Another thread had a query about an overview on shotgun ammo,so here is something for the beginners and those of us who may be embarassed when asking. There's been tons of old threads about slugs and HD ammo, so I;ll skip that part and recommend some research there.
Also, I doubt I'm just flattering myself when I say this is an informed opinion, but it IS an opinion. Others may differ, and these aren't graven on tablets of stone...
For commonly used shotgun fodder, three metals are used for projectiles, lead, steel and to some extent, bismuth. Steel is used mostly on waterfowl,lead having been banned for such due to pollution of wetlands, etc.
Bismuth is an attempt to make up for steel's lighter weight, meaning it's heavier than steel, lighter than lead, and does not screw up the biosphere as far as we now know. Time will tell.
NOTE: In shotgun gauges, the bigger the number, the smaller the bore. Same with shot, 6 shot is larger than 7 1/2.
Lead, commonly available in shot sizes from 2 to 8s. 4,5,6 shot are commonly used in upland hunting for bigger birds, rabbits etc. HEAVY loads of same make good turkey loads.
7 1/2 and 8 shot are good for smaller birds,at closer ranges, and the various clay games. I use a trap load of 7 1/2s for quail, dove, even pheasant, the Winchester AA 1 1/8 oz load works great for me in my 12 gauges. The premium wad column, hard shot that stays rounder keeps the patterns dense and tight.
OTOH, very close range work like tight quail, woodcock, etc, I might prefer a generic field load of dead soft, easily deformed shot that will spread faster and give a good pattern at closer ranges with an open choke.
Chilled lead shot, hardened with antimony, stays rounder during the stress and strain of being propelled at supersonic speeds down a hard metal tube.Plated shot, oft with copper, stays round also, giving tighter patterns,
Steel shot does not ever deform, giving greater penetration but less efficient energy transfer. Steel's used for waterfowling,and most folks cuss it out occasionally.It IS less effective than the lead shot it
replaces.
Selection of the proper shot and load must include consideration of factors like choke,distance and expertise. For say, spooky late season pheasant, I might swap my first up load of 7 1/2s for 6s or even 4s,and go from a IC choke to a Modified.Or,alternately, I might stay with the trap load of 7 1/2s and stick in the Full tube.
Or, early season doves coming into water may call for cheap field loads and a Modified tube or the AA trap load and a Skeet tube.
Whichever approach you do, one constant is...
Finding the best load for YOU and YOUR shotgun calls for patterning. You might take a large, discarded cardboard box and set it up with a 4'X4" piece of white paper stapled to it. Make a small mark near the center for a sighting point(not an aiming point, you do not aim a shotgun on flying game),back up 25 yards or so, mount and fire.Do this several times. If the pattern centers the point,is even at the distance you picked, you're OK.If not,change distance, choke, and load until it is.
There is NO substitute fot the above step. But once you have it right,it'll stay right until a variable ,uh,varies.
Hope this helps...
Also, I doubt I'm just flattering myself when I say this is an informed opinion, but it IS an opinion. Others may differ, and these aren't graven on tablets of stone...
For commonly used shotgun fodder, three metals are used for projectiles, lead, steel and to some extent, bismuth. Steel is used mostly on waterfowl,lead having been banned for such due to pollution of wetlands, etc.
Bismuth is an attempt to make up for steel's lighter weight, meaning it's heavier than steel, lighter than lead, and does not screw up the biosphere as far as we now know. Time will tell.
NOTE: In shotgun gauges, the bigger the number, the smaller the bore. Same with shot, 6 shot is larger than 7 1/2.
Lead, commonly available in shot sizes from 2 to 8s. 4,5,6 shot are commonly used in upland hunting for bigger birds, rabbits etc. HEAVY loads of same make good turkey loads.
7 1/2 and 8 shot are good for smaller birds,at closer ranges, and the various clay games. I use a trap load of 7 1/2s for quail, dove, even pheasant, the Winchester AA 1 1/8 oz load works great for me in my 12 gauges. The premium wad column, hard shot that stays rounder keeps the patterns dense and tight.
OTOH, very close range work like tight quail, woodcock, etc, I might prefer a generic field load of dead soft, easily deformed shot that will spread faster and give a good pattern at closer ranges with an open choke.
Chilled lead shot, hardened with antimony, stays rounder during the stress and strain of being propelled at supersonic speeds down a hard metal tube.Plated shot, oft with copper, stays round also, giving tighter patterns,
Steel shot does not ever deform, giving greater penetration but less efficient energy transfer. Steel's used for waterfowling,and most folks cuss it out occasionally.It IS less effective than the lead shot it
replaces.
Selection of the proper shot and load must include consideration of factors like choke,distance and expertise. For say, spooky late season pheasant, I might swap my first up load of 7 1/2s for 6s or even 4s,and go from a IC choke to a Modified.Or,alternately, I might stay with the trap load of 7 1/2s and stick in the Full tube.
Or, early season doves coming into water may call for cheap field loads and a Modified tube or the AA trap load and a Skeet tube.
Whichever approach you do, one constant is...
Finding the best load for YOU and YOUR shotgun calls for patterning. You might take a large, discarded cardboard box and set it up with a 4'X4" piece of white paper stapled to it. Make a small mark near the center for a sighting point(not an aiming point, you do not aim a shotgun on flying game),back up 25 yards or so, mount and fire.Do this several times. If the pattern centers the point,is even at the distance you picked, you're OK.If not,change distance, choke, and load until it is.
There is NO substitute fot the above step. But once you have it right,it'll stay right until a variable ,uh,varies.
Hope this helps...