Summary of lead shot vs steel shot: Steel travels about half the distance of lead with a grouping also half the size. If you want equal downrange energy, up the steel two sizes to reach the lead equivalent.
Over Memorial Day weekend I took my father and brother out to Vancouver Lake to do a bit of clay shooting. Vancouver Lake is under the management of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. They have decided, due to ecological reasons, lead shot is not allowed. I came prepared with three boxes of Winchester Xpert Sheet Shot and my Remington 870.
My father had not shot a shotgun in probably 20 years and by brother had never shot at anything moving. Needless to say I was prepared for some lousy shooting… My expectations were met.
After 10 shots each, my brother and fathers failed to hit anything. Taking over, it was only after about five shots that I started to make contact.
Going into this I had been warned about the differences in steel shot. I was told that steel did not spread near as far as lead, making the pattern a lot tighter.
As an experiment I fired along the top of some tall grass to try and gauge the pattern of the steel shot. I was surprised to see what looked more like a column than the typical spread. This peaked my interest and it was off to the interwebz.
Surprisingly when you Google for lead shot vs steel shot you don’t get a whole bunch. The best site clearly and empirically laying out the differences looked like it was created in 1990, although whois claims the site was created in 2001. Anyway, it contained this gem.
Shamelessly lifted from http://shotshell.drundel.com/steel.htm who shamelessly lifted it from Remington.
As the graphic shows steel has a much tighter pattern and much shorter range as compared to lead.
So whats the takeaway? Shooting steel is going to make me a significantly better shot as its a significant handicap compared to lead. Generally steel is more expensive than lead however you can buy a box of Winchester Xpert Steel at Walmart for $5. For that price I can afford to target shoot with steel.
I also like the eco-friendly aspects. Vancouver Lake is messed up enough, don’t need to add lead to that problem. Secondly, I have been told that one lead pellet will kill a bird (can anyone confirm). I am not trying to wage chemical war on birds, I want to eat them.
Buying tips:
- If it does not say steel or other material, its lead.
- For a more seamless transition buy steel that is two sizes larges than what you shoot in lead, otherwise be prepared for a learning curve.
- I hate Walmart with a fiery passion, however most shotgun shells they sell are manufactured in the US and that something I can get behind.
Side Note: My dad and brother both loved my Remington 870 with ShurShot stock.
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
