Steel Shot 6s

B

BrowningCitori

Member
Steel shot takes a lot of bashing from many hunters, I personally don't have a problem with it. I use it for all of my pheasant hunting, weather required or not. I have tried many sizes of shot over the years (2,3,and 4s) before I tried 6s. I know most hunters think steel 6s won't kill a butterfly. However, I find it very effective on roosters. Early or late season, by hunting with a lab late season in the "thick stuff" I find the average flush is as close or closer than early season. The attached photo is from a recent hunt in eastern Montana on public land roosters all killed with 6s.

I shoot 1 1/8 oz 6's loads with IC in the bottom barrel and M in the top. If I hunted with a pointer, I would probably use Sk. and IM. The biggest difference I see with 6s is lots more head and neck damage, that is the advantage of many small pellets vs. a few large pellets. Not that I have never lost a bird with 6s but I find it to be far less than 2s.

Food for just some food for thought.:rolleyes:


Dec2013_zps5f9d76ee.jpg
 
It obviously works for you but I've saw a lot of doves get hit hard by steel 6's and keep flying. That happens way out there so maybe close up thru would work.

Do you find that you have to pick out a lot of pellets?
 
wisturkeyhunter said:
It obviously works for you but I've saw a lot of doves get hit hard by steel 6's and keep flying. That happens way out there so maybe close up thru would work.

Do you find that you have to pick out a lot of pellets?
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I occasionally shoot one to close AND center it, but not sure it is any worse than if I was using 4s.
 
I have not shot much steel, but shot size in lead is just as important.

I have killed many pheasants using 7.5 lead while quail hunting. As long as you can get at the head and neck it is effective. But if you have a straight away shot where you need to get through the back, 7.5s are not really big enough to penetrate to the vitals, for a quick kill.

When I think that a point is likely a pheasant I will use 5s or 6s. I like lead 6s for an all around shot when I have quail and pheasants mixed together. But when it is windy I like to use 5s on pheasants.
 
wisturkeyhunter said:
It obviously works for you but I've saw a lot of doves get hit hard by steel 6's and keep flying. That happens way out there so maybe close up thru would work.

Do you find that you have to pick out a lot of pellets?
Click to expand...

I've seen plenty of doves do the same with lead 7.5s and 6s (one of my buddies only shoots 6s at everything). Sometimes you'll puff a big cloud of feathers off of them and they don't even flinch. One pellet of any size or type of shot in the breast will kill a dove but with such a small, fast target it can be tough.
 
Great pic!

I was using #4 steel, but went back to lead because I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Others have stated that still slows down faster than lead, and that would make sense. Since going back to steel my shooting has improved. Perhaps if my reaction time would be better I could get away with it. I am not the quickest on the draw.
 
steel shot

most of this is just plain b.s. steel shot got off on the wrong foot and decades later it still is. mostly i thas gotten a bad rap and most of that has come from poor shooting. as some of you know i shoot mostly a 28 ga. and with fairly open chokes. i shoot steel only when i have too but a fair amount of it. the only size i use is #6 shot and i load it to about 1450 fps. steel at that speed has the same energy as my 7.5 lead. 7.5 lead is my go to shot size and few of you will ever get a chance to match me in the number of birds taken with it. in the smaller gauges, smaller shot is necessary to get the multiple hits needed for great kills and multiple hits reduces the chance of one lucky pellet from a larger size doing the job. so far this year i have taken using the steel shot size 6. 47 pheasant and sharptails, 12 or 13 mallards and 6 geese, all from my 28 ga. i have lost 2 pheasants. steel works pure and simple. most studies show people that don't like it are those that have trouble shooting and the short shot string from steel doesn't help either, it does pattern better. steel is about 30% lighter than lead, has less energy and slows down only slightly faster than lead but is still deadly out to 40 yards or so just use one or two sizes larger. the comment on dove is just plain wrong, dove will fall out of the sky with a one pellet hit and number 7 steel would be a great size. one other thing, ya better get used to it cause unless you are getting really old, you will be seeing more and more places that you have to use it. it is a little harder on the teeth though.

