Cheaper to load and shoot steel shot?

Would it be cheaper for the trapshooting world to shoot steel shot?

 

Maybe in your barrels but not in mine.

 

Stupid statements like that chase folks away from forums. I read the op as asking the question as to the cost of the ammo. Great question. I would like the answer too.

Barrels design can be changed. Cost of ammo is a big issue.

 

Does steel shot cost more or less than lead? All other components should be the same, I think?

 

Not stupid. Steel in ineffective at handicap distances and marginal in singles. Cost is not an issue but barrels in those older shotguns might be compromised or ruined. Reloading steel shot requires different techniques, wads, powders and the available reloading data is not applicable to steel. Know what you're talking about before making accusations or suggestions.

 

Steel Shot Sucks. It doesn't penetrate game birds at distance like lead does and sheds velocity very fast, much faster than lead or some of the new non toxic loads. Reloading steel is harder to do correctly than lead and as old as the average ATA shooter is they don't need to try and learn new technology.

I do not allow steel shot at my hunting preserve. Like I said Steel Shot Sucks.

 

checked it out for dove hunting --First thing I ran into needed different special wads for steel -- then no local reloading suppliers had shot on hand -- find anything on the internet -- Bismouth shot - 5# bag for $99 -- Ballistic Products have zinc plates for $24 for a #10 bag or $21 -#10 plain steel, plus shipping -- So No I won't be shooting steel for trap

 

Until lead shot is universally outlawed, it will be the cheapest and most effective shot of the those two.
In other words, as of today, steel would not be cheaper to reload or to buy commercially.

 

When calculating the cost of shooting steel vs. lead, don't forget to add in the cost of having your barrels honed to remove the damage steel will eventually cause in your barrels. For you naysayers, save your time in attempting to show steel does not damage barrels, as I have first hand evidence to support what I state. It's one thing to shoot steel in your Benelli and quite another to shoot steel in your Perazzi, Krieghoff, Bosis, Lucchini. or Woodward.

 

Sure does as I've seen it too.

 

Are you implying that the higher grade guns use softer steel in their barrels?
Sacrilege !

 

Would you shoot steel in your Pre-64 Model 12 with Full choke?

 

What will you do when steel is all you will have

 

Go fishing and use my Krieghoffs for planting tomatoes. Meanwhile, at almost 74 yo I'll leave that issue to the next generation.

 

Sure. Why not?

 

Yours-not mine!

 

Remember, we ain't talking about BBB-sized steel shot here...............

 

I have used and shot a lot of steel shot in all my gauges and it works just as good when you understand the ballistics behind it .
Surly it's reasonable to know lead being 11.3 g/cc being heavier than steel at 7.8 g/cc so , with a comparable size steel pellet , traveling much
faster than lead loads , with its ability to stay within the pattern , it's pretty good ! And for you naysayers about barrel scrub , that was in the olden days
todays wads are much better at protecting barrels and if you were to stay with the same number of pellets in your loads , it would surprise you how
effective they really are ! Look up , suggested steel loads from Cerberus using Green Dot or 18 grs of Red Dot ? But I agree with most here , I
have no reason to change after 55 years reloading and shooting Lead , until I'm told to , then , I'm ready !

 

shooting steel for clay sports would be a sign of desperation in hard times. in hard times, id be more interested in something other than clay shooting. and those that would want to use steel if there wasnt any lead in the world, would most likely be people who could afford to buy it, use it, destroy guns, and replace them.
imagine that. the sport would have come full circle...for the wealthy only.
while guys like me would be trying to figure out a way to smelt and use the new kind of zinc tire weights they have now.

 

I will say steel shot has satisfied my needs for killing birds at reasonable distances (40 yds plus) after that , Bismuth helps some until HTL is called for !
Today's inflation has made most all payloads very costly and I agree with "bobski" , before I run out of shot in either kind for clay targets , I'll be using the
rest in the field

 

"Are you implying that the higher grade guns use softer steel in their barrels?
Sacrilege !"

