Home Forums Reloading Shotshells - TSS and Unleaded steel shot

I'm looking for a duck/goose shotgun. I've found a used browning citori made in japan special steel 12 gauge with fixed choked barrels in full and modified. Will the full choked barrel safely shoot steel shot?

Otherwise I'm considering a new savage 555 over and under with choke tubes. Can I shoot steel out of its full tube or would I need to choke both barrels modified?

thanx

You can safely shoot steel shot size #4 and smaller out of the Full choke at velocities up to 1450 fps nominal velocity. Some say larger pellets can be used but I personally have seen three such barrels bulged with the use of steel shot of #2 or larger and have heard of similar in several others. The barrels only bulged, not burst, but the bulge can play havoc with the solder between the barrels which is rather expensive to fix.

My suggestion is to forget you ever heard of the Savage, buy the Citori, and have the choke opened up to modified or even Light Mod/ Skeet II if BB or BBB are going to be used a lot. IC and Mod are what I use most for waterfowl with LT Mod/Mod being used for 90% of the rest.

owned both the Savage and the Browning and can agree on running away from the 555, even though I liked them both.

Maybe I can find a modified Remington 870 or 1100. Anybody got one for sale?

keep an eye on the classifieds here, some good deals to be made at times.

I think you are going the right direction with the Remington 870 or 1100, but I would encourage you to get one with choke tubes. They are so more versatile. If you get into it, a modified choke could be too tight for some hunting were it is 'in your face'. Remember that for steel shot you should shoot one choke more open than you would with lead (i.e. steel shot in modified choke will pattern like full).

Steel out of a full choke has never worked from a patterning standpoint anyway, and then there's the barrel bulge.

Improved mod about as tight as you'll want to shoot steel and that's still not throwing a big enough pattern for me. I shoot mostly IC or Mod.

I think that's a better idea. As much as I like my SxS and O/U shotguns for birds and games, when it comes to waterfowl, fast moving, heavy loads, I like my repeaters. Early season, in the swamps, I use my Ruger Red Label, but that's 2 3/4 or 3" shells and smaller shot. Big shells, big steel, big water....give me my Beretta gas gun.

Love my O/U for upland but most of our waterfowl hunting is in harvested fields. When I started I found that even being reasonably careful dirt would find its way into the O/U and make it hard to close. You know that's not good. Ended up buying a Nova specifically for waterfowl, you know a little dirt won't stop it. And I could use steel and save the bismuth for upland when lead isn't allowed. The optional recoil reducer made the 3 inchers feel like 2¾ which I appreciated when sitting on the ground.