cheers
 
mustistuff said:
most of this is just plain b.s. steel shot got off on the wrong foot and decades later it still is. mostly i thas gotten a bad rap and most of that has come from poor shooting. as some of you know i shoot mostly a 28 ga. and with fairly open chokes. i shoot steel only when i have too but a fair amount of it. the only size i use is #6 shot and i load it to about 1450 fps. steel at that speed has the same energy as my 7.5 lead. 7.5 lead is my go to shot size and few of you will ever get a chance to match me in the number of birds taken with it. in the smaller gauges, smaller shot is necessary to get the multiple hits needed for great kills and multiple hits reduces the chance of one lucky pellet from a larger size doing the job. so far this year i have taken using the steel shot size 6. 47 pheasant and sharptails, 12 or 13 mallards and 6 geese, all from my 28 ga. i have lost 2 pheasants. steel works pure and simple. most studies show people that don't like it are those that have trouble shooting and the short shot string from steel doesn't help either, it does pattern better. steel is about 30% lighter than lead, has less energy and slows down only slightly faster than lead but is still deadly out to 40 yards or so just use one or two sizes larger. the comment on dove is just plain wrong, dove will fall out of the sky with a one pellet hit and number 7 steel would be a great size. one other thing, ya better get used to it cause unless you are getting really old, you will be seeing more and more places that you have to use it. it is a little harder on the teeth though.

cheers
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I know my poor shooting is more to blame than the load, but after decades of shooting the same lead loads, I think that I need more practice with steel.

Also, I don't think many people take the time to "pattern" shotguns. I am guilty of that. I will spend hours at the range breaking in, zeroing in, and playing with one of my rifles, but with the shotgun, it is buy a box of shells and go. I think that if I were to take the time to find what choke combo works best for my gun with the steel I have in the safe, I would be GTG.
 
more steel

HolyMoses said:
I know my poor shooting is more to blame than the load, but after decades of shooting the same lead loads, I think that I need more practice with steel.

Also, I don't think many people take the time to "pattern" shotguns. I am guilty of that. I will spend hours at the range breaking in, zeroing in, and playing with one of my rifles, but with the shotgun, it is buy a box of shells and go. I think that if I were to take the time to find what choke combo works best for my gun with the steel I have in the safe, I would be GTG.
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i'd rather not use the stuff but it is here to stay. speeds have changed a great deal in the past ten years or so, lead used to fly at about 1200 fps and steel should be flying at about 14-1500 or so. that difference in a cross shot amounts to only about 8"'s, not much when you have maybe 30 " pattern. mostly cause steel shoots a tighter pattern and a shorter shot string, maybe 2 ft. instead of maybe 6 ft. that's a big reason for some misses. you should probably be using chokes no tighter than mod. but more likely closer to imp. cyl. and if your shots are kept under 40 yds. and they should be, 2's for geese, 4's for duck and 6's are plenty for pheasant. those are good starting points. mostly all pellets go the same place so switching from one type to another should not pose a problem. good luck and get most of that other b.s. out of your head, steel does kill

cheers
 
Good advice regards patterning...

Earlier this month I used #5 on pheasants and did well some of the day's. When I switched jackets and used heavier clothing my hit- rate went down, everything being equal.

I know my gun patterns better with 7.5, but I do have more cripples. Maybe #6 is a good compromise.

The difference between a #6 and 7.5 (l.25 load) is significant: 281 vs 437; about the same percent with 1.180 load.
Bottom line: you have more in the air with a 7.5 and I believe they are faster.

Next week I'm trying 7.5 shot cuz the birds will be buried in the snow and the shots closer. Sometimes I wish I had a skeet choke!
 
Even with steel 4's I have to hit pheasants a second time more often and have more hit the ground running. I do tend to take longer shots though.

This fall I mostly shot 2's for ducks,pheasants,and geese. Except when targeting geese then it was bb or bbb.

Remingtong 870 with factory full. I've spent a lot of money on chokes but nothing shoots a variety better than that.
 
shot size

jonnyB said:
Good advice regards patterning...

Earlier this month I used #5 on pheasants and did well some of the day's. When I switched jackets and used heavier clothing my hit- rate went down, everything being equal.

I know my gun patterns better with 7.5, but I do have more cripples. Maybe #6 is a good compromise.

The difference between a #6 and 7.5 (l.25 load) is significant: 281 vs 437; about the same percent with 1.180 load.
Bottom line: you have more in the air with a 7.5 and I believe they are faster.

