Paul Annear
When I was growing up, lead shot was the only option. But by 1991, steel was the law of the land. When using steel shot, the pellets need to be larger to carry enough energy to dispatch your game. Mossberg’s introduction of the 3 ½” allowed the 12 gauge to carry a larger payload of the larger steel pellets.
The most popular size steel for waterfowl seems to be #2s for ducks, and for geese, waterfowlers shoot up to size BB.To be effective on ducks or geese, it is suggested to have 85 to 90 pellets in a 30” circle. While it only takes one pellet in the right place, a flying duck presents a difficult shot and that one pellet must find its mark.
Through much experimentation, it was determined that the larger sized steel pellets needed a more open choke to have a more effective pattern. The hard steel pellets with a density of 7.8 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc) do not constrict when passing through the choke. This is why you find chokes marked Steel Only or Full Steel Modified Lead.
Bismuth
In the late 90s, bismuth was touted as the new replacement for steel and testing showed great promise for it. Unfortunately, it was not the end all it was hoped to be. Early on, bismuth proved brittle. So granulated buffer, a fine plastic powder, was added to the bismuth pellets at the time of loading to keep the pellets from fracturing.
Many waterfowlers opt for bismuth since the density of it is approximately 9.7 g/cc and falls in between lead and steel. Vintage shotgun owners also appreciate its malleable properties. It will not damage the bore or choke of your grandpa’s prized shotgun. It is still a viable option as a replacement for steel shot with many boutique ammunition companies loading it as does Winchester.
Currently, the big catch for bismuth is the tariff restrictions, which is going to drive the price of loaded shells even higher.
Hevi-Shot
Hevi-Shot is an alloy made of tungsten, nickel and iron and is very hard with a density of 12 g/cc. This is higher than steel and lead. When it was introduced, waterfowlers and turkey hunters couldn’t wait to get their hands on it.
Finally in 2001, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service added Hevi-Shot as an approved non-toxic shot for use on waterfowl. The reviews were favorable, but the story wasn’t quite over. It seems Hevi-Shot is the same hardness as the shotgun barrels shooting it and problems began to arise of scratching and pitting the inside of the barrels. Ammunition makers who loaded Hevi-Shot took no time to design new wads that helped protect the pellets from the barrels.
Due to its density, Hevi-Shot does not restrict down when passing through the choke and has a tendency to “blow the pattern” which creates areas where no pellet strikes occur in a section of the pattern instead of a nice uniform pattern. To combat this, it is recommended to drop one or even two choke sizes.
Tungsten Super Shot
The newest darling of shotshells is Tungsten Super Shot (TSS). Similar to Hevi-Shot, TSS is a tungsten alloy but only a small amount of alloy is used which brings the density of TSS up to 18g/cc. This is nearly three times denser than steel and 60% more dense than lead.
However, there are some cons. Like the Hevi-Shot, the TSS is harder than barrel steel so it shouldn’t be fired in a vintage shotgun. And perhaps the biggest detractor of TSS is the cost. With an average cost of $4.00 per shell, it can get a bit pricey. The TSS may have the same fate as the bismuth with the tariffs, but for now, TSS shooters are loving the way it shoots.
Because of the density of TSS, the size of the shot can be reduced several sizes with 7s, 8s and 9s being the most common sizes.
Due to the lethalness of TSS, a trend has started with many waterfowlers switching to sub-gauges. An advantage of the smaller shot is the amount of pellets that can be loaded in a shell. A standard 20-gauge shell will hold about 1 oz of #2 steel or 125 pellets whereas with the #9 TSS there are 362 pellets. The #9 TSS pellet out penetrates the #2 Steel at 40 yards on soft tissue.
When shooting TSS, reach for open chokes; skeet or improved cylinder and like any shotgun/shell combination spend some time patterning your shotgun to understand the pattern at a multitude of ranges.
Many ammo manufacturers are now producing a blended shot usually of steel/TSS but there are some bismuth/steel loaded shells as well. This brings the price of the shells down and still gives the shooter the advantage of shooting the TSS and having some bigger steel pellets to knock down birds.
