TUNGSTEN SUPER SHOT TEST RESULTS

[TARNATION !!!]

I never got into reloading and have only shot lead. I can still use lead for upland and that is enough bird hunting for me. Not knowing a lot in life I turn to google to fill gaps. Thinking of barrels, shot and penetration I discovered the Mohs scale of hardness and paired that with density. Any shot less hard than steel and iron will not scratch steel or Damascus barrels. The more dense the shot the greater penetration at same velocity. I think all those statements are correct. So.....


METAL HARDNESS DENSITY g/cubic cm

Lead 1.5 11.34
Bismuth 2 9.78
Copper 3 8.96
Iron 4 7.86
Steel 4 - 4.5 8.05
Tungsten 7.5 - 8 19.3

Lead is least hard so won’t scratch barrels. It is more dense than all but tungsten so has good penetration. Tungsten will scratch barrels. It is almost twice as dense as lead so has far superior penetration. With Mylar tungsten should not scratch cyl/cyl barrels. Once choke restriction is a factor I would expect the Mylar to become compromised and potential for scratching of barrels at the restriction to increase.

That’s my thinking on the subject.

[J. A. EARLY]

Jack,

The 1 1/4 ounce load is shot inside a deep wad that is then lined with thick mylar. The 1 1/4 ounces does not fill the shot cup, and being that the shot is #9 in size, it cannot get through the double wrap and make contact with the barrel. So all you have is a plastic wad filled with small shot going down the barrel.

In the 20 gauge loads, it too is inside a deep wad, and inside the 20 gauge wad is another 28 gauge wad with the piston cut off. So a double wad with only one ounce of #9s. As you say tungsten is harder than any steel, so in theory it would damage the surface of even the most modern chrome lined bore. But the shot can't come in contact with the bore in these loads if loaded to the recipe Hal provides. Now he does have loads that may spill over, for example a 1 5/8 ounce 20 gauge 2 3/4" load he calls Little Stubby or something like that. I would only use that in the most modern gun.

But it is a personal choice whether to believe in it as being OK or not. I saw nothing in six different barrels. Had I seen damage, I would have stopped.

[TARNATION !!!]

That's encouraging. Our federal government is "studying" lead ammunition. What that probably means is our federal government is embarking on a program to ban the use of lead in all ammunition. I better shoot a lot of ammo in a short time. Of course I loaded up with every box of good condition old time ammo I could find from time to time. Anyway, with the barrel bores protected I think tungsten would be a great alternative due to superior penetration. How is it cost-wise? Cheers, Jack

[J. A. EARLY]

https://www.federalpremium.com/ammun...avyweight-tss/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ccWMOFEicQ

Features

• HEAVYWEIGHT® TSS payload with advanced buffering material
• As much as twice the pellet count of lead No. 5 loads of the same weight
• 22 percent denser material than standard tungsten; 56 percent denser than lead
• FLITECONTROL FLEX™ wad provides extremely tight, consistent patterns through standard and ported turkey chokes*
• Roll crimp and clear card wad keeps buffering material in place
• Full-length wads prevent direct contact of the extra-hard pellets and the bore, protecting the barrel
• 5-count pack
• 12-gauge, 20-gauge and .410 loads available
• A portion of the proceeds are donated to the National Wild Turkey Federation

[James L. Martin]

I tried to buy Federal TSS 12ga loads for Turkey season this year, never could,every store I went too never got them.In NY you can't mail order ammo.