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View Full Version : Steel shot load recommendation for Huns & Sharptails with a 28 gauge?



Little Creek
07-15-2016, 07:00 PM
This is for a hunting trip to ND in September.

NuJudge
07-19-2016, 10:04 PM
I've shot a few pheasants, and a lot of ducks with steel shot, mostly with 12 gauge, but some 20 gauge. Quite apart from availability, steel shot will not kill anywhere near as well as Lead. With steel shot, on pheasants and much more so on ducks, you must increase your lead to try to center your pattern on the head & neck. I have to believe steel will not kill Huns & Grouse as well also. A lot of shotguns will not safely handle steel shot, so put it through one you would not mind tearing up.

I have done a good bit of hand loading of steel shot for ducks in 12 gauge. The absolute maximum speed I have seen in factory steel 12 gauge loads was 1650 fps, but most is 1350 fps or so. By hand loading, I was able to get 3/4 oz of steel #2 shot up to 1850 fps. The difference in effect between factory steel and my handloads was quite evident: a body shot duck with factory loads may or may not be a cripple, but never came down dead. A body shot duck with my 1850 fps handloads always came down.

For 28 gauge, you'll really have to look to find steel shot ammo, but it is made. I would go for one increment larger steel shot. For pheasants I used 5 steel shot, for ducks I used 2 steel shot.

Can I suggest you also look to try to find one of the other more dense non-toxic shot shells? Particularly Hevi-Shot, which is more dense than Lead, and even loaded to sedate velocities has killed ducks further away than Lead ever did for me. Hevi-Shot advertises making a line of ammo that they say will not tear up older shotguns:
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/hevishot-classic-doubles-shotshells-82126-gauge-1150-fps-shot-rdbx-p-103842.html