Who really uses alternative shot?

ANDYCOHO · 12-25-2002, 06:22 PM

Am I the only cheap-skate out there that does not use tungsten, heavy shot or other alternatives to steel shot. I just can't pay $20 for 10 shots! :shocked:

And if you do use the stuff, has it made a huge difference?

Andy

KingFisher85 · 12-25-2002, 07:04 PM

Tungsten and heavy shot does make a big difference. I just use old fashion 3 inch mag steel shot on ducks but use the heavy shot for geese.

Rauly · 12-25-2002, 07:08 PM

I prefer the call them in close and shoot them in the face with steel method. So far it seems to work pretty good.

Rauly

skein · 12-25-2002, 08:04 PM

I use Bismuth in my Model 12 because steel or HeviShot will tear it up. At $2 a shot I tend to concentrate a little harder.

I've had very good luck with it, too.

Skein

Vandal · 12-26-2002, 02:42 PM

tried the fancy new tungsten polymer shells the other day. I only bought one box due to the high cost...The results were excellent I will always bring at least one box of the good stuff from now on.
Buy some and give it a try . :smile:

wetaline · 12-26-2002, 02:54 PM

Theres a guy in our group that was having trouble knocking birds down... came out w/ heavy shot one day.... 14/15 birds went down... all w/ one shot. I couldn't believe what i was seeing... long shots too that I would have never thought would fold a bird, let alone wing it. I was very very impressed w/ what I was seeing.

But... i'm to cheap... and i still have a case of 3inch mag steel left in my locker....but I usually get my birds....

However it is frustrating to knock birds down and watch them fly off... heck one time shot a mallard, dog retrieved it, dropped it short of me to go grab another bird that went down.. and then the thing flew off ???? got to love steel.. almost like catch and release.

Dr Strangelove · 12-26-2002, 03:21 PM

I'm disgusted with steel. 30 yds max. lots of lamed ducks. I'm looking at reloading Hevishot. It can be ordered and should cost around $70 for 7lbs. At 1.5oz loads thats about $1/shot just in pellets, plus shell casings, primer, and powder. Probably save about 30-50 cents per shot. Best option if you want to eat duck or goose instead of crow. Doc

Tilla · 12-26-2002, 08:56 PM

Can't hit much past 30 yds anyway.

ANDYCOHO · 12-26-2002, 09:10 PM

What is 30 yards? I swear if you asked a person what 30 yards was on Sauvie's Island any given day it would be more like 60-80 yards!

It sound like there has been some pretty good luck with some of these different shot, I will have to include a box with my next trip. If it drops the birds and they don't get back up or swim away it will be money well spent.

Thanks for all the reports,
Andy

Tilla · 12-26-2002, 10:57 PM

30 yds is the distance the dog can break and field the catch without a hop!

MetalHead · 12-27-2002, 05:17 AM

Tried the Tungsten, Heavy Shot, Bismith all with varing success. Started reloading my own shells now I shoot 31/2 mags only using Alliante STEEL powder (very fast) and mixing sz 2 / 4 shot for ducks and sz 1 / BB for geese both of these loads over 1700 fps. Success greatly improved.

Lured In · 12-27-2002, 08:38 AM

For being relatively young (30) I can still remember shooting lead and what it could do. That said, I have been shooting primarily 3" #2-4 steel shot for most of hunting career. A few years ago, I broke down and bought a 3.5" chambered gun to give me some more shot out there to reduce cripling. After shooting a few boxes (at $20 a pop) I decided it was better to get 50 rounds of 3" steel, as the 3.5" didn't perform any better on ducks. Last year I finally broke down and bought a box of 3" #6 hevishot. HOLY Mackarel! :shocked: I didn't try shooting further, but everything I hit was stone dead. Not a single cripple that day and went 6 ducks for 8 shots. (That's not my typical shooting percentage.)

All that said, I just can't justify paying that much for shells. I concentrate on getting the birds in close and refuse to shoot beyond 40 yards unless I am trying to put down a wounded bird on my second or third shot.

I am having good success this year with the Winchester DryLok High Velocity stuff($10-12 a box of 25, 1500fps). It took me a few trips to get the leads figured out, but I have seen my cripple rate drop noticeably. Again, this is with shots that are typically around 20-30 yards.

On another note, I shot next to a guy a few years ago that was one of the elite in terms of shooting ability. He shot 2 3/4" #2 shells and consistently wacked ducks (7 in 30 minutes on a slow day), out to 50 yards. I asked him how he does it and he simply said my gun is tuned and I know how big my pattern is and where to put it. I think many of us blame cripples on the shot and not the shooter. If you practiced more, I bet you would see your cripple rate drop close to 50%.

Killertraylor · 12-31-2002, 08:16 AM

I used the Remington Heavy shot for the first time this year on an Idaho pheasant hunt and was really impressed with how dead the birds fell. Because it is legal to hunt Pheasants with lead in most places, that's usually what I've been using, but I'm convinced the heavy shot is better than lead. I dropped two roosters in one field that I'd normally never find without a good dog and I was able to find them both before the dog got over to where I was because they were stone cold dead on impact.
The only trouble with it was when we got into coveys of quail. It's hard to justify a $2 quail, and it's hard for me to pass up shots on those suckers, especially when you step on them and they scare the bejeezus out of you.
I tried the Heavy Shot 3 1/2 inch 4's on a recent goose hunt and went 4 for 4, but we had two flocks of over 1000 birds sit down on us - I could have gone 4 for 4 with a long handled broom....

bigshark · 12-31-2002, 12:25 PM

I use it.............makes a lot of difference. I also like to use old guns that really shouldn't have steel shot through them. Shells are cheap at any cost in my book. What did you pay for that rig you go hunting in? How much for that shotgun? Gas, food, lodging, club membership, decoys, calls, dog, the rain gear,............nope, shells are cheap at any cost.

You young guys with great eyes, heck you only need seven shells to take a limit of duck anyway..............whats your problem?

This one eyed old fat man wishes everyone on the board a happy New Year and good shooting for the rest of the season.

[ 12-31-2002, 08:41 PM: Message edited by: bigshark ]

crabbait · 12-31-2002, 10:20 PM

I use hevi-shot and will never go back to steel. I like watching ducks go down without a quiver instead of taking numerous hits and flying away. My dog likes the results as well...one shot...crushed duck.

I think my overall shot expenses have gone down since I started using Hevi-shot.

How much "skybusting" do you think you would see if everyone was paying a couple bucks per round???