A common, inexpensive (compared to many other guns of the same era), mass-produced Winchester Model 12 pump-gun is not a "high grade gun".
It may have been available with highly-figured wood, and extensive gold engraving, things that raised it's price...but it was still just a Winchester pump gun.

 

In my days a Model 12 wasn't inexpensive and considered a high quality firearm. Sure, maybe a thousand dollar gun may seem cheap by today's standards but not everyone can afford a K-80 Trap Special(I have three) and they're simply an upgraded Model 32. I also have three pristine Model 12 Traps that I often marvel about the quality of firearms produced decades ago. What do you think it would cost to produce a Model 12 today? No, I wouldn't shoot steel in any of 'em!

 

It certainly wasn't at the same quality level as the Parkers, Superposeds, and Foxes back in the day. Yes, it cost more than most of the other pump guns of that era, but it was still not considered a "high-quality shotgun". It was just a more costly pump-gun. A. Pump. Gun.
It wasn't even considered to be higher quality than the Ithaca pump of the day. By the way, I'm probably close to the same age as you....

Very few thousand-dollar Model 12's were sold, and the ones that were only cost that much because of extra-cost options like figured wood, engraving, and ribs. Inside, they were still Winchester Model 12's.

Don't know. Don't care. A moot point.

I grew up hanging and working around trap fields. I can't remember a Model 12 ever being considered a high quality gun there. Not on the skeet fields, either. They were just another pump gun that was shot by those of us who couldn't afford a Browning or Ithaca or Parker.(some of the high-quality guns of that era).

Look, I understand that some shooters have great affection for the Model 12. Some shooters have the same affection for the old 870 Wingmasters and Browning Auto-5's, too. That just shows that nostalgia plays a big part in our love for shotguns and in our lives. I also understand not wanting to harm these old guns through subjecting them to actions that could possibly be harmful to them. But being collectable is not synonymous with being high quality.
My neighbor collects old Matchbox cars. A cousin collected beanie baby cards. See what I mean?[/QUOTE]

 

Glad you mentioned Parker. I used to belong to the ''Parker gun Collectors association''. When I used to hunt and guide on Maryland's Eastern shore I used a field grade model 12. Back then they were around $112 in the 60's.
Did not take my hammerless SXS Parkers in those salty marshes.
It was amazing to take a Parker apart and see the amazing workmanship.

 

[/QUOTE]
Comparing an Ithaca 37 to a Model 12 is like comparing a Yugo to a 'benz. Maybe a decent field gun for those who didn't want to carry anything heavy but they kicked like a mule and bottom ejection never made 'em popular on the trapline. Back in the mid 60's we shot most anything we could afford and heck, I started with a JC Higgins and sure considered a Model 12 a step up. I do remember a few old timers shooting 4E's and a very few Foxes and Parkers but they were in the minority and didn't impress anyone with their shooting talent. Those old Belgian Brownings had a few followers and you could always tell who shot one by their swollen checks. Then along came Tm-1's and they set the standard for trap guns until the K-80 took their place as the gun with "wow" factor.

 

I shoot a lot of Clays and it always amazed me , even though some guns were prettier than others , they mostly ALL shot the same shells !
And , some of us Mod 12's and Wingmaster's shooters (usually) were at the top of the leader boards ! Gun up-grades does keep the industry alive ,
now , if they would do a little better at stocking our shelves with ammo , ALL of us would be happier campers ?

 

My second shotgun was a JC Higgins, back in the mid 1960's. Anything would have been a step up from that; Model 12's, Wingmasters, Ithacas, Mossbergs, even Ted Williams.....

 

Our Club shoots nothing but steel and we use normal wads. We weigh our shot based on volume (1 1/8 oz baffle weigh out to about 0.723 oz of steel shot). We haven't had any major issues using 3/4oz load data except some of the older guns that have 40-50k rounds exhibit some striation marks within the barrels. We keep a close eye on our guns to ensure it's not getting worse and will replace our barrels/tubes accordingly when the time comes.

 

lmao