AriM Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Well, I went to harbor freight to get some more walnut media (it's dirt cheap there, $15 for 25pounds) and they had steel shot on blowout.....I got everything they had....I wound up paying about $6 for over 300 pounds (yes I am serious)....do you guys think it's unreasonable to try and use that steel shot in ShotShell loads?? I was thinking of mixing it with some rubber/plastic pellets, to act as a buffer....I was a bit iffy about trying that in my nice barrel, but if it's not usable, then I just have a bunch of ballast for other "projects".... Any opinions would be appreciated....Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gm iprod Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 You will need special wadsa nd some mods to you old style shotshell reloader. Look up BPI on Google for sensible information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriM Posted December 24, 2009 Author Share Posted December 24, 2009 (edited) You will need special wadsa nd some mods to you old style shotshell reloader.Look up BPI on Google for sensible information. Thanks...looking that up now....when you buy "steel shot" hunting loads....for example federal steel....is it just steel plated lead, or are those solid steel BB's? pretty good about metalic reloading (have lot's of experience), but am totally clueless about shotshell....I don't have a press yet....I did the math on shotshell reloading, and it just didn't pencil out....I can buy ammo for less than making it..... BUT, now that I have tons of shot that was next to free and I have LOTS of really nice (once fired) hi-brass hulls....all I need are wads...and primers....this way I could build a loaded round for about 5 cents....hope I am correct on that... EDIT : YIKES!!!! those wads for steel shot/hevi-shot are expensive...cheapest I can find is the bulk order....and that is just under 3 cents each....thankfully the buffer material is cheap....I am thinking I can make my own buffer material, by just grinding up a bunch of airsoft pellets or some large chunks of plastic/rubber.....thanks for this info.... Edited December 24, 2009 by AriM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calishootr Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 as far as i know steel shot is steel I feel your pain, yeah, I've donethe math, and yep its basically cheaper to buy, rather than load for shotgun, but for me, its relaxation thing, a couple other things to concider, some shotgun buddies of mine arnt thrilled to shoot steel intheir guns, and my gunsmith has had to unstick morethan one choke that got jammed in place due to over constriction ofthe steel shot(read, steel doesnt compress like lead does) the other thing that mite be worth mentioning, is its use??? I'm assuming 3gun??? shooting at steel targets??? mite not be a good idea due to the possibility of bounceback, could be a major safety issue ifthetargets your shooting at are shooting back.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriM Posted December 24, 2009 Author Share Posted December 24, 2009 as far as i know steel shot is steelI feel your pain, yeah, I've donethe math, and yep its basically cheaper to buy, rather than load for shotgun, but for me, its relaxation thing, a couple other things to concider, some shotgun buddies of mine arnt thrilled to shoot steel intheir guns, and my gunsmith has had to unstick morethan one choke that got jammed in place due to over constriction ofthe steel shot(read, steel doesnt compress like lead does) the other thing that mite be worth mentioning, is its use??? I'm assuming 3gun??? shooting at steel targets??? mite not be a good idea due to the possibility of bounceback, could be a major safety issue ifthetargets your shooting at are shooting back.... yeah I am worried about it in the barrel....I would shoot it out of non-choked barrels though....mossy 590's etc....doubt I would use that load in 3 gun...or anything other than plinking....would never shoot it indoors or at steel....that does sound quite dangerous....I wonder if buffering it with some kind of rubber would help.....eh, just doesn't seem worth it does it? I just couldn't pass up the deal at harbor freight....they sold me 50 pound jugs for $1.13 each....and at the end of the transaction, the manager of the store was just like "give me $6 and you can have all of it".....I have enough, so that it actually made the back end of my car sag when I loaded it all up.....LOLOLOL.....gotta find something to do with it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom D Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 (edited) as far as i know steel shot is steelI feel your pain, yeah, I've donethe math, and yep its basically cheaper to buy, rather than load for shotgun, but for me, its relaxation thing, a couple other things to concider, some shotgun buddies of mine arnt thrilled to shoot steel intheir guns, and my gunsmith has had to unstick morethan one choke that got jammed in place due to over constriction ofthe steel shot(read, steel doesnt compress like lead does) the other thing that mite be worth mentioning, is its use??? I'm assuming 3gun??? shooting at steel targets??? mite not be a good idea due to the possibility of bounceback, could be a major safety issue ifthetargets your shooting at are shooting back.... yeah I am worried about it in the barrel....I would shoot it out of non-choked barrels though....mossy 590's etc....doubt I would use that load in 3 gun...or anything other than plinking....would never shoot it indoors or at steel....that does sound quite dangerous....I wonder if buffering it with some kind of rubber would help.....eh, just doesn't seem worth it does it? I just couldn't pass up the deal at harbor freight....they sold me 50 pound jugs for $1.13 each....and at the end of the transaction, the manager of the store was just like "give me $6 and you can have all of it".....I have enough, so that it actually made the back end of my car sag when I loaded