Next week I'm trying 7.5 shot cuz the birds will be buried in the snow and the shots closer. Sometimes I wish I had a skeet choke!
Click to expand...


all my post involve the smaller gauges so that is where is am coming from. for most birds you need about 3 ft. #'s of energy to kill the bird, hits of course have to be in vital areas, tail feathers don't count. as long as you are not longer than 40 yds. and few pheasant are truly killed much past that, multiple hits and feather penetration are things to consider, that plus a quail getting in the way and having to shoot at it. if i were to shoot a 12 ga. like you are using it would be a toss up between 6's and 7's and i would surely lean toward the size 7's, not 7.5's. i just shoot too much stuff not to have confidence in smaller shot at reasonable ranges. as far as shot up birds, it rarely happens in my world, just don't shoot them at 15 yds. let them flap more than twice before ya shoot. we are snow less here. i have stated before that about 80% of my birds are killed using imp. cly. an out to about 38 yds. they are dead, mod. will get me another 5 yds, not a big deal.

cheers

cheer
 
chokes

wisturkeyhunter said:
Even with steel 4's I have to hit pheasants a second time more often and have more hit the ground running. I do tend to take longer shots though.

This fall I mostly shot 2's for ducks,pheasants,and geese. Except when targeting geese then it was bb or bbb.

Remingtong 870 with factory full. I've spent a lot of money on chokes but nothing shoots a variety better than that.
Click to expand...

conventional wisdom says, don't use steel in full choke guns, it is tough on the guns and their chokes and don't pattern well. steel performs much better in more open chokes. range could be your problem but then if you think you are doing things right then great. most studies would not agree with you choke though. anyway, good luck

cheers
 
Steel is definitely here to stay. In fact, I bet that in my lifetime I see lead become a thing of the past.

Just read an article stating that the military is getting rid of lead bullets. Good thing....I would hate to think that we are giving the terrorists lead poisoning! Haha!

I am no tree hugger, but when I hear how much lead they are pulling out of the ground at trap ranges, I am convinced it has to have some effects on the environment. I would have no problem shooting all steel, I just have to find the right choke/load combo and I have to do that testing in the summer at targets, not in the fall with live birds Lol!
 
mustistuff said:
conventional wisdom says, don't use steel in full choke guns, it is tough on the guns and their chokes and don't pattern well. steel performs much better in more open chokes. range could be your problem but then if you think you are doing things right then great. most studies would not agree with you choke though. anyway, good luck

cheers
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The Remington full is rated for steel and made from different steel than their other chokes.
 
lead

the lead came from the ground at one time. i often shoot the reclaimed stuff, it is about 1/2 price and round it ain't but that makes it pretty ok for short range shooting and the wider pattern you get from it helps me hit a few more clays and dove. i have been shooting steel this fall in my new aya and have been watching it closely for any sign of damage and after 5 or 6 boxes of the stuff, i have seen no problems like scratches or choke damage. those concerns are another reason for the # 6 shot. using smaller shot size and open chokes, i am much less likely to have a problem. damage usually shows up with the larger shot and more closed chokes, if you are lucky, you might just get scoring, less lucky, you will get an over sized tube. while steel is about 30% lighter than lead, it also means that you get about 30% more pellets than lead, if you could get them to fit in the shell. mostly they don't and that's why you see 1 1/8 oz steel loads cause they can't get in the 1 1/4 oz (12 ga) but you are still shoots lots of pellets so don't feel under gunned.
 
chokes

wisturkeyhunter said:
The Remington full is rated for steel and made from different steel than their other chokes.
Click to expand...

cold and boring here today. the question i have is how are all those steel pellets going to make it thru the choke and still form a tight pattern. don't know the answer but my info would say you would get a worse pattern out of the full choke than you would say a mod. or mod. lite. mod. in other words would give you a tighter pattern than the full would.

cheers
 
It works and I've put it on paper. If you're really bored go read some of the waterfowl forums, chokes like terror and drake killer are improved modified, full and even tighter.

Again I do take farther shots and prefer tighter patterns than most guys though.
 
mustistuff said:
cold and boring here today. the question i have is how are all those steel pellets going to make it thru the choke and still form a tight pattern. don't know the answer but my info would say you would get a worse pattern out of the full choke than you would say a mod. or mod. lite. mod. in other words would give you a tighter pattern than the full would.

cheers
Click to expand...

One thing to keep in mind, is that the choke is stamped full and may or may not measure full but if it patterns well, I say use it. I was surprised one day at the trap club someone was measuring actual choke vs. what was stamped on the choke about 50% were off one choke either high or low (barrel diameter vs. choke diameter).

Some words of advise from Tom Rosters years ago.
1. Pattern to find the load and choke that works in your gun.
2. Buy shells by the case in that load
3. DO NOT switch loads or guns
4. Practice
5. Repeat :D

Good discussion!
 
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