Steel Shot, Older Gun...

swrmacmullin

swrmacmullin

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So i want to see what you guys know about shooting steel shot through older shot guns. as far as i know, it is very bad! as it causes pitting etc inside the barrel.

Im looking to get into goose and duck hunting but dont want to foot the bill for an expensive shotgun, after just buying a .270 and a .17, i have available to me and old cooey single shot, i know.. not optimal, but for going out once or twice to see if i enjoy it, i dont think itll be a big problem, except the fact that i do not want to hurt the gun. i love my guns ans try to keep them the best protected as i can, so i want to know if steel shot will destroy my gun.

Also, on the same note, what year would you guys suggest that steel shot is safe to put through guns?

Thanks a bunch i already know you guys will be a great help. Such a great community on this site always willing to help out and give a hand

On a side note, if anyone has a pump that will fit my needs, feel free to PM me. Dont have a lot of spare cash floating around but to help fill the freezer im sure i can figure something out.

Thanks again!
 
I must have posted this 50 times now...

SHOTGUN BARREL ALTERATIONS FOR STEEL SHOT

Forcing Cone Alteration:

Factory shotgun barrels usually have a fairly short and abrupt forcing cone. The forcing cone is the tapered area just ahead of the chamber where the shell is contained. Altering the forcing cone, so it is one and one half or two inches in length, reduces recoil and improves the pattern density. Trap shooters and skeet shooters have been doing this for many years. It is a good benefit to the steel shot user as well.

Choke Alteration:
Choke designation from the tightest to the most open are:
Extra Full, Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Skeet II, Improved Cylinder, Skeet I, and Cylinder Bore.

Steel shot does not require the constriction that lead shot needs, to produce good patterns. In fact too much constriction, causes poor, erratic patterns, and in some cases, permanently damages the barrel. I have seen barrels bulged at the choke, I have seen barrels where the choke split right open, from using steel shot.

For steel shot, with thin barrels, chokes should be altered to at least Skeet II. Often, over & under, and side-by-side shotguns, are best altered to Skeet I and Skeet II chokes. Heavier barrels can be left at Modified choke but may see an improvement in the pattern if opened slightly.
 
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I suspect the old cooey has a full choke... in which case it probably isn't recommended. You might be OK using small-ish steel shot. I've used #4 steel in my old A-5 full choke with good results. Anything bigger and you will run into the problems mentioned above
 
I don't think the Cooey with absolutely no choke will be much good for waterfowl. Safe to shoot with steel for sure but patterns may be wide open. All you can do is get a large piece of cardboard, mark an aiming point on it and see if your patterns are any good at all. What percentage of the shotgun pellets fall inside a 30 inch diameter circle and are there any big holes in the pattern. Usually patterning is done at 40 yards range. My 2 cents.
 
I contacted Ron Sharp who is a ithaca genius,about shooting steel through a ithaca 37.He told me if the choke was opened to at least modified,and shoot black cloud no bigger than #3 shot there should be no problem.The black cloud has the long wad that is supposed to stay with the shot until leaving the barrel giving no steel on steel contact.I shot lots of steel out of it,than sold the gun to a buddy who uses the same there have been no problems.As Mike said with no choke I can't see it getting any good pattern at all,but it would be safe to shoot steel.
 
If you decide to add a newer gun there a couple of Beretta pumps on Tradex that are good deals on reasonably priced guns that would work for waterfowling.
You can do a lot waterfowling with a 2 3/4" chamber and a fixed Mod or more open choke.
 
All info has not touched on another part of shooting steel shot. Velocity plays a huge part in how the gun is affected by the shot. I would not shoot high velocity steel shot out of a Cooey. You have no worries with choke constriction but hi speed steel can work an old gun over pretty good. I would stick to lower velocity loadings at round 1350 to 1400 fps. 1550 fps and Black Cloud loads would be pushing the limit. I have personally seen a Cooey split the barrel (at the choke end about 2") when firing Winchester 1550 fps #2 steel shot. The chokes are swaged on Cooey's and they are not super strong. Again you have no choke so that should not happen.

