Home Forums Reloading Shotshells Eagle shot hardness change?

I'm seeing sellers describing Eagle Magnum shot as having 4.5-5% antimony these days. I thought it was softer than Lawrence/West coast brand in the past. Have they improved their shot in the last few years? My main objective here is #5 Magnum shot for wild public land pheasants and the Eagle is more available than the Lawrence/West Coast brand without shipping long distances..
I "tested" a couple pellets of Precision Reloading nickle plated #5 against some older Eagle magnum #5 using a pair of needle nose pliers. The plated #5 smashed easier and flatter than the Eagle. The plating also flaked off easily. I'm out of both anyways.

Eagle magnum (Peru) is very soft in the target sizes. AFAIK, same stuff that used to be marketed as AllStar decades ago when dinosaurs like moi roamed the earth. Moreover, I used to load that AllStar in #6 as a spreader load for scratch birds. It was distinctly softer and inferior to even promotional #6 loads.

But......the crush test is a useful basis for comparing shot hardness. If you were happy using the nickel plated PR stuff, the Eagle will likely kill stuff as well.

I believe Ballistic Products advertises Eagle shots as having 2% antimony & Lawrence 5%.

I've allways heard Eagle was soft too..mb

Just checked and Brownells and Scheels both list Eagle Magnum at 4.5-5%

shot hardness thread

This thread has a good chart.

Also, requisite hardness is a function of shot size. 4% antimony is very poor for #9, but great for #6.

Finally, besides crush testing you can assess by comparing density (assuming same size pellets). Hard shot always throws less weight for a given shot bushing. Eagle target shot sizes throw just about exactly nominal MEC bar stamping.

Well, that chart brings up the question, has Eagle changed their formula or are the sellers hyping the content?

Density is a physical principle, ie., doesn't lie. Crush testing is similarly reliable, assuming no operator bias.