PaulTummers Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 Hi, I have an older Merkel 203E o/u ( Year of proof is 1964) with Böhler steel barrels, silver soldered, extra long cones from chambers to barrels, the chokes are a true improved cylinder, so it constricts gradually over the full length of the barrel and 1/4 choke, also with extra long cone from barrel to choke and I fired over 1000 Mirage 28grams #5 steel in it without any issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulTummers Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 I wrote a letter to the Merkel factory some years ago when I found out that they now standard submit their shotguns to steel shot proof and asked what differences they had made in the way they built their shotguns and if there were any differences made in the specs of the material they use to make their guns capable of dealing with steel shot, their answer was, they did not, but warned me anyway to respect the max proof pressure of 850 bar my gun was tested with and warned me not to shoot steel shot larger than #5 through barrels choked narrower than 0.5mm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 06/12/2017 at 09:56, motty said: I don't think Harnser is getting stick as such. Perhaps if he was a wildfowler, his views may differ. I speak to hundreds of fellow 'fowlers who must have used 10s of thousands of steel cartridges between them. I would imagine that any damage that one would have encountered would have become common knowledge. The risk to guns is negligible. Totally agree with Motty wildfowlers were at the forefront of steel shot when it was introduced here on the British isles for shooting over wetlands I’ve shot the foreshore and loughs here in Northern Ireland with a range of Fowler’s using modern shotguns right up to Fowler’s using old s/s and o/u about 30 to 40 years old I myself posted my aya magnum made 1979 has had steel shot through it with no damage to the barrels or chambering I actually got a gunsmith to go up the barrels with small wire camera And there was no marks at all Think there’s too much confusion certain firearms experts talking rubbish on steel shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manthing Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) So getting back to the original question, how do you know if a gun will shoot standard pressure steel shot. Looking at a sxs so could do with the knowings. Is there a kg pressure or a symbol I need to look for? Are there different markings for different manufacturers and countries? I've tried looking at proof marks but it's a blummin jungle out there... Thanks in advance. Edited February 2, 2020 by manthing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 1 hour ago, manthing said: So getting back to the original question, how do you know if a gun will shoot standard pressure steel shot. Looking at a sxs so could do with the knowings. Is there a kg pressure or a symbol I need to look for? Are there different markings for different manufacturers and countries? I've tried looking at proof marks but it's a blummin jungle out there... Thanks in advance. They will all shoot steel shot! I’m not really sure what it is you’re looking for. If your gun doesn’t have have the fleur de lye symbol stamped on it then it hasn’t been proofed for steel shot, but any good condition gun capable of taking lead shot is perfectly capable of taking steel shot; it really is that simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manthing Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 49 minutes ago, Scully said: They will all shoot steel shot! I’m not really sure what it is you’re looking for. If your gun doesn’t have have the fleur de lye symbol stamped on it then it hasn’t been proofed for steel shot, but any good condition gun capable of taking lead shot is perfectly capable of taking steel shot; it really is that simple. Cheers @Scully, I was aware or the extra conditions for hp steel but some of the old English sxs I've looked at I really wasn't sure about. Didn't want to buy a gun and have to make it into a wall hanger if a lead ban comes in here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 15 minutes ago, manthing said: Cheers @Scully, I was aware or the extra conditions for hp steel but some of the old English sxs I've looked at I really wasn't sure about. Didn't want to buy a gun and have to make it into a wall hanger if a lead ban comes in here. Makes sense. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 1 hour ago, manthing said: Cheers @Scully, I was aware or the extra conditions for hp steel but some of the old English sxs I've looked at I really wasn't sure about. Didn't want to buy a gun and have to make it into a wall hanger if a lead ban comes in here. If lead is banned then I will use bismuth shot through my better old English guns. Yes, it is a lot more expensive, but if you use, say a couple of boxes on a driven day which has cost you??? hundreds of pounds anyway. So your cartridge cost for the day is £60 instead of £15 now. Does £45 really make a £3/4/5/600 day unaffordable? All the other guns I will use steel through, and wouldn’t hesitate to use in the best guns if necessary. As Scully says, it won’t hurt them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 1 hour ago, London Best said: If lead is banned then I will use bismuth shot through my better old English guns. Yes, it is a lot more expensive, but if you use, say a couple of boxes on a driven day which has cost you??? hundreds of pounds anyway. So your cartridge cost for the day is £60 instead of £15 now. Does £45 really make a £3/4/5/600 day unaffordable? All the other guns I will use steel through, and wouldn’t hesitate to use in the best guns if necessary. As Scully says, it won’t hurt them. A lot of older English s/s guns will take standard steel shot as long as there not Damascus barrels and the steel cartridges are standard pressure so he wouldn’t need to buy bismuth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manthing Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 @London Best, if I could afford to shoot £600 driven days I'd be shooting better guns, 😁. But thanks for the thoughts👍. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flippermaj Posted February 3, 2020 Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 Just catching up with this thread. Like Boyds attempt at super proofing his old AYA sxs, brilliant and he and the gun lived to tell the tale. Can I send my AYA 2.75 chambered Yeoman to you Boyd for proofing for 3 inch!☺️ Just to show you that many of the Spanish made SxS can take a good beating, so to speak, with no harm done, I was on the foreshore and came across a member decoying duck. We were chatting away and as he had a SxS I asked what carts he was using. He produced a 3 inch Lyvale Steel cart, I passed comment that I didn't realise that he had a 3 inch magnum SxS. He looked at me in a puzzled way and said he didn't! I explained the issues of running a 3 inch cart through a 2.75 inch gun and it turned out he had already run a box through to no ill affect to man or gun! I vote for Motty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enfieldspares Posted February 3, 2020 Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 Quote Got to be honest - whatever my guns are stamped, I would not use steel shot. Not worth the risk in my book. I agree. I don't shoot duck for that reason. But if I did I'd use bismuth and pick shots were I was confident that even I could hit them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpatten Posted February 3, 2020 Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 Risk of what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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