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Bismuth (another alternative), and Hevi-Shot all run $30+/- for ten shells. Classic Doubles is also about that much That brass shot sounds like a bargain compared to them. Heavy Steel ran about $22 for 25. I bought some Nitro Steel last year from Bass and it was $18 box (16 ga., 12 was a bit less).
A rant. I live in what is arguably is Goose Hunting Central (although on the Western Shore) and very few places (actually none) carry steel shot so I end up having to mail order it.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rifleman
Frankly, I hope to see the day when all lead shot is banned. Now I'll stand back for the vitriolic responses. But it's OK; this is my personal, but also educated, choice.
If you have a gun that doesn't support steel shot, use bismuth, or lead if you want. Just realize you are contributing to toxic contamination. If you're so sure it's not a problem, you should oughta prove it to us and injest, oh, one or two #6 pellets every other day for a week of so. It should then take about 2 months for the first symtoms to show up, and sadly, there's no recourse once the internal damage is done.
BTW, I'm a gun-nut, 2nd amendment & NRA supporter, as well as a gunsmith with over 38 years of experience. I fought the lead ban for many years, seeing it as just another gun-grabber ploy. But I"ve also got a graduate degree with a minor in toxicology, and have now read most of the thoughtful and careful studies. Lead's really NOT good.
You know that's about like saying "I think marriage should be between a man and a woman" in front of Perez Hilton, right?
I thought that a federal law was in place prohibiting the use of lead shot over any wetland or habitat otherwise supporting waterfowl.
I can see how this is an enormous problem in that environment but I'm having trouble identifying the problem in more traditional upland hunting habitat. I suppose that some secondary lead poisoning (dove is wounded, carries lead shot, dove is eaten by a hawk, hawk poisoned) is more than possible, but it does not seem that this would be such a widespread problem as distributing tons and tons of #4 lead pellets across the bottom of virtually every pothole, rice paddy, oxbow, river bottom and swamp in the flyway.
Else you'd be denying the behavioral attributes that differentiated us from the mostly vegetarian (and evolutionarily unsuccessful) consumers on the old African veldt. The requirements of group hunting (the only way to be successful against big carnivorous or heavy, tusked and indignant sources of high-protein meat) include good communications as well as being a meat consumer. nothing provides sich a concentration of useable and digestible protein and fats.
And then, of course, we all realize that all organisms, whether plant or animal, cute or ugly, fluffy or scaly, will die eventually anyhow. It's just a matter of how and when. And who gets to benefit.
It's a "Circle of Life" kind of thing....
But then, you WERE just kidding, I know...
Regarding steel shot, out here in WA ST., it's much cheaper than the other non-toxic stuff. About $11 for 25 rounds, versus about $30 for 10 of Hevi-Shot, etc.
And steel drills right through the occasional tough feather layers of a fleeing pheasant or outbound duck. Ever hear the smaller pellets actually bounce off that pheasant rooster if he's more than about 40 yds off? A sort of thunk-thunk tink-tink sound as he laughs and flies off, unperturbed...
Golly, they taste good too. So much better than "soy-on-toast....".
You know that's about like saying "I think marriage should be between a man and a woman" in front of Perez Hilton, right?
I thought that a federal law was in place prohibiting the use of lead shot over any wetland or habitat otherwise supporting waterfowl.
I can see how this is an enormous problem in that environment but I'm having trouble identifying the problem in more traditional upland hunting habitat. I suppose that some secondary lead poisoning (dove is wounded, carries lead shot, dove is eaten by a hawk, hawk poisoned) is more than possible, but it does not seem that this would be such a widespread problem as distributing tons and tons of #4 lead pellets across the bottom of virtually every pothole, rice paddy, oxbow, river bottom and swamp in the flyway.
I agree, jimbo, but.... Lead pellets in a typical upland environment acquire a sort of whitish patina on their outer surface. It's an oxide of lead I believe, and it renders it pretty much immobile in the environment. At some trap and skeet ranges now, if they don't actively mine the remnant lead, they do spread lime once in a while to raise the soil pH and prevent outbound lead migration.
The problem comes in the tendency of most birds to peck up anything they see as interesting, including some small round light-colored pellet laying on or just below the surface. Some USF&W studies have shown significantly increased levels of lead and antimony in the muscle and brain itssues of non-migratory upland grouse species in the west and north-west. It slowly accumulates in the tissues and does not generally diminish over the life of the bird, so an older adult, particularly a large male, will or can have a bit too much accumulated in their meat tissue.
The better solution would be, don't you agree, to ban the stuff completely, since we really do know it's highly toxic. There's really no true issue with hunting the birtds without lead. Even if steel were the only available material, we'd all just get a bit closer. but, for more difficult siuations, there are those non-toxic shot types, and I expect their prices to drop a bit as time goes on.
Remember: the indians did it (as did my father when he was a kid) with a stick thrown like a boomerang, close to the ground. So, a good 3.5" magnum steel shot column should oughta be able to down a bird or two, right? It just adds some sport and stalking fun to the game, right?
I mean, if you just want cheap and easy meat, go down to Safeway and buy $30 worth of discount frozen Chicken Auschwitz product. There. That was easy!
Steel offers very high speeds, so less lead (as in "leed", not the metal..) is required. Nope, you can't reach out quite as far (maybe 10-15% less yardage?), but then there's Heavi-Shot or others, which reaches outv furthe!. I know; the stuff's outrageously expensive (Why? Are the manufacturers taking advantage of us?), but for those few long shots, it's OK, esp. since I won't be eating any toxins.
My guess would be: Yes
Why is steel more expensive than lead?
You can get a box of lead shells for like $8-10 (the good shells even).
An equivalent in steel is more than triple the price.
I had one of those 'WTF' moments a while back at Walmart. I was there to buy some shells for sporting clays. I've only ever bought steel before that because I just used to go duck hunting exclusively. I expected them to be less by a third or so just because they are lower quality shells. I picked up a 100 pack of Federal shells expecting to pay like $80 for it.......and it was $22....
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