Home Forums Birds & Dogs Waterfowl Steel shot and more open chokes.

Noticed that some posters on another board were recommending more open chokes for steel shot...IC or Mod instead of the traditional full and extra full chokes. Anyone got experience with this?

IC works well for all the waterfowling I do (ducks over decoys, field geese). Steel shot doesn't deform like the old lead loads did, so it patterns tighter. Also, because it doesn't deform you can get a donut shaped pattern if you use too tight of a choke. You can only shove so much shot through the choke at one time without the shot column bunching up and blowing out the center... The bigger the steel shot, the more open the choke you might need to try to get uniform patterns. If you're thinking of shooting distances further than 40 yards you'll probably want to check out hevishot, or other tungsten based shot; steel just doesn't have enough energy past 40 yards to do the job reliably. It's a moot point for me, I can't hit anything over 40 yards anyway...

Definitely go down to your IC tube and see how it patterns with your chosen load. Nothing beats trial and error patterning for learning about how your gun, load, and chokes perform.

Good shooting!

It would be worth it to pattern a couple different chokes. Tighter chokes can throw some pretty darn good patterns with steel.

I'm running an IM now, and get a much more even pattern than the IC I was using before.

I shot some cheap steel for a while, had a case, it killed really well. Stepped up in speed with some new loads, can't hit or kill well with it, I have not patterned it but it finally jogged my turkey memory... gotta pattern everything.

As far as steel past 40 yards, it'll reliably kill to 50/55 yards if right size shot and driven fast enough. Faster is much better with steel. As long as it patterns.....

If you reload, hevi shot is about a buck to a buck and a quarter per load.... not that bad.

Jeff

shot size effects patterns with steel. with a standard full choke in the 12ga of .695 #2's pattern very well but nothing larger, in an imp mod extended (steel shot approved trulock) i get good patterns with bb's and 2's in the 12ga. i do not shoot smaller or larger pellets in the 12ga in steel shot. bb's at 1450fps or faster and 2's at 1550fps is all i'll shoot. bigger shot size get run through the 10ga bbb's or t's. imp mod trulock is also in my 20ga and a full is in the 10ga