What Federal 12 gauge shells are these used for?
- Thread starter Wyatt Burp
- Start date
mrchuck
Member
I have one of those big plastic tubs with flap lids totally full of shotgun shells, mostly 12 gauge.
Just wondering how long they will be good. Kept in my workshop.
Not shooting as much now as the colder months are approaching.
Guess I'll take them to a gun show and sell them.
Just wondering how long they will be good. Kept in my workshop.
Not shooting as much now as the colder months are approaching.
Guess I'll take them to a gun show and sell them.
Hair Trigger
US Veteran
Check your range rules first. Our club doesn't allow steel shot on any of the shotgun ranges.
And also check whether your gun can tolerate steel shot. My owner's manual says I can use 7-1/2 or smaller, but not larger steel shot.
Steel is not to be used in old Brownings old Side by sides or over unders. not in M-12s or 50s etc etc. According to Remington their shotguns from the time of the later 40s to the present can handle steel. Many of the shotguns from the 20s-50ish should not be used with steel loads. Won't blow the guns up or anything but I have seen a few badly scored Browning Auto 5 bbls. Shotgun shells if kept dry will usually be good for 60-70 years...except some of the early non rusting non corrosive primers. A few of the early primers became inert.. Mainly seen with early non corrosive Win and Rem.
And as far as the huge flocks of Canada geese. yep.. I guided mainly in Kent Queen Annes and Talbot counties on the shore We typically held well over a million birds in those 3 counties. I once had a group of NFL players out and we had a toll of over 5000 geese into our decoys. I thought they were going to throw me out into the Chester River when I told them we couldn't shoot. 5 of them and we needed one(1) bird for a limit....with the Federal game wardens watching us...
And as far as the huge flocks of Canada geese. yep.. I guided mainly in Kent Queen Annes and Talbot counties on the shore We typically held well over a million birds in those 3 counties. I once had a group of NFL players out and we had a toll of over 5000 geese into our decoys. I thought they were going to throw me out into the Chester River when I told them we couldn't shoot. 5 of them and we needed one(1) bird for a limit....with the Federal game wardens watching us...
DWalt
Member
Not a good idea to use steel shot in most older shotguns with modified or full choked barrels. Older Remington barrels are considered OK.
I was even told by one or two Remington engineers that I could even shoot steel in my old Remington 31 pumps and the 11-48 semi autos. I mostly shot Model 12 Wins 1100s and later 11-87s..Ithaca Mag 10s pass shooting then later Rem SP-10s with steel.... Still sucked
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DWalt
Member
Could be. Apparently Remington has always used a tougher steel alloy for shotgun barrels vs. the other manufacturers. In "Gun Digest Book of the Remington 870", about the history of the Model 870, that is mentioned.
steveno
Member
the main reason for not shooting steel shot in the Browning S x S was the solder joint. the steel shot could cause the barrels to separate after a lot of shooting. I got rid of mine because of that. it was a very good shotgun.
I should probably add that nobody really knows how much steel shot it would take to cause the problems. especially considering the cost of steel shot
I should probably add that nobody really knows how much steel shot it would take to cause the problems. especially considering the cost of steel shot
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Personally, unless your gun is designed for steel shot don't use it. It would probably be ok in a .729 cylinder bore riot gun with no points of choke constriction, but steel does not compress like lead and will stretch your chokes out. I would cut one open, and put a magnet on the shot and the high wall case. If the magnet sticks to either of them I would get rid of it, or shoot it in a gun you care nothing about.
Just my .02
Just my .02
There are a lot of hunters and shooters that worry if their weapons will hold up well if they shoot steel loaded ammo.
It is true that steel pellets do not reduce in size when they hit the choke area on a shotgun.
It is also true that the wads used are very HARD plastic, so they will protect the metal of the guns barrel from the steel pellets.
It is also true that steel pellets travel at a much higher fps than the old lead ammo
so it will make a clean kill........ if possible.
Will they harm your shotgun?
well...............
maybe....................... ?
It is true that steel pellets do not reduce in size when they hit the choke area on a shotgun.
It is also true that the wads used are very HARD plastic, so they will protect the metal of the guns barrel from the steel pellets.
It is also true that steel pellets travel at a much higher fps than the old lead ammo
so it will make a clean kill........ if possible.
Will they harm your shotgun?
well...............
maybe....................... ?
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I did a fair amount of gunsmith work in Maryland when I had the gun shop. As far as stell hurting guns.. Yep it can happen. I had a fellow bring me an 870 that the bbl was truly messed up on. Looked like a black snake that ate a bunch of eggs before it crushed 'em. But it was from the ammo. It was a bad batch of shells from Kent. Don't really know what happened but even the plastic case was squashed down to about an inch and a half. It was a 3 1/2 inch case. Kent did take care of the problem. I did see some ribs come loose and some scored bbls and some bbls where the choke section was swollen and a couple of top or bottom ribs came loose in the choke area on doubles. Had a fellow that cut the choke out of a Browning A-5(he got me to do it for him) backbored the bbl a bit to get some choke back and the gun shot just fine. Had a fellow with a big ol C lect choke/Poly choke that lost the end of the bbl when he tightened her up a bit too much.. But they were soldered on. I also had an 11-87 bbl that Remington had Briley chokes mounted in that even with skeet choke the choke expanded a bit and took forever to (finally) get out. But this was in the infancy of choke tube making for steel shot. Much better now days. But with actual steel shot..there is no free lunch. Speed charge weight shot size... you can do it all to some degree...but steel is still and always will be a poor substitute for lead in shotgunning. Heck they have even developed steel slugs... yeah...great
Skeet 028;
Should we let the readers in on another well kept secret..............??
