lead or am I just over thinking it? May also be something to consider if the OP is used to using a 1 1/4 oz or 1 3/8 oz lead load.