Steel shot in old shot gun

Please let us know h0ow old, the brand, and the choke.
However, as was posted, it's best to steer clear of steel and older shotguns with full chokes.
Cat
 
What kind of gun is it? Your question is too generalized to be answered specifically to your gun. There are thousands of older guns out there being shot with steel loads providing the choke is opened enough.
 
Has any one actually seen and documented damage done by steel shot in a "Full Choked" barrel? You can always lop off an inch or so of barrel. That would give you a "Cylinder" bore.
I remember Richard Venola and I think #### Metcalf (not sure) on American Shooter trying something similar but I believe it was a 3 inch shell in a 2 3/4 chamber. As I recall there was
no discernible damage to the gun. Maybe this could be a new challenge for "Myth Busters" They love gun stuff...
 
577/450 said:
with steel I was told by a gunsmith that it is not if but when. one shell or a thousand.
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I guess one can believe what they want but there are likely way more old guns being used out there with steel shot that have not been damaged than there are ones that have. And the ones that were damaged, what choke was being used; likely full. Yes there are certain thin walled guns, such as vintage doubles, that should not have steel shot out of them. But regarding older pump guns, single shots or semi-autos, what do you do? You have 3 choices. Shoot expensive non toxic shot, shoot steel or leave them in the corner collecting dust. I'd rather shoot steel than have a useless gun sitting in the corner. Chances are very good that you will have no problem if the choke is opened up.
 
Actually there's mostly just 'well it seems ok' 'i've done it for years' 'blah blah blah' and no definitive answer. Thanks though, very helpful.
 
MexicanForklift said:
Actually there's mostly just 'well it seems ok' 'i've done it for years' 'blah blah blah' and no definitive answer. Thanks though, very helpful.
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It's not just blah, blah, blah. There are a number of people saying that either they or people they know have been shooting steel out of old guns with no issues for years. I guess there is no way to give you a "definitive" answer. You either believe those who are saying not to do it or those who have been doing it with no problems, providing the chokes are open enough and the barrel walls are not super thin such as found on vintage English double barrels. That's why I said in an earlier post "believe what you want", only you can make the decision to do it or not. As far as blah, blah, blah on my part, I know a number of people who are shooting steel in old guns, including myself. In your earlier question, you asked about steel through a Winchester single shot from the 70's with a full choke. It has been stressed many times--no full choke. Not sure what more you can be told as far as doing it as you have to make that decision. If you are really afraid of damaging your gun, especially if you don't want to open the choke up, then I guess the safest, simplest solution is don't do it.
The question of steel through an old gun has been hashed to death on many forums in many threads within each forum. Like anything, you have people for and people against. You will not get a definitive answer. So only you can decide which side you want to believe. But I will say that personally I have not seen an older pump or semi-auto damaged from steel that had open chokes.
 
It is not recommended to shoot steel through a modern shotgun with full choke. Why anyone would attempt it in an older full choke gun is beyond me. It says right in the owners manual from the manufacturer.
Mossberg, Remington, Browning and Bennelli. Certain models don't have this warning, but by far most do.
How do I know this you might ask?
4 years of working in the gun receiving department of a major retailer. All I did was receive and inspect guns. The major part of my job was having to open every single box and inspect every single firearm for fit and finish, missing parts, caliber, serial #, functionality, damage and many other points. Part of this was making sure the guns had the right owners manual.
Being the person I am and wanting to learn as much as I can, I actually read most of the manuals that came across my desk.
At that time I was in the market for a new 12ga and did extensive research. When I wanted to check out a certain model, all I had to do was look it up on the computer to find out which bin it was in and go get it off the shelf.
####ty job but it had its perks.:cheers:

PS. I am a licensed verifier, own old and new shotguns and have been shooting for over 25 years.
 
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I had never heard of this before and had no idea which way to go in forming an opinion, based on what I read here (and some of the other thread). The last two posts were informative, though.

I'll keep the steel away from my break top.
 
gunsaholic said:
It's not just blah, blah, blah. There are a number of people saying that either they or people they know have been shooting steel out of old guns with no issues for years. I guess there is no way to give you a "definitive" answer. You either believe those who are saying not to do it or those who have been doing it with no problems, providing the chokes are open enough and the barrel walls are not super thin such as found on vintage English double barrels. That's why I said in an earlier post "believe what you want", only you can make the decision to do it or not. As far as blah, blah, blah on my part, I know a number of people who are shooting steel in old guns, including myself. In your earlier question, you asked about steel through a Winchester single shot from the 70's with a full choke. It has been stressed many times--no full choke. Not sure what more you can be told as far as doing it as you have to make that decision. If you are really afraid of damaging your gun, especially if you don't want to open the choke up, then I guess the safest, simplest solution is don't do it.
The question of steel through an old gun has been hashed to death on many forums in many threads within each forum. Like anything, you have people for and people against. You will not get a definitive answer. So only you can decide which side you want to believe. But I will say that personally I have not seen an older pump or semi-auto damaged from steel that had open chokes.
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I had a buddy who shot steel through a Model 1200 Winchester full choke for years and there was no visible damage. Steel 1's was the largest shot he would use.
 
Stosh said:
Is it safe to use steel shot in older shot guns?
Thanks
Stosh
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Depends on the age and condition of the gun. I would contact the manufacturer. That is what I did with my 1964 Remington 1100 fixed MOD choke. They replied I could shoot any size steel through a fixed MOD. Even through a fixed FULL, they say you can shoot up to a #2 shot
 
There was a fellow here who made a video of him shooting steel through his old Cooey single shot, with Full choke. The choke-end of the barrel broke right off, IIRC.
 
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