Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Does anyone use Hevi- or non-toxic shot for Upland hunting?

Does anyone here use non-lead/non-toxic shot for any of their upland bird shooting? Especially sizes like #8's, #7 1/2's or #6's?

I'm a reloader and can manufacture any number of ammo types and loads - for the .410 to the 10ga (not that I own something in everyone of those gauges).

When making 20Ga ammo for CHUKARS, PHEASANTS or TURKEYS, I can increase the effectiveness of smaller gauges when concerned about pellet-count, but also terminal-performance of each pellet (#7 1/2's or #8's, or even #6's). To a lesser extent I could also see increasing 28Ga and .410 performance too - if it was indeed "necessary."

Wish I had lots of practical experience doing this, but I'm still at the "R&D" stage of my reloading.

But has anyone here actually resorted to using non-toxic shot to increase shotshell perfomance on upland game?

What about also buying 'factory loads' of non-toxic shot?

I use lead whenever possible, in all guages. When I used to shoot a 20, I just went to #5 instead of #6 on pheasants, and those seemed to work well. IMHO, if you center a pheasant in your pattern at a reasonable range, pellet count won't matter much, except for perhaps a .410.

I'm also way too cheap to buy any of the high performance non-toxics.

Not sure this gets at your question. You might be talking about the heavier than lead varieties, which I have not shot for upland.

However, for the last 5 yrs or so I've been shooting Kent Tungsten Matrix (and some Bismuth) for upland (pheasants). They work great. As good or better than lead IMO, and not toxic. No reason the heavier than lead shot wouldn't work equally well or better-- but no experience there.

Recent price increases for tungsten and bismuth have been outrageous. When I shoot up my stash of tungsten and bismuth I'll likely be back to lead for upland and steel for waterfowl, unless the price goes down.

One thing about lead is that there is a lot of ballistic data out there that may not directly apply to the non-toxics.

Good shooting!

Appreciate all comments and any non-toxic shot should be considered if it inhances performance on game. IMO.

Stubble,
I've never loaded the hevi-shot type stuff and shoot lead shot for upland game.....but I love th enickel plated lead as loaded by Fiocchi......it patterns very very well and the nickel plating does not adhere to feathers and drag them into the meat as does a regular lead shot....and penetration is fantastic...pass throughs on pheasants at long range are very common....

NO!

I have used various non-toxics on upland game, but mostly in areas where when pheasant hunting I am likely to jump a duck. I can personally testify that an ounce of Bismuth 6's or steel 4's will kill a pheasant just nicely as lead out to 40 yards.

The only real advantage I have seen in the heavier non-toxics is on turkeys. Here Hevi-Shot (or one of the new "heavier than lead" shots from Rem, Win and Fed) turns the 20 into a sure-enough turkey gun. Have even shot a running gobbler at 40+ yards with #6 Hevi-Shot from a 20, and rolled him over from BODY shots.
So, yes, they will work.

JB

Not yet but it soon will be mandatory. Arhnold has already signed into law banning lead bullets in the Kaliforna condor range. I say with in 5 years we are shooting non- lead for everything. It's going to lead to scores of injured animals.

Don't get me started on this topic,
Michael

I have used Bismuth #6 for pheasants when lead has not been allowed. It has worked very well for me; I can't tell any difference from lead. No experience with Tungsten, although with the closing of the Bismuth Company it might be easier to find a soft Tungsten shot source than Bismuth. I would not mind using a shot such as Bismuth for all hunting if it could be found more easily and be less costly. Steel, Hevi-shot, and hard Tungsten are out of the picture for use in my old shotguns since these could be damaging to the bores or chokes. I really hope that some manufacturer starts up Bismuth shot production again!

I use Kent and Bismuth shells in my old doubles and steel 6's, 4's and 3's in my late model guns for all my upland hunting. I I hunt over pointers or close working spaniels and shoot open choked guns so the steel has proven just as effective for me as lead used to.

erich