stell shot in full choke shotgun

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adubbert

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have two savage fox sxs in 410 and 20 gauge and cooey single shot i12 gauge.All three are full choke can I shoot steel thru these guns?Can you shoot slugs thru these guns? Plase explain your answers.
 
Slugs yes. Steel No.

Lead slugs deform with the choke. Steel shot does not, you might be okay from #3 and smaller shot size with the Cooey only as those barrels are very thick.
 
I would not shoot steel through a full choke, first make sure the barrels are steel rated, if they are, have a gunsmith open up the chokes.
 
Steel shot will "bell' the end of the barrel after a while. If you have a smith mill it out it should be fine. Lead Foster style slugs should be OK. I am not a gunsmith, this just relects my experiences and observations.
 
no steel shot in fixed full chokes(id stay away from steel in any fixed choke) and your not going to find steel shot in .410

i dont see why people want to shoot steel shot so much
 
antiqueguy said:
no steel shot in fixed full chokes(id stay away from steel in any fixed choke) and your not going to find steel shot in .410

i dont see why people want to shoot steel shot so much
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Uh, maybe because they want to hunt migratory birds and they can't afford expensive non-tox shot. Same reason they'd want to use an older gun instead of buying a new one.
 
To me it should be illegal to hunt migratory birds with a 410 and don't care how good of a shot you think you are. I have taken many groups out over the years and some should not be allowed in a blind even with a 10ga. Put 16 geese in front of a group of four at 15 yards with their landing gear down and 12 shots later all fly away.Unreal. From my experience when you work for an outfitter more customers cannot shoot than can but for sure some would show up with a 410 and steel shot if it was easily purchased. Just one man's opinion
 
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I feel choosing a .410 for migratory game is an experts choice only, even with loads that perform like lead except for maybe woodcock and snipe, but fortunately I believe we can use lead shot for both snipe and woodcock. If you're insisting on using a .410 for waterfowl there are no effective factory steel loads for waterfowl that I know of, so you aren't left with a lot of choices other then the expensive no tox loads.
 
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.
 
Like I said eastcoastsoxfan not an effective load for waterfowl, considerring how few pellets there would be in 3/8 oz of 4's or larger, it may perhaps make an acceptable teal load in the hands of a very good shooter with #6 but as there is no province in Canada that has a teal specific season that I know of I would not say there are any acceptable steel waterfowl loads for the .410 in Canada.
 
TheCoachZed said:
Uh, maybe because they want to hunt migratory birds and they can't afford expensive non-tox shot. Same reason they'd want to use an older gun instead of buying a new one.
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used mossbergs go for cheap and are made after the lead ban so with the right choke it will handle steel but fixed choke guns are not ment for steel and if its made before the lead ban chances are the barrel is softer
 
antiqueguy said:
used mossbergs go for cheap and are made after the lead ban so with the right choke it will handle steel but fixed choke guns are not ment for steel and if its made before the lead ban chances are the barrel is softer
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I'm pretty sure I understand the price of mossbergs and all that jazz. But I am pretty sure MOST of the talk about soft steel in pre-non-tox guns is wrong. I agree the chokes may not be up to it, but there are an awful lot of old Rem 870s and Win 12s and Moss 500s etc etc that were made long before the 1980s and are still shooting steel shot, as long as the pellets are small enough. On their website, Browning says it is OK on many of their older guns (made in Japan models) as long as you stick to certain shot sizes.

And, I never said it was a good idea to use a .410. Once upon a time, however, I had a friend I used to work with who did a lot of partridge hunting with a .410 and he once asked me to get him some non tox shot, in case he saw a wood duck.

Other than that, maybe somebody would want to start their kids off with a .410? Or maybe they want to shoot snipe? A .410 would be OK for snipe.

I personally wouldn't take a .410 duck hunting unless I had to.
 
3macs1 said:
To me it should be illegal to hunt migratory birds with a 410 and don't care how good of a shot you think you are. I have taken many groups out over the years and some should not be allowed in a blind even with a 10ga. Put 16 geese in front of a group of four at 15 yards with their landing gear down and 12 shots later all fly away.Unreal. From my experience when you work for an outfitter more customers cannot shoot than can but for sure some would show up with a 410 and steel shot if it was easily purchased. Just one man's opinion
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Read a pretty funny story once online somewhere about a guy who went duck hunting with his buddy, who claimed he knew what was what. Buddy showed up wearing a Toronto Blue Jays jacket, carrying a single-shot .410, and with an ill-trained dog in tow. Miraculously, they got a duck, which the dog then proceeded to eat.
 
To give you direction in answering your original question concerning steel shot. "Google "Precision Arms and Gunsmithing" in King City Ont. On this site there is a section that has the best description on steel and how it relates to your barrel and choke that I have ever read.

The owner of this shop is Steve Milton, I have dealt with and shot with man on several occasions. He is a no nonesense type of fella and there fore calls a spade a spade. His explaination on the steel shot vs choke issue in my opinion is as accurate as your ever going to get at this date and time.
 
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