Steel shot, whats the difference?

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  • engineerbrian

    JMB fan club
    Sep 3, 2010
    10,148
    Fredneck
    I stopped by Bass Pro yesterday to pick up a few boxes of Hevi Shot, Heavi Metal for sea ducks. I've always used Heavi Metal simply because, well I've always used it and never tried anything different.

    While looking at different Hevi Shot products I noticed they had Hevi Steel shot that was considerably cheaper and a tungsten shot that was insanely expensive :whoa:

    So whats the difference with these 3 types of shot and what justifies a $42 box of tungsten shells? Hell, with that said, why am I buying a $30 box of shells :shrug:
     

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    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,734
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Steel is uncoated steel shot, Hevi Metal is coated with something to keep it from corroding and Hevi Metal Tungsten is Tungsten metal which costs more.

    Tungsten may have better ballistics but I have not researched it.
     

    Devonian

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 15, 2008
    1,199
    I’m pretty sure the steel is just steel shot, the heavy metal is a mix of steel and tungsten and the hevi is all tungsten... the difference being the price of tungsten vs steel.
     

    PJDiesel

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Dec 18, 2011
    17,603
    Nothing justifies $42/box for shells. Same with target loads, unless you're using them for peace of mind/confidence booster..... there's not THAT much difference between shells.

    Lots of people shoot the Hevis and like them, I believe it's a denser steel (somewhere around ~3% for you old school MDS folks)

    People like to say "it's not the gun". Well,... it's NOT the shell either. There's a 95% chance someone who is just simply a better shooter will out shoot you regardless. You could supply the cheapest target load up against the best AA HDCP ~1300 (or the like) and you'll be beaten over and over again....
     

    pbharvey

    Habitual Testifier
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    30,158
    #1 son bought a case of hevi-metal for ducks this year thinking it was going to be the bee's knees.
    The Winchester Drylock patterned much better.

    Ammo and choke plays a big role for me inside my head. If I think my ammo sucks a little or I'm under/over choked I shoot differently.
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    Then, there is the science of all of this.

    The tungsten shot is heavier than lead, hard as steel, and while i am not sure this is still the case, it had/has a tear drop shape that made/makes it more aerodynamic and pattern better than lead or steel. The tungsten shot is carrying more kinetic energy to the target, so with the same pellet size between shot material and the same distance, there will be way more penetration and energy delivered on target with Hevi-Shot tungsten than steel. I've actually patterned Hevi-Shot and it really does pattern tight. Granted, this was 15 or so years ago when it first came out.

    Is Hevi-Shot necessary? Only if you want to take the really long shots. I have killed ducks and geese at 60 yards with the stuff and they come down dead. I remember the first duck I shot with it some 15 years ago. I had just gotten my puppy and it was a mallard hen directly overhead that was high as can be. I lead it a bunch, pulled the trigger, and it folded up. It bounced off the ground when it hit and my dog was all over it. Still clear as day. I was shocked that Hevi-Shot #2 killed that duck so well.

    When I am hunting geese, the first shot is BBB Remington Nitro steel, second shot is Hevi-Shot B, and the third shot is Hevi-Shot Dead Coyote in T.

    Most importantly, if you are getting lots of cripples with steel at 20-40 yards, the problem isn't the shells/shot, but the shooting ability or pattern. If you just pay attention to people shooting birds, you can tell who has well choked patterns and when they are on the bird. The bird hits the ground and all the feathers coming off the bird fall to the ground for another minute or so. lol
     

    94hokie

    Active Member
    Mar 29, 2015
    832
    Severna Park, MD
    Hevi-steel is their steel shot brand, Hevi-Metal is a mix of steel and tungsten pellets, and Hevi-X is a tungsten composite pellet that while not as dense as their full tungsten pellet is still much more dense then steel.
     

    engineerbrian

    JMB fan club
    Sep 3, 2010
    10,148
    Fredneck
    Then, there is the science of all of this.

    The tungsten shot is heavier than lead, hard as steel, and while i am not sure this is still the case, it had/has a tear drop shape that made/makes it more aerodynamic and pattern better than lead or steel. The tungsten shot is carrying more kinetic energy to the target, so with the same pellet size between shot material and the same distance, there will be way more penetration and energy delivered on target with Hevi-Shot tungsten than steel. I've actually patterned Hevi-Shot and it really does pattern tight. Granted, this was 15 or so years ago when it first came out.

    Is Hevi-Shot necessary? Only if you want to take the really long shots. I have killed ducks and geese at 60 yards with the stuff and they come down dead. I remember the first duck I shot with it some 15 years ago. I had just gotten my puppy and it was a mallard hen directly overhead that was high as can be. I lead it a bunch, pulled the trigger, and it folded up. It bounced off the ground when it hit and my dog was all over it. Still clear as day. I was shocked that Hevi-Shot #2 killed that duck so well.