it all up.....LOLOLOL.....gotta find something to do with it.... When lead shot hits a popper, you get a big cloud of lead dust. Very little of it bounces. I can not think of a way to shoot steel shot at poppers safe. Another thing to concider, is the number of pllets in the shot cup, it is very different in steel and lead. I have loaded a lot of shells, and it is difficult to get a good pattern with steel. The buffer materal is a plastic that has been ground to a consistency of something like tide soap, very fine and dry, so it flows good. I would be carefull about shooting it from and non-choked barrel. Most barrels have a choke built in them. You will shoot it out. If you have a barrel with a choke, they make chokes for steel shot. It is very open. Later Tom edited cuz I don't spill good! Edited December 25, 2009 by Tom D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gm iprod Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 The steel shot used in shotshells is soft steel. Some companies have "modified" their steel to be what they call soft iron. Federal used to make a tungsten / iron steel shot. I would be careful about using very hard steel. It is hard enough without getting stupid. The wads are mnade from completely different plastic and they are three or so times thicker in the sidewalls to prevent the harder soft iron/steel from abrading the bore. When we switched to non toxic shot 6 years ago I got a new gun real early and waited to see what developed. I now only use premium shotshells from reputable makers for all my waterfowling. Which ain't a lot. 250rounds a year tops. All other shooting here is with Lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glockcomma Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 what application does Harbor freight sell it for? If the steel shot is as hard as the steel in their tools it should be pretty close to lead. Have you ever seen the video of the Rocket Scientist that thought that blowing up that whale beached on the Oregun coast was a good idea. They plant the explosives everybody is at a safe distance all excited until they detonate the beast and the rotten whale guts and blubber rains down on them. I picture a similar scenario when somebody starts engaging an array of Poppers and plates with steel shot. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriM Posted December 25, 2009 Author Share Posted December 25, 2009 what application does Harbor freight sell it for? If the steel shot is as hard as the steel in their tools it should be pretty close to lead. Have you ever seen the video of the Rocket Scientist that thought that blowing up that whale beached on the Oregun coast was a good idea. They plant the explosives everybody is at a safe distance all excited until they detonate the beast and the rotten whale guts and blubber rains down on them. I picture a similar scenario when somebody starts engaging an array of Poppers and plates with steel shot.Tim It was packaged as "tumbler media".....it has some kind of coating....I would NEVER try to shoot steel with it...or try shooting it at the indoor range.....just for blowing things up outside....but like you said, HF's version of steel can't be much harder than pig lead... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Just an FYI, steel shot is a no-no at most (if not all) 3gun matches. Its normal application is its required for waterfowl in most states. jj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 I have got a bunch of shot shell loading but not with steel shot. Shot shell powder is fast burning that = high pressure spike. the Wad in the shot shell cushions the shot so that the shot does not get flattened out when it starts it rocket ride down the barrel. All the shot gets squeezed at the sides. one of the things you get with good shells is good shot and a good wad. = flattened shot with one side flat will fly wild into the other shots in the column and knock them out of the center pattern. The hard steel shot does not compress like the lead when it gets squeezed down the barrel. The buffer in steel loads lets it move around. Malto Meal works as a buffer. But this does not solve the presser spike that happens be for the shot is 1/2 way out the barrel. For a regular days pay I would not load and shoot the steel shot = it is too risky. Put me back in a safe place like the second story roof I am working one The hard steel shot , could get jambed in the barrel at the 1/2 way to 7/8 down the barrel and .....bulg the barrel / blow the barrel out.....blow the breach out of the gun but I really do not know If you have a shot shell wad , try and push it down the barrel from the breach, you will see just how much the shot gets squeezed on its way out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I have loaded steel shot for waterfowl hunting for about 20 years. Ballsitic Products while expensive are one of the two companies that sell wads and provide data for loading it. There is one other company out there, but I can't recall the name right now and I am not at home to look it up on my desktop. if you are curious about loading it, I'd be happy to give all the advice I know of to you. Last year I broke down and bought some tungsten Iron as a trial to see if it was worth it. Results so far as telling me it is quite effective on geese and gives better knockdown than steel. It's pricey though and I was able to get it on sale.. and when I load it, it comes out to $1.25 a round. I made up approx 146 rounds from 10 pounds of shot. Steel shot generally uses the slower burning shotshell/pistol powders. Alliant Blue Dot and Steel, IMR 4756, Hodgdon HS6. HS-7, and Longshot, and there are a few others. Yes the wads are expensive, but steel shot when purchased on sale usually runs about $12/50. Usually steel shot runs about $16/10 pounds from BPI in sizes from #7 to T (.09" - .22"). PM me if you are interested in finding out more about it.. I load all of my steel on a Mec Sizemaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now