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steel shot/shotgun barrels

briguybriguy Member Posts: 459 ✭✭✭
edited February 2015 in Ask the Experts
Can steel shot be used in all shotgun barrels even old shotguns and slug barrels?
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    Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,368 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    No. Old, thin, soft shotgun barrels will not stand up to steel shot.
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    MG1890MG1890 Member Posts: 4,649
    edited November -1
    I would think that as long as the shot stays in the plastic shot cup that there would not be a problem.
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    rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Not recommended. Lot of the older presteel shot, shotguns. Had their chokes opened up by honing, to hopefully make them safe for steel shot.

    The above applies to full and modified choke shotguns. If it's choked skeet or cylinder, not much you can do. Probably OK for steel?
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    KAMsalesKAMsales Member Posts: 1,672 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Short forcing cones on lead-only barrels can also get peened by using steel shot.
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    asphalt cowboyasphalt cowboy Member Posts: 8,904 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The steel older barrels were made of is softer than new steel compatible barrels. At the very least the choke will stretch. In the case of my Ithaca 37 the muzzle split.

    As a viable option, if you don't mind molesting the barrel, you can have the barrel altered for choke tubes and use steel compatible tubes.

    If you go with the choke tube option Do Not use old steel shot ammo in it. The shot cups in early ammo were the same as used in lead shot loads. Newer shot cups are made of tougher materials with thicker cup walls to prevent forcing cone and bore scoring.
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    charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,579 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Steel shot doesn't compress or deform very easily, and is really hard on the tighter chokes made for soft lead shot. A slug tube is usually improved cylinder or less, would likely do fine with steel shot in a field gun if you had nothing else. I wouldn't use it in a collector grade old gun.
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    duckhunterduckhunter Member Posts: 7,686 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Check with the mfg.
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