Doubleguns and steel
 

In general, how “new” does a gun have to be to safely shoot steel shot? Obviously, I would not shoot it in Damascus barrels. But for fluid steel, how does one know if a set of barrels is OK for steel? Would a gun made in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s be OK? Is there a rule of thumb?

Tom Roster designed the shot collars for steel shot cartridges and has published many articles in Shooting Sportsman. There are many factors to be considered including hardness and barrel erosion, choke bridging, and high chamber pressure.

I don’t shoot steel in my old guns because alternatives are so available, but it can be done with the right hand loaded components. Unless a person is willing to study the issue carefully , the better course is to not shoot steel except through chrome lined bores in thick barreled guns.

I load my own with Bismuth , problem solved ! I have about 500-700 rounds of steel I bought cheap , but I’ve got a Benelli Montefeltro with screw ins I can shoot that stuff in .

I wonder why anyone would shoot steel at all given the fact that better alternatives are so readily available. Ballistically speaking, steel is inferrior to any of the other non-toxic substitutes for lead. With steel you need to use two shot sizes larger in order to attain the same down range energy and by doing so you lose the density of pattern that you need to kill waterfowl effectively at the distances ducks and geese are often shot.





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For a '' rule of thumb''i would use steel in a gun made after the requirement for steel. One that the maker would have known it's user would likely use steel in it. There are to many better alternatives today than steel to even consider it's use in vintage doubles.

I think the requirement to use non-tox is misplaced. Originally intended to eliminate lead poisoning in areas subject to high volume shooting of lead, (a very small percentage of waterfowl shooting) it required higher cost, less effective shot. A better long term requirement would have been to allow continued use of lead, but to place a tax on "Waterfowl" shot equal to the increased cost of steel shot. The increased revenue would be used to buy and improve waterfowl habitat. (can you say Ducks Unlimited)? Would be a win for everyone, including those of us who like to shoot old guns. Unfortunately, it's too simple and effective solution, so it has no chance of ever being implemented

As well, deep water ducks such as sea ducks and the like aren’t as likely to ingest lead shot due to their feeding habits as are those that frequent marshes, shallow ponds and lakes and estuarine habitat.

But lumping all waterfowl hunters into one group is easier for the athorities to maintain control and police them all alike.



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Michael McIntosh said the chapter on double guns and steel could be real short - don't. For all the reasons above, that is how I see it

And here comes the push for non-lead rifle ammo.

i have used steel shot in my lc smith long range with modified barrels and it has never hurt it the barrels are armour steel..these were 2 3/4 and 3 inch shells....i also have another set of long range barrels that are full choke for this same gun i will never fire steel shot thru them....charlie