A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
Since Kent won't do #4 bismuth in 16 ga, I'm now the proud owner of a "case" (200) of these bad boys. Although I wish they were 1-1/8 oz, I still can't wait to try them. 1 oz @ 1,350
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Purple Death at my Doorstep!!
- Thread starter A5 Sweet 16
- Start date
Rogue Hunter
Active member
Yeah, I emailed Kent a couple times. Never got a reply. Thinking about buying a box or two of the Boss to pattern before I drop that kind of money on a case.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
Zach at Boss has responded to my emails. They apparently understand that's meaningful. I've shot Kent bismuth 5s for years, ever since they discontinued Tungsten Matrix in 16 ga. I love it out to about 40 yds +/-. But if the BOSS 4s perform the way I hope they do, I'll switch to BOSS on the 5s too.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
Joel, yes. Had them in under a week.
Bob Peters
Well-known member
I actually bumped into one of the owners of BOSS on Monday quite by accident. He was a good guy and we actually sat down and had a conversation. They only sell direct to consumer so you need to call or order from their website. He also told me if the shells you are looking for aren't in stock on the webpage you can sign up for a "preorder" and the shells will ship as soon as they come in stock. I've ordered from them for the last couple years. I shoot a 12 and between the 4's and 5's I like the 4s better. Either way, bismuth is far superior to steel. Love the look of that purple!
goldenboy
Well-known member
Zach from way back! He used to sell Wild Ear ear plugs. He kida got a bad deal with them and is now working with Boss Shells I will have to look him up! Thanks for the tip Brent.
I've posted this on a different forum, but I'm considering shooting 16 gauge Boss #5 bismuth exclusively for pheasant. They perform so well for me. A guy really doesn't shoot many shells to get 15 birds, so I'm thinking why screw around switching between lead and bismuth?
I have about 300 Boss bismuth and about 200 1-1/4 ounce Tungsten Matrix loads, so I'm set for a while.
You can't blame these shells if you don't have success.
I have about 300 Boss bismuth and about 200 1-1/4 ounce Tungsten Matrix loads, so I'm set for a while.
You can't blame these shells if you don't have success.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
I rarely shoot the TM because the Boss shells work just fine. I honestly can't notice any difference. But, I did learn a lesson w/ the TM. I bought my last flat of TM for $420. I should have gotten more. So, I bought another 200 Boss #5 as soon as they became available after last season. You know prices will go up sooner or later. I'm considering getting another 200.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
Some of you have heard my thoughts on HeviBismuth before. I had some of them in 16 ga. that were advertised as 1-1/8 oz. of #4s. I tore a couple apart. The loads were just barely, BARELY over 1 oz., & the shot was small, like 4.5. Significantly short-changing me on the most expensive & critical part of the shell didn't sit well with me, & I'll never buy a Hevi product again.
I dissected a couple of my new BOSS shells to see if I got my money worth, at least as far as material is concerned. The results were close enough for me to say they're right on the money. The average pellet measured 0.133" in diameter, slightly larger than a true #4, & I wonder if that's a result of the copper plating (which in my opinion is unnecessary; maybe I'll notice fewer pellets fragments in birds though; we'll see). In any case, that explains why these came in at 149 pellets/ounce, rather than 154 of true bismuth #4. One dissected shell contained 148 pellets; the other 151. That's pretty darn close & consistent enough for me. FWIW, each shell contained 24.7 gr of a fairly fine-grained powder.
I dissected a couple of my new BOSS shells to see if I got my money worth, at least as far as material is concerned. The results were close enough for me to say they're right on the money. The average pellet measured 0.133" in diameter, slightly larger than a true #4, & I wonder if that's a result of the copper plating (which in my opinion is unnecessary; maybe I'll notice fewer pellets fragments in birds though; we'll see). In any case, that explains why these came in at 149 pellets/ounce, rather than 154 of true bismuth #4. One dissected shell contained 148 pellets; the other 151. That's pretty darn close & consistent enough for me. FWIW, each shell contained 24.7 gr of a fairly fine-grained powder.
