Reloading Steel Shot

[john pulis]

I want to reload some 12 bore steel shot loads for WF. Hogdons has some moderate pressure loads posted in their Reloading Guide. Are there any tricks, so to speak, I should be aware of. Many thanks as usual. John

[Big D]

I've never trying reloading steel. One of the concerns, depending on your loader design, is that the machine may try to shear off steel pellets which don't fit easily into the charge chamber. Lead will deform - no problem. I've heard of steel pellets may jam the machine because they won't deform or shear off.

[john pulis]

Thanks John. I have a mec single stage. That never crossed my mind.

[Big D]

My machine is a PW 800 Plus. Complicated to remedy if it gets jammed. I would assume your situation would be easier

[Woodcock survey]

MEC has a steel shot kit which i use and it works well. You need the steel shot bar for the load you need and it has the rubber insert to prevent the shearing and jamming others have spoken of. My bar is black and marked BB thru # 3. Steel in 1 1/8 takes a much larger volumn than lead.

[john pulis]

Thanks all. The recipe I saw called for BPs steel wad for 7/8 oz of steel. The pressure was high but not outrageous. I,ll look at the steel kit.

[Keith Doty]

I loaded a BUNCH of 12 ga. 2 3/4" #4 steel "back in the day", I was poor and steel was outragous (I thought) expensive, a whopping 50 cents a round! I was used to $6.50 a box Hi-brass lead 6s. I was using a Pacific 266, has rubber seals over the charge bar, never had any issues with jamming. Wads had to be split by hand with a small veg-o-matic looking tool. It was a bit slow but much cheaper than buying steel shot ammo at the local sporting goods place.

[Big D]

Too bad the FWS didn't talk to me about steel shot, given that steel shot is more expensive, but less effective. My guess is that the net loss from lead shot ingestion is less than wounding losses from the less effective steel shot If they had been smart they would have mandated specially marked lead "Duck Loads" and upped the price of those loads to the level of steel shot. That increased money would have been spend on habitat improvement. Think Ducks Unlimited. Long term wildlife success is based on habitat, and not much else

[Carl G. Bachhuber]

I shot quite a bit of steel before I gave up on it and switched to bismuth and/or tungsten polymer. What I found: 1. Weigh all shot charges. 2. Weigh all powder charges. 3. Watch BP's load data, I got some high pressures that I didn't like. The data I ended up using came from Alliant and Precision Reloading. 3. My final shot size after trying about all was #1 or B. 4. Keep your shots to 40 yards or less and steel will work. 5. Last, don't use steel in any of your older doubles, life is too short. Get a gun with barrels that have been designed for it.
C.G.B.

[Keith Doty]

I DO believe the "crip" rate has generally gone up with steel shot but the payoff is that "crips" gets picked off by raptors and the steel shot doesn't poison them. As I remember that was the reasoning behind the move to steel. I went to bismuth long ago. Shoots like lead but nontoxic to the birds of prey and leaves no toxic waste in the shallow estuary areas where we hunt waterfowl.
Fun with game wardens too! I've been checked a couple of times with unmarked bismuth shells. Nonmagnetic. I open a shell and crush a pellet or two with the end of a pocket knife or Leatherman to prove it's not lead. Bismuth crumbles unlike lead.