steel shot in plastic cup bad for barrel?.

[remmy870]

hello back again with another question: my 870 barrel is for lead only. but what is the deal with steel shot?. can you weight to weight reload a original lead pay load with steel shot?. I know steel weight is off/different but my question is does the steel shot come in contact with the barrel? should be NOT because it is in a cup only comes lose when it exit the barrel right?. what about copper plated steel ball bearings?. its only a question.

[Synchronizor]

Steel shot should never be loaded using lead shot data. For one thing, because steel is much less dense than lead, it takes up more space in the shell, and isn't even going to fit a wad designed for the same weight of lead shot. Also, wads designed for lead won't properly protect the barrel from the much harder steel pellets. Steel shot wads are much thicker and harder than lead shot wads, and even then, heavy use of steel shot loads will still tend to beat up a barrel over time. Finally, steel pellets respond differently to pressure & acceleration than lead, and steel loads are extremely sensitive to component changes or variations. Steel shot load data calls for different propellants than what would typically be used for the same weight of lead, and it's very important that the load data be followed exactly.

Don't try to substitute ball bearings for steel shot either. Steel shotgun shot is made specifically for the application, using special low-carbon alloys that are annealed to be under a specific maximum hardness. Ball bearings are going to be much, much harder, and will not be nice to your barrel.

Always follow reloading data, don't try to improvise. Many powder companies have freely-available reloading data online, and there are some good books that really aren't that expensive. If the difficulty is in obtaining the special wads used for steel shot, perhaps consider reloading with bismuth shot instead. It's also nontoxic, but it's much closer to the density and hardness of lead, so it can be loaded with the same wads and powders used with lead shot (you still need to use bismuth-specific load data, though).

[remmy870]

thanks for the info

[safetyfast]

I have one gun that's suitable for steel shot. It has a chrome lined barrel. I presume other guns for steel shot use the same method to protect the barrel.


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[Synchronizor]

Chrome lining doesn't protect a barrel from steel shot, or make a barrel steel-ready. Chrome lining is used in some shotgun barrels because it resists corrosion and is easier to clean. Chrome lining can also help prevent erosion from hot propellant gasses, but that's more of a thing with high-pressure, high-velocity rifle barrels. With slow, low-pressure shotguns, it doesn't really add much longevity.

The issue with using steel shot in older 870 barrels isn't a matter of the barrel's strength - 870 barrels are all very strong - it's the old fixed chokes that those barrels usually have. Made from the same steel as the barrel and usually tighter than modern equivalents (owing to the more rudimentary wads used in older shotshells), they're not really up to constricting a relatively fast stream of hard steel shot. You might get away with something light like an IC choke, but if you really want to hunt with steel, the thing to do would be to get the barrel threaded for modern interchangeable choke tubes, and then use a good heat-treated tube with the proper constriction for the load you're planning on using.

[safetyfast]

According to this: http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtop ... 5&t=205582
Should be okay on a modern 870. If you're not sure of the vintage of your barrel, you could pick up a modern replacement.


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[Synchronizor]

Again, it's not the age of the barrel, it's the choke. Any 870 barrel made since the gun's launch in 1950 can handle steel shot, but it may need the integral choke replaced with a modern screw-in one. Though buying a second barrel is always an option, threading the current barrel for screw-in chokes is likely going to be less expensive, and it'll keep the gun more original.

[alexdrake]

Again, it's not the age of the barrel, it's the choke. Any 870 barrel made since the gun's launch in 1950 can handle steel shot, but it may need the integral choke replaced with a modern screw-in one. Though buying a second barrel is always an option, threading the current barrel for screw-in chokes is likely going to be less expensive, and it'll keep the gun more original.

Thanks Man !