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I was telling you the reality of where I live. Never said I didn’t have a lifetime supply of 12 and 20 gauge ammunition. Also never said I don’t stock up when I see it

Apparently gun shows are better elsewhere than here. Ours are beef jerky, ARs, knives, and $2000 beat to [bleep] 7600s

Try the Houlton show, the Presque Isle show is a long way for many of the venders to travel to.. I am stocked on 20 gauge to point that it should last me until Maine requires steel shot. Some of my boxes came from Ames. I am only buying steel shot in the future.

I plan to. End of April I beleive

During the height of Covid I remember going shopping with friends for supplies and found we had to wait in line to get to the ammo section at a local supplier. Shotgun shells were very limited. "Note to self" says I, proceeded to the reloading section and a MEC and plenty of components were put into the shopping cart. I have almost exhausted my supply of 12 and by the end of summer will need more 16. During the process I have found I very much enjoy reloading shot shells. Attention to detail will produce a very good alternative to factory ammo. Major issue is waterfowl loads using Bismuth and TSS. How does one convince game wardens the loads you reproduced are indeed non toxic waterfowl compliant. A 16 with TSS holds much promise as a waterfowl load if you pass inspection.

Coming soon

20 gauge MEC, I just hate carrying a big heavy shotgun anymore and I have a bunch of those yellow hulls........

I 've been loading 20 ga since I was 12 and now 69. So take my advice if you want. I allways used alot of fed hulls the old paper base wad plastics easy 3-4 loads and toss. As people threw them away as once fired they were free. I have some of the newer ones with plastic basewads but no experience with them yet. The old compression formed WW hulls are good but capacity limited (AA wads 7/8 oz.). Where as feds are straight wall hulls that you can use the fed 20s1 wad and rp sp-20 wads. Rem hulls vary alot and the older plastics had a 57 sized primer and composite base wad that don't last well. Anytime you can buy AA wads or RP power pistons or Fed 20 s1 wads you better jump on them they are drying up. Claybuster still makes a 20 ga 7/8 oz clone of the AA. Ballistic products still offer lots of wads. Gathering wads is the tough.part of loading 20's these days. Good luck..mb

Open one and they look different. A magnet will also tell them what they need to know.

Steel attracts, lead is neutral and bismuth slightly repels a magnet.

I also wouldn’t doubt they have a quick test solution. They only have to confirm lead.

27 + 28th

It's been a few years since I was last checked and I asked but some carry a device called "Hot Shot" (I think) that reacts to some types of non-toxic shot. There are also rare earth magnets that will have a reaction with some types of non-toxics. The Hot Shot may be one of these as it seems to act similarly. If all else fails, the warden might take a shell or two to have tested. If you get a citation in the mail, it failed. Canada was so much nicer in that regard, they allowed anything non-lead when they switched over. Many of the alternate shot were field tested in that country because of that.

One thing they won't do is go by the appearance of the shot. It is impossible to acertain what the material is via visual inspection. The USFWS determines what specific shot material is allowed to be used so a simple "it's not lead" is not sufficient to verify a legal shot material.

What does the USFWS not allow other than lead?

I agree that things are going to get lean again in the shot shell department later this year, maybe sooner than that. I also noticed that CAC didn’t have as much in the way of shells lately. My buddy went up there today…they don’t have any lead shot smaller than #6’s. I stocked up a while ago, so I’m good for a few years. But it could get lonely out there if no one else jumps to load up on shells.

I don't know what the USFWS has refused as I am not privy to what is offered to them for their approval. I do know - through actually reading the regulations - that the only shot types one is allowed to use for waterfowl (and therefore upland where required) are those approved by the USFWS. As I was very active in waterfowling back then I do recall through that time reading of, then using bismuth, tungsten/iron, and tungsten/polymer shot in Canada (and South America though I hadn't hunted there) and the subsequent write ups in various hunting mags pushing for USFWS approval.

For the edification of all, approval prior to use for a given shot type is needed is due to the requirement that said shot type must not cause sickness or death in waterfowl. Therefore, each proposed non-toxic offering needs to pass testing on that subject. That is why there is a listing in the waterfowl synopsis of what materials are approved.

As if 2022…. And how they test.

https://www.fws.gov/story/2022-04/nontoxic-shot-regulations-hunting-waterfowl-and-coots-us

This is especially interesting. Seems as if the test is very broad in definition.

**The information in the “Field Testing Device” column is strictly informational, not regulatory.

I was told by a large supplier that because of the various wars going on, that those countries are buying most of the nitrocellulose, which is used to make smokeless powder.
So what little nitrocellulose that is left for the various manufacturers is being used on rifle and pistol shells, due to shotshells having a lower profit margin. At least that is what I have been told and it does make sense.
Good news is that several of the pistol powders can be used to make shotgun shells.

Always buy ahead. I try to keep at least a flat of target loads in 12 and 20ga on hand, generally shoot two rounds or so a week. Not much chance for birds around here, so I probably have a lifetime supply.

I'm always looking for good deals with free shipping.

Target....And if it keeps raining, I'll add to it this week. I'm running short on time, but I hope that isn't my remaining lifetime supply. The pic is working on a good summer.

It now looks like the Presque Isle and Houlton shows are the same days. Of the two I would bet the Houlton show will have more venders from away.

Thank you