    When I am hunting geese, the first shot is BBB Remington Nitro steel, second shot is Hevi-Shot B, and the third shot is Hevi-Shot Dead Coyote in T.

    Most importantly, if you are getting lots of cripples with steel at 20-40 yards, the problem isn't the shells/shot, but the shooting ability or pattern. If you just pay attention to people shooting birds, you can tell who has well choked patterns and when they are on the bird. The bird hits the ground and all the feathers coming off the bird fall to the ground for another minute or so. lol


    Good info, thanks!
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    For comparison:

    Density of Lead - 11.34 grams per cubic cm
    Density of Steel - 7.75 - 8.05 grams per cubic cm
    Density of Bismuth - 9.8 gram per cubic cm
    Density of Tungsten - 19.3 grams per cubic cm

    T Shot is 5.08 mm or 0.549 cubic cm

    So one T Shot pellet weighs:

    Lead - 6.23 grams
    Steel - 4.25 - 4.42 grams
    Bismuth - 5.38 grams
    Tungsten - 10.60 grams

    Same diameter pellet with greater weight is better ballistics. If launched at the same velocity, more retained velocity at range. And more energy at all ranges.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,667
    Not Far Enough from the City
    For comparison:

    Density of Lead - 11.34 grams per cubic cm
    Density of Steel - 7.75 - 8.05 grams per cubic cm
    Density of Bismuth - 9.8 gram per cubic cm
    Density of Tungsten - 19.3 grams per cubic cm

    T Shot is 5.08 mm or 0.549 cubic cm

    So one T Shot pellet weighs:

    Lead - 6.23 grams
    Steel - 4.25 - 4.42 grams
    Bismuth - 5.38 grams
    Tungsten - 10.60 grams

    Same diameter pellet with greater weight is better ballistics. If launched at the same velocity, more retained velocity at range. And more energy at all ranges.

    Yes, but with a flip side of fewer of the more dense pellets given the same shot charge weight, correct?
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    So using logic, a tungsten payload would require a more powerful powder? Which might be harder on semi auto actions? Long term.

    Yeah, that isn't true. There are certain chamber pressures that the barrel can withstand and then there is recoil. I cannot imagine the recoil being so significant that it would actually damage a semi-auto action IF the loads are done correctly.

    Here are some loads for 3.5" 12 gauge Hevi-Shot:

    Turkey: 2 1/4 oz shot at 1,090 fps
    https://www.hevishot.com/catalog/hevi-13/

    Goose: 1 3/4 oz shot at 1,300 fps
    https://www.hevishot.com/catalog/hevi-shot-goose/

    Coyote: 1 5/8 oz shot at 1,350 fps
    https://www.hevishot.com/catalog/dead-coyote/

    Here are some ballistics for Remington steel loads:
    1 3/8 oz of steel at 1,700 fps

    One of the big factors with steel is that since it isn't as dense as tungsten, air resistance plays a decent part in slowing it down.

    Lots of stuff out there about this:

    http://www.gameandfishmag.com/editorial/hunting_guns-shooting_gf_aa116802a/244778#

    Most people will not shoot enough out of their semi-auto while hunting to even wear out the semi-auto. For 10 years straight, I was hunting like a mad man and killing 100+ doves and 100+ geese and using a good amount of Hevi-Shot. My Benelli SBE still works just fine. Oh, maybe that is because it is a Benelli, but that is a discussion for another thread. lol

    If you understand reloading, you will also understand that slower burning powders are used in heavier loads. That is why I can see a lot of unburned powder residue inside the receiver and buffer tube on my Benelli, but absolutely none in my Beretta 391 which is only used with fast burning Hodgdon's Clays. To reload heavy waterfowl and turkey loads, I have Alliant powders of Blue Dot and Steel, and they have very slow burn rates that are designed to keep pressures reasonable with heavy shot charges.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    So using logic, a tungsten payload would require a more powerful powder? Which might be harder on semi auto actions? Long term.

    No, 1 1/2 ounce is 1 1/2 ounce. If they put in the same number of pellets, then the payload weight would be greater, so for the same velocity, it would require a different powder or more powder.
     

    engineerbrian

    JMB fan club
    Sep 3, 2010
    10,148
    Fredneck
    No, 1 1/2 ounce is 1 1/2 ounce. If they put in the same number of pellets, then the payload weight would be greater, so for the same velocity, it would require a different powder or more powder.

    Got it. I'll stick to steel then. More pellets= better chance to hit. I have a s.ton of Blackcloud. I like the HeavyMetal though.

    I picked up a box of Winchester #2 steel, I'm going to pattern it against the Hevi Shot. I'm all about more pellets to increase my odds of a hit :D
     

    pbharvey

    Habitual Testifier
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    30,158
    I just wish someone would tell Walmart to stock 1-1/4 or 1-3/8 oz steel loads instead of 1-1/8.
    I bet if someone boiled down all the numbers you’d find that a ton of birds are crippled simply because people buy the only thing available to them off the shelf at Walmart.
     

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