Darryl
 
Honestly, i wouldnt shoot any steel out of anything not rated, not worth wrecking a gun or anything else just because you cant afford it, hunting using steel and filling your freezer might be cheaper at the market, im not trying to put you down, but duck/geese hunting can get pricy, a gun is my #1 cost, i wont skimp, you can break or wreck a gun fast and only with one shot and being new you are already at a disadvantage, #2 steel shotgun loads are like $15-30/ box, doesnt mean your going to hit them or have them show up either #3 decoys are not cheap either and its hard to get birds to show up without them. #4 hunting clothing and other gear like Calls. are necessary when out hunting when its cold.
 
If you are just wanting to see how you like it, see if you can borrow a shotgun. Steel shot aside, a Cooey single is not a lot of fun to hunt with. Not only will you only get 1 shot when your buddies are getting 3, but they kick too much.
 
How dangerous is a muzzle split? Is it something that happens and you say "####" and throw it away or is it catastrophically dangerous for you and everyone else around you?
 
RatFink said:
How dangerous is a muzzle split? Is it something that happens and you say "####" and throw it away or is it catastrophically dangerous for you and everyone else around you?
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Usually A, however you have a lot of energy potentially sending metal bits in random directions so I would avoid the risk as much as possible.
 
Local gun shop reamed my 1971 auto 5 from full too modified so I can shoot steel, they said they've done before with no problems, have not had chance too use it yet
 
Hi, i recently purchased a Winchester 2200 shotgun in a 30'' full choke barrel chambered for 2 3/4. I'm wondering if I can use steel shot in this firearm. At the store i asked about this and was told it's more to do with the much older shotguns, this one was labelled as being a 1991 model. I'm new to firearms and after reading more about this i'm not sure what the actual deal is. Most anecdotal accounts are of people who actually have used steel shot in their older shotguns with no perceptible problems. And lots of second hand information saying this is a big no no. Am i restricted to size #2 and smaller due to full choke? This firearm was intended for Duck/Geese/Upland hunting. I didn't realize how expensive the alternative non-toxic shot was, such as Kent Tungsten Matrix. $45-50 a box seems very expensive to learn on. The savings of purchasing a used firearm are null if i cannot fire it at a reasonable price for practice or it will not work for what i wanted to use it for. I have read lots of posts all over with some saying full choke is all they use and some saying Mod choke is all they use. It's all very confusing for a newcomer. Any info would help, thanks a lot.
 
Jaag said:
Hi, i recently purchased a Winchester 2200 shotgun in a 30'' full choke barrel chambered for 2 3/4. I'm wondering if I can use steel shot in this firearm. At the store i asked about this and was told it's more to do with the much older shotguns, this one was labelled as being a 1991 model. I'm new to firearms and after reading more about this i'm not sure what the actual deal is. Most anecdotal accounts are of people who actually have used steel shot in their older shotguns with no perceptible problems. And lots of second hand information saying this is a big no no. Am i restricted to size #2 and smaller due to full choke? This firearm was intended for Duck/Geese/Upland hunting. I didn't realize how expensive the alternative non-toxic shot was, such as Kent Tungsten Matrix. $45-50 a box seems very expensive to learn on. The savings of purchasing a used firearm are null if i cannot fire it at a reasonable price for practice or it will not work for what i wanted to use it for. I have read lots of posts all over with some saying full choke is all they use and some saying Mod choke is all they use. It's all very confusing for a newcomer. Any info would help, thanks a lot.
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I have the same shot gun I cut the choke off because there was no one local to reem it and it is doing pretty well
the thing with full being ok is only in new firearms with full choke build for steel they are less constricting with a less steep angle to force the shot
I would not recommend the non toxic in that gun as is the small stuff is a maybe I would say 4 and smaller and that is still a risk
lots of people shoot it no problem and everything is good but you don't want to be the 1 in 300 that blows off your hand and the side of your face

the 2200 is a good gun mine is now an excellent upland gun/ good for skeet with the wide open and with good quality shot and wads it makes an ok duck and goose gun

happy hunting
 
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