Lead is soft when squeezed by a pair of pliers.
Not if, but when it happens, I hope you have prepared for this little moment for us that use steel
If not "Gentle" your Dentist is going to love you for the bill he gets to hand you !!
Should we let the readers in on another well kept secret..............??
Lead is soft when squeezed by a pair of pliers.
Not if, but when it happens, I hope you have prepared for this little moment for us that use steel
If not "Gentle" your Dentist is going to love you for the bill he gets to hand you !!
max503
Member
I like loads like that for squirrels and rabbits. Only a few non-toxic pellets actually hit the animal. Seems like steel usually passes through a small game animal whereas lead doesn't. Especially the smaller stuff.
Best shot size for squirrel and wabbit is #5 but 4s and 6s work ok too. 7 1/2s will easily kill a rabbit but way too many pellets. Squirrels take a lot of killing. I shot literally thousands of ducks with 5s. But the best size on tolling waterfowl was #3s if you could find 'em. I bought enough to load waterfowl loads for quite a few years...copper plated #3s. In a 2 3/4 inch AA case...about 28 gr AL-7 red Winchester wad and an ounce and 3/8 #3s or #5s for teal and wood ducks. And yeah...any steel shot is REAL hard on a tooth. I have shot many thousands of geese and probably only cooked up a 100 or so over the years for my own use. Most were given to people who could use the meat or my clients who wanted the extras.. Ducks...esp the aforementioned woodies teal plus baldpates and pintails were what I ate. Corn fed canvasbacks too. My mother and aunts and uncles all liked waterfowl on the table. and unfortunately...seafood too.
A lot of hunters like the "Big" birds on the strap but it all depends on the area.
Ponds are great but Ocean salt water, brackish water can give ducks a "Certain" off flavor that I don't rally care for.
Sprig "Pintail" birds can have a different taste, depending on where they feed.
In the Pittsburg, SF area they are not that great but if from the Sacramento rice belt area, they are fine tasting, same with mallards.
I have yet to have a bad tasting Teal from the BBQ or oven
(oh my God) if you are lucky enough to swing fast enough to bad this little duck.
Plain is good but we some times soak the ducks in OJ and Brown sugar over night before putting on the BBq.
We tend to like medium rare for meat ,tenderness.
Ponds are great but Ocean salt water, brackish water can give ducks a "Certain" off flavor that I don't rally care for.
Sprig "Pintail" birds can have a different taste, depending on where they feed.
In the Pittsburg, SF area they are not that great but if from the Sacramento rice belt area, they are fine tasting, same with mallards.
I have yet to have a bad tasting Teal from the BBQ or oven
(oh my God) if you are lucky enough to swing fast enough to bad this little duck.
Plain is good but we some times soak the ducks in OJ and Brown sugar over night before putting on the BBq.
We tend to like medium rare for meat ,tenderness.
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A lot of hunters like the "Big" birds on the strap but it all depends on the area.
Ponds are great but Ocean salt water, brackish water can give ducks a "Certain" off flavor that I don't rally care for.
Sprig "Pintail" birds can have a different taste, depending on where they feed.
In the Pittsburg, SF area they are not that great but if from the Sacramento rice belt area, they are fine tasting, same with mallards.
I have yet to have a bad tasting Teal from the BBQ or oven
(oh my God) if you are lucky enough to swing fast enough to bad this little duck.
Plain is good but we some times soak the ducks in OJ and Brown sugar over night before putting on the BBq.
We tend to like medium rare for meat ,tenderness.
"""Plain is good but we some times soak the ducks in OJ and Brown sugar over night before putting on the BBq."""
What is the recipe for this, and is it good for other things?
I've used the same to baste ducks in the past. Never hd to use anything on teal or wood ducks. Wood ducks in woods ponds mostly eat acorns and beech nuts.. and they sneak out to eat corn too. Mallards black ducks and occasionally pintails will cheat on ya and eat minnows. Baldpates are mostly grass eaters and like to hang around swans and steal grasses they pull up. Actually teal are not that hard to hit...they just seem to be a lot faster than they really are and usually at pretty short range. Not big but probably the best eating duck of 'em all....and the most fun hunting.
My Father thought that since we cooking ducks...............
it would appropriate to use, ( are you ready for this)..........
Donald Duck concentrate Orange Juice along with 2-3 cups of dark brown sugar, in a large pitcher.
The ducks were cut in half with the skin on and placed in a large Tupperware container and other spices could be added, if needed.
Before thinning with water, you can save some thick mixture (1/4 cup)for basting the final product, just before serving, as an option.
This is the basic brine w/o any other seasons..........
but feel free to add more.
it would appropriate to use, ( are you ready for this)..........
Donald Duck concentrate Orange Juice along with 2-3 cups of dark brown sugar, in a large pitcher.
The ducks were cut in half with the skin on and placed in a large Tupperware container and other spices could be added, if needed.
Before thinning with water, you can save some thick mixture (1/4 cup)for basting the final product, just before serving, as an option.
This is the basic brine w/o any other seasons..........
but feel free to add more.
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