Steel shot and vintage shotguns

[Mike D.]

Not being able to let a good gun lie dormant, I have been abusing this 1914 vintage A. H. Fox 12 GA double by shooting steel shot through it for a long time. Show me the "damage" cause by steel. The gun is choked modified and improved cylinder so it will throw steel as well as any newer gun will. I can find NO wear, either to the bores or muzzles. Looks like another old wive's tale put to rest. Oh yeah, the "naysayers" in the Fox Collectors group tell us to only use RST shells in these vintage guns, but I'll be darned if I'm gonna spend that kind of money on some special product that really ain't all that necessary.

[Mike D.]

OOPS, what happened to the pics? Let's try again.

[Don McDowell]

hooboy, I just was reading and involved in a thread on another board that you can't run steel in a full choke or a double barrel, as the steel shot would cause the double barrels to become completely seperated..........

[Nath]

IMO steel is very good, it is well shielded from the bores with thick plastic.
I watched a 40yd goose crumple last Friday to steel 4s from a IC choked barrel, smoked and dead in the air!
Half choke (modified) is considered full choke in most guns for steel!

Nath.

[Mike D.]

Thanks, Nath. 40 yds is about my limit with 4s, the only shot that is run through my older shotguns. Even full choked barrels will pattern 4s nicely. The smaller shot column wads will slide through those chokes without a problem. Last year, I smoked two white fronted geese(specklebellies)with one shot at 30+ yds. I love it when they cross the pellets' path.

[Mike D.]

hooboy, I just was reading and involved in a thread on another board that you can't run steel in a full choke or a double barrel, as the steel shot would cause the double barrels to become completely seperated..........

Don, those same whiners will tell you to NEVER try smokeless powder, too.

[Modoc ED]

I'm with you on this one Mike. I shoot steel shot in all my shotguns and through all my chokes whether they are marke "Steel" or not. I even fire steel shot through my "Turkey Full" choke marked "Lead Shot Only".

Now, none of my guns have Damascus Barrels but the ones that are plain steel get everything fired through them.

I tried some of that Hevi Slhot stuff and some of the new Remington stuff but I'll be danged if I'll pay up to $35.00 a box for 5 to 10 shells. I'll take steel over the Hevi Shot and like material shells any day.

Keep those old shotguns going Mike.

[Mike D.]

Ed, those Philadelphia made Foxs have excellent steel barrels, Chromox. No damascus with them. My "new" Model 12 3" will be shot with steel this season, too. My blind partner buys those Bizmuth shells at 35 bucks for 10 shells. He swears that they are death rays to geese, but my cheapo Federal #4s kill 'em just as daid.

[Don McDowell]

Mike steel shots ok, but I prefer bismuth, but Heavishot is gooder than either of those.

HEHEHE yup damascus is a good way to get into trouble around some folks.

[Hobie]

I thank you for posting about this Mike. I don't shoot much steel as I don't have a need/opportunity but it has worried me and I set up my Winchester 120 as the steel gun. This without ever reading a real test about it. Seems like Sherman Bell's tests of damascus guns alright!

[Buffboy]

On the other hand, I destroyed a nice Remington Sportsman 58 3" shooting steel through it. It was choked full, the steel shot made it an IC and pitted (peened) the whole bore in one box(the first). Newer loadings are supposed to be better but I won't shoot steel in something that is not labeled for it. In fact I haven't hunted waterfowl since and won't, until the steel shot laws are repealed.

[Mike D.]

Buffboy, you must've got ahold of some older steel loads that were unbuffered. I remember that the first ones had the bare steel shot exposed to the bore, unlike the shot sleeves of today. No steel touches the barrel, and smaller shot will compress easily in FC shotgun.

[Buffboy]

Yah Mike, it was when it first came out but I was but one of many that trashed shotguns with the early versions of steel shot, in fact, I'll bet that there are few waterfowl hunters in my area under 40 that haven't had my experience. All in the name of the fiction that "lead" was the cause of waterfowl population problems.

Waterfowl populations have exploded in this area to the point of crop/property destruction but few are hunting them(or buying licenses) anymore. You can't walk around our state capitol without rubber boots because of the goose droppings. I think it because the hunting population is older and most had my experience. When I was young, most everybody around here hunted waterfowl, now almost none do. The GF&P guys keep trying to lure us back but even with the almost unlimited bag limits around here, it slows more every year. I told the GF&P to stick it, I meant it. I voted with my wallet and I wasn't alone. License sales are still a tenth of what they were, before the ban. IMO it will never come back while that regulation is still there, I know I won't go back.

[Nath]

Buffboy, do they inspect the birds that are shot to see what they were shot with? They don't around here

Yeah early steel was crude.

Bizzimoths is poo, I have found to many shattered pellets in birds to rate it any good and watch to many splattered bird fly on from it.

The real reason for banning lead is to stop hunting period. IMO.

Nath.

[Hecter]

This is a topic that will bring out all kinds of "experts". I myself have shot steel shot in vintage guns for years. My guns show no sign of wear or abuse. I do follow a couple of rules...#1 shoot light payloads like 1oz. and #2 try to use guns with mod and/or improved cylinder. I have shot 1oz. of BBB in these guns for geese and the results are great. I have hand loaded most of my shells. My favorite gun for ducks is a 1928 Ithaca sxs 10 guage and a 1934 sxs 12 bore. These shoot well and are not ruined by steel shot. Today's factory shells have excellent wads and bore scoring should be a non-issue.

[KCSO]

Keep shootin' the steel, i'll get to resolder the barrels sooner or later. I have bobbed a number of barrels that have buldged at the choke from steel, there IS a reason they tell you not to. Telll me where are you going to get another 1914 Fox, Gunbroker for $$$$? This is loke shooting smokless in a damascus gun, you can do it till the gun blows and then you can't. It might not ruin the gun tody or tomorrow but eventually it will. If you shoot damascus shooot B/P only and keep steel out of guns not rated for it.