hankook1 Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Hi all, Ok I have shot pigeons for over forty years now and have always shot lead , But I have decided its worth trying out steel shot so I've bought a slab of game bore steel 32gm no 4 and a slab of Eley steel 32gm no 5 and I am open to advice from pigeon shooters who already use steel shot, first are these a wise choice of loads for shooting over decoys and secondly what can I expect to experience in the way they differ from lead loads, I would rather hear your views than research it online as you guys have already made the transition and should be able to offer me the best advise , regarding distances performance etc . Regards alf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Those loads will work perfectly well and dare say you wont notice any real difference decoying birds out to about 40-50 yds. I have used the gamebore on and off for a while now and can confirm they do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurs 14 Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 I haven't swopped over yet but have used some steel , basically see how they worked , used32g 4s I just pulled the distance in a little bit , don't think I needed too , for me they seemed the same I missed as many so no change , will swop over completely when I've used up what I have , only just moved over to fibre so one step at a time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpatten Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Some will tell you that you`ll be knee deep in crippled birds because steel doesn`t work and that your gun barrells will be deeply scored moments before your gun blows up in a steel induced holocaust. In reality you`ll hardly notice any difference. The birds will be dead if you put the shot in the right place and your gun will neither be ruined nor will it blow up. You`ll wonder what all the fuss was about. Your choice of cartridges is excellent. Enjoy the transition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPP Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Been trying both you mention in eco wad for a while and shot Crows Friday with these next to Gamebore black gold 32 no6 and Clear Pigeon 32g no 6, my initial impressions haven’t changed after 3 months, the head to head comparison was conclusive : Much more recoil, to the point of being unpleasant on a busy day Less lethal and less clean kills, birds take longer to die or need dispatching More meat damage, steel seems to go through rather than dump energy, the meat is shredded and would explain less lethality (a new word?) In conclusion, I’ll be sticking to lead for now but will try again when new alternatives arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankook1 Posted March 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 thanks guys guess I will see how get on, not concerned about the recoil or steel damage as have a Winchester sx3 stamped with the fluer-de-lis so should handle any load.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 i went to buy abox of steel just to try it, and the gun smith told me not to bother as i would only end up throwing them in the hedge.so never bought any.will stay on lead for the next 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemFandango Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 20 minutes ago, mossy835 said: i went to buy abox of steel just to try it, and the gun smith told me not to bother as i would only end up throwing them in the hedge.so never bought any.will stay on lead for the next 5 years. He was talking **** then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5x55SE Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 17 minutes ago, mossy835 said: i went to buy abox of steel just to try it, and the gun smith told me not to bother as i would only end up throwing them in the hedge.so never bought any.will stay on lead for the next 5 years. So if that same gun smith told you your gun was useless throw it in the hedge would you. So much bullpooop spoke and believed about Steel shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpatten Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpatten Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8 shot Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 I tried this weekend to buy some of the Eley Bio Wad to try on pigeons and crows next weekend and out of 7 Gunshops there was 1 box at Just Cartridges. Either very popular or they’re not stocking them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbrowning2 Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 21 minutes ago, 8 shot said: I tried this weekend to buy some of the Eley Bio Wad to try on pigeons and crows next weekend and out of 7 Gunshops there was 1 box at Just Cartridges. Either very popular or they’re not stocking them Or limited manufacturing capacity for the wad manufacture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankook1 Posted March 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 its because they have 1000s of lead carts to get rid off first as they probably can't send them back for a refund as had em for a while that's understandable, I got mine from just cartridges as wanted to try them out as I was curious how they might perform, and I would imagine in 5 years time lead will be all but a thing of the past and steel loads will be the main choices, so might as well start now, I don't like it anymore than anyone else but in 5 years lets hope they can make further improvements . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8 shot Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, hankook1 said: its because they have 1000s of lead carts to get rid off first as they probably can't send them back for a refund Well I can help them with that at the right price. How did you get on with them Edited March 15, 2020 by 8 shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankook1 Posted March 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 only got em Friday still in the boxes as yet hope to get out soon will take lead as well just in case lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8 shot Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 8 minutes ago, hankook1 said: only got em Friday still in the boxes as yet hope to get out soon will take lead as well just in case lol Good luck report back when you’ve given em a go 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enfieldspares Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 (edited) I eat what I shoot. I have a gob that inside has more metal than a redundant Sheffield foundry and more ceramic in it than a Stoke on Trent outlet shop. Steel shot game or steel shot pigeons are going nowhere near my mouth just as I long ago stopped eating shot wild duck for the same reason. And Waitrose and the BASC backed British Game Alliance will also find that out when the "no blame no claim" lawyers start the proceedings against them for cracked crowns, chipped teeth and fractured fillings. Then what's going to happen once because legal free for all of that that steel shot game becomes unsaleable? Edited March 15, 2020 by enfieldspares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankook1 Posted March 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 30 minutes ago, 8 shot said: Good luck report back when you’ve given em a go 👍 Will do 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clangerman Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 having tried steel just for a laugh at my expense back in the 60s my self and some other individuals were given both barrels by a irate irish farmer going from the state of us i would say had he used steel we might have come of slightly better but not by much so don’t try it for yourself as the pain is unreal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPP Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 2 hours ago, mudpatten said: Gamebore a key channel sponsor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Ah yes, BUT all of the blurb tells us that there have been no issues of broken teeth due to steel shot, mind you it was also stated that we have got rid of lead in paint, and several other of it's uses, including.................................wait for it...................PIPES ! I can only presume that they must have meant Gas piping ? I am sick of hearing about pregnant women and children who can seriously be affected by LEAD, then they all go home and use water supplied through LEAD ! Even had someone who refuses to take the kids near shooting grounds because they can breathe in LEAD dust, yet you can bet that person will take his kids out onto Britain's roads, where, of course, they are perfectly safe ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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