WARNING TO NON TOX USERS!!!!

[shootingmike]

Everyone please be aware. This is a serious safety issue.

 

I've just spent a few days researching steel shot and the use of it in my gun. I have a Franchi Raptor 3 inch with reversible piston for heavy loads. I thought it quite reasonable that I could shoot 3" steel untilI bought a box of Hull Solway to discover I can't. The carts say on the box the gun must be steel proofed to 1370 bar, and have either STEEL SHOT or the Fleur-de-lys symbol stamped on the barrels. Mine doesn't.

 

So, I contacted GMK to ask about the proof marks. They said my gun was steel proof but if it didn't have the fleur de lys on, I couldn't use the solway steel, only "standard steel" which is 2 and 3 quarter inch. The reason this is OK is because it only requires standard nitro proof. I explained that this was really decieving as they'd sold me a 3 inch gun that can't shoot 3 inch steel!

 

So next, I spoke to the proof house. They said that the two star proof marks mean it's Italian Special Magnum proof to 1370 bar but it's only been proofed to that pressure with lead. I asked why that meant I couldn't shoot steel which requires the same gun proof pressure and the answer was vague but along the lines of "steels a lot harder so even though your gun has been tested to that pressure with lead, it hasn't with steel which at the same pressure might damage the bore"

 

So... Don't assume that your 3 inch guns will shoot 3 inch steel. All 3 inch steel is classed as high performance, not standard steel. Unless you gun says steel shot or has the fleur de lys symbol stamped on the barrels, it isn't proofed for 3 inch steel at 1370 bar.

 

Many people have said to me that the gun will be fine and those pressures written on boxes are there for legal reasons as maximum pressures. They suggest that in reality, guns are proofed at much higher pressures than they are stamped at and steel loads fire at much lower pressures than they recommend. Still, is it worth the risk?

 

BASC have been contacted and are trying to bring some order to the whole proofing scenario. We have bar, KG's, Pascals, tons per square inch... to try and convert and make sense of.

In America, they buy guns, don't proof them and blast away with heavy fast steel all day without a care in the world. Here, we import Italian guns whose proof marks mean nothing to us, the importers don't have a clue either without having to do days of research and then they sell them to us in the blind belief we can put anything up the spout. Somebody is going to get hurt unless things are standardised..

 

Go and check your guns, you might be in for a surprise.

[pin]

Whilst I agree some sense needs to be made of the differing systems, I have to say this, with anything as technical as guns you need to do the research first before buying.

 

Buying a gun that "takes 3" shells" and is "steel shot proofed" to me says it will fire steel shells and will take 3" carts. I am sufficiently sceptical that I would not make the assumption it would shoot 3" steel loads.

 

Misrepresentation is something quite different, if someone sells you the gun on the specific premise it will do something it won't then you have specific legal rights to fall back on and resolve the problem.

 

I think the biggest lesson to be learned here is not to do with steel shot and proofing, but to ask specific questions first before buying.

 

All that said you do raise a very relevant SAFETY ISSUE - people should, regardless of how it came about, check what they are assuming!

[Wookie]

Christ, that's made me wonder if my new Urika 2 is proofed for 3" steel. Isn't it made by the same company as Franchi?

 

Off to read the manual now...

[Wookie]

Just checked... Fleur de lise on the barrel. I'm feeling a bit better now.

[shootingmike]

Extrema's are fine, they're 3 and a half inch so can handle anything. Again, another point I put to GMK was why should I need a s and a half inch gun to shoot 3 inch steel!