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Bob Peters
Well-known member
I believe the copper plating is supposed to help in the following ways:
1. Less friction in the atmosphere (not sure what to think about that)
2. Won't pull as many feathers into a bird
3. protects shot pellets from heat of combustion, which in some cases can cause shot to melt together and/or deform
Either way, it looks like quality components and that you got a nice batch of shells. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts after the next season on the shells. I noticed that on my birds shot with boss bismuth, there were often pellets split in half in the bird. I think bismuth is somewhat brittle and this might not be uncommon. I definitely like #4's in bismuth.
1. Less friction in the atmosphere (not sure what to think about that)
2. Won't pull as many feathers into a bird
3. protects shot pellets from heat of combustion, which in some cases can cause shot to melt together and/or deform
Either way, it looks like quality components and that you got a nice batch of shells. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts after the next season on the shells. I noticed that on my birds shot with boss bismuth, there were often pellets split in half in the bird. I think bismuth is somewhat brittle and this might not be uncommon. I definitely like #4's in bismuth.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
Bismuth is great stuff. Not as great as lead or Tungsten Matrix, but pretty great compared to steel. Back when Bismuth Cartridge Co./Winchester was doing it, I shot 4s with great success, but I believe they were 1-1/8 oz loads. Then went to Tungsten Matrix. Then Kent Bismuth 5s, & I really like them out to 40-45 yds. These 4s should give me the extra few yds I need sometimes, as long as I can get sufficient pattern density with 1 oz. I believe the primary theory behind copper plating is less fragmentation. I suppose that'll be a good thing, resulting in better penetration at longer ranges, where pellets are unlikely to go clean through a bird anyway. But part of the beauty, in my mind, of bismuth is that it DOES fragment sometimes. Similar to a deformed lead pellet, when a fragmented bismuth pellet stays in the bird, ALL the pellet's energy is transfered to the bird. It's what I (and others) call shock energy. As opposed to a pellet that goes clean through a bird (like steel does so frequently), taking most of its energy with it as it exits the bird. Shock kills, & I think lead & bismuth do it best.
5 stand
Well-known member
I tried bismuth to get the added penetration beyond 40 yd and had to use extremely tight chokes. Which hindered me at close range. 150 pellets is on the low end for me. Hope you can make them work.
I think a rifle has shock energy and kills things with shock. A pellet with five or six pounds of energy doesn't have much shocking value to it IMHO. Hitting the vitals is what kills birds.
I think a rifle has shock energy and kills things with shock. A pellet with five or six pounds of energy doesn't have much shocking value to it IMHO. Hitting the vitals is what kills birds.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
You could be right. I'm basing my belief that shock kills on having shot many, many birds with both steel & bismuth in situations where I know my loads had good pattern density, sufficient penetration energy & the shots were well-placed. On average, the birds shot with bismuth died more grizzly deaths. The only difference is that bismuth has less tendency to go clean through. The difference, in many cases, is visible on impact.
5 stand
Well-known member
It's the internet, we nitpick everything.... You kill them with shock, I'll kill them in the vitals... No big deal, dead is dead..
I have averaged about 122 ducks a year since 2010. I don't know if that's many many birds. Most all with steel, it performs pretty well in my gun.
I have averaged about 122 ducks a year since 2010. I don't know if that's many many birds. Most all with steel, it performs pretty well in my gun.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
No! You can't kill a bird by blowing a whole through its heart or brain! I refuse to believe it!
Dead is dead, as you say. There's some good steel on the market today, & hand loads can even be better. If I still did a lot of waterfowl hunting, I'd shoot it because the premium paid for bismuth isn't worth the increase in performance when we're talking about that much shooting/missing. But my checking account can handle a few boxes a year for pheasants.
5 stand
Well-known member
South Dakota is 700 miles from my house... So the checkbook goes out the window on pheasant shells... My shoulders don't like carrying the 12 gauge anymore... I'm getting a little long in the tooth for that... So I moved to the 20-gauge few years ago and it doesn't have enough payload in non-toxic for me, I'm accustomed to 12 gauge performance..
So I've been hand loading TSS it patterns so tight that the learning curve has been tremendous for me... I don't get to shoot enough shells at pheasants each year to get things figured out very quick. But we're working on it.. I hope my comments didn't come across as bismuth bashing, not my intent at all...
So I've been hand loading TSS it patterns so tight that the learning curve has been tremendous for me... I don't get to shoot enough shells at pheasants each year to get things figured out very quick. But we're working on it.. I hope my comments didn't come across as bismuth bashing, not my intent at all...
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