Shot size per ounce

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Gun Jammin Gary

New member
I may be confusing myself on shot size vs ounce but maybe not. How many ounces of shot will I need to reload for pheasant? Is this dictated on the "charge bar"? I'm using a MEC loader. I'm reloading for a 20-gauge, #6 steel shot, 2 3/4" hull.
 
MEC doesn’t measure by weight it measures by volume. You will need a steel shot specific charge bar for the weight of shot your load calls for. With a volume measured bar MEC uses a specific shot size to bore the hole in the bar. Smaller shot will be over weight and larger shot will be under weight but not by enough to worry about till you get to very large shot.
 
If you're planning on using #6 steel in a 20ga 2 & 3/4" hull for pheasant, save yourself the time and expense of reloading them and use harsh language on the birds instead, because that'll be just about as effective. (unless you're gonna use them on pen-raised birds at distances of 20-25 yards)
#6 steel pellets are roughly equivalent ballistically to #8 lead. No one in their right mind would use lead 8's for pheasant.

For comparison, when using steel for wild pheasants, a 12 ga 3" load of 1 & 1/4 oz steel 2's or 3's make a pretty good load.
 
Yeah, if you're going to use steel, you're going to need a lot bigger shot. Like road scholar said, I think it's two sizes bigger than you would normally use in lead. I'll probably catch some crap, but If I was loading for pheasants in a 20, I'd go with all I could get in a 3'' casing of at least 4's.
 
Gun Jammin Gary said:
I may be confusing myself on shot size vs ounce but maybe not. How many ounces of shot will I need to reload for pheasant? Is this dictated on the "charge bar"? I'm using a MEC loader. I'm reloading for a 20-gauge, #6 steel shot, 2 3/4" hull.
Click to expand...
It sounds as if you are new to reloading. I think it best if you find someone to show you the ropes and/or read one of Lyman's reloading books.

As far as steel loads for pheasants go, #3 and #2 steel loads are what you should be looking for. And in a 20ga, 3" 1-ounce loads would be preferred!

Here is some info I put together on 20ga 3" steel factory loads to give you an idea of how they perform. I've shot a good number of pheasants with these loads.

When using steel shot in a 20 gauge on pheasants, I think it’s best to go with 20 gauge 3-inch 1-ounce loads of either #3 or #2 steel. Steel shot lethality research conducted on pheasants by Tom Roster showed #2 steel to be more effective (at all ranges) than either #6 or #4 steel. Yes, you can kill them with #4 or #6 steel loads, but a little extra pellet energy is a good thing on wild pheasants where shots tend to be at going-away angles and can get on the long side. The research also showed #2 steel resulted in fewer cripples than both #6 and #4 steel; and Roster also speculated that the #3 steel pellet would be a good compromise between pellet count and downrange energy.

Here are a few of my pattern numbers to give you an idea of how these loads perform, in my gun/chokes!

Pattern numbers from a 20-gauge Browning Citori with 28" Invector-plus barrels and Briley flush chokes (patterns average of five, 30" post-shot inscribed circle, yardage taped muzzle to target, and in-shell pellet count average of five).

20 GA 3" WINCHESTER DRYLOK SUPER-X STEEL LOAD
1 oz #3 steel (145 pellets) @ 1330 fps
30 YARDS – CYL / pattern 87 (60%)
30 YARDS – SK / pattern 114 (78%)
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 123 (85%)
30 YARDS – M / pattern 133 (92%)

40 YARDS – IM / pattern 106 (73%)
40 YARDS – LF / pattern 110 (76%)

20 GA 3" REMINGTON NITRO-STEEL MAGNUM LOAD
1 oz #3 steel (152 pellets) @ 1330 fps
30 YARDS – CYL / pattern 102 (67%)
30 YARDS – SK / pattern 122 (80%)
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 131 (86%)
30 YARDS – M / pattern 145 (95%)

40 YARDS – IM / pattern 114 (75%)
40 YARDS – LF / pattern 119 (78%)

20 GA 3" REMINGTON NITRO-STEEL MAGNUM LOAD
1 oz #2 steel (118 pellets) @ 1330 fps
30 YARDS – CYL / pattern 75 (64%)
30 YARDS – SK / pattern 101 (86%)
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 105 (89%)
30 YARDS – M / pattern 114 (97%)

40 YARDS – M / pattern 88 (75%)
40 YARDS – IM / pattern 99 (84%)
40 YARDS – LF / pattern 102 (86%)
 
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