Steel pro's & con's

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525kev

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 19, 2016
Messages
259
Location
Northants
Been looking around at cart prices now i've started shooting and realise it's not the cheapest hobby i've owned .

Just Carts are selling Game Bore Super Steel Lite 12g 21g plastic 7.5's for £152 +£15 p&p £167 against my Comp X 21g at £192 at my local rfd. Thats

Question as i know nothing of steel carts what are the Pro's/Con's of using steel as at my level it certainly won't be related to what i hit !

My local ground does allow steel as i've asked.

 
Many grounds do not allow the use of steel , except for making gun barrels .

 
Question as i know nothing of steel carts what are the Pro's/Con's of using steel as at my level it certainly won't be related to what i hit !
You will be hard pressed to tell any difference between steel and lead - I feel the recoil on steel tiny bit shorter and firmer and Imagine it goes faster (but that is all just playing in my head I guess). Grab a slab and give them a try.

In the meantime read this:

Testing Steel brands for Fitasc this Weekend

 
I've tried steel cartridges in 9 for skeet the theory being more shot more better, however the shortcomings are consistent which suggests misses may be the fault of the operator..

To me steel seemed much harsher in recoil, sounds cool though .. peeooowwwww!

 
Reading that other thread linked above i am now seriously in fear of my Gun should i decide to go that route which is looking doubtfull now especially given some members are far more informed than i ever will be shooting !

 
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Why dont grounds like people using steel cartridges?
It bounces back apparrently.  I don't think they believe that people want their targets shooting back or customers hit by them bouncing off  hard surfaces such as a concreat layout etc. 

 
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It bounces back apparrently.  I don't think they believe that people want their targets shooting back or customers hit by them bouncing off  hard surfaces such as a concreat layout etc. 
Surely the shot goes into the air. i cant imagine many people shooting at walls etc for the shot to bounce back.

 
Some trap houses are steel clad and as such could be lethal if steel shot were to hit it. I have seen the effect of steel BB pellets 'bouncing back' and believe me, you would NOT want to try and catch it  !  I ran a shooting ground for clays on a Military Range and because our DTL trap house was made of metal, we had to clad it in 3/4" ply to try to prevent steel shot ricocheting back towards the firing line. It is possible for steel to bounce back off any hard surface so as a precautionary measure, some grounds will not allow the use of steel shot.

 
I have read about someone firing at a steel pattern plate with steel clay loads to prove the ricochet element was overstated and apparently with no harm whatsoever. I am not in favour of steel BUT evidence from countries which have had to adopt it suggests it is safe. Millions have by now been shot here and abroad and if the bounce was a "thing" we'd have had hundreds of videos and pics of people with injuries. 

Again I am not suggesting I like them or know what they're like in practice but evidence suggests they're OK. 

 
I have read about someone firing at a steel pattern plate with steel clay loads to prove the ricochet element was overstated and apparently with no harm whatsoever. I am not in favour of steel BUT evidence from countries which have had to adopt it suggests it is safe. Millions have by now been shot here and abroad and if the bounce was a "thing" we'd have had hundreds of videos and pics of people with injuries. 

Again I am not suggesting I like them or know what they're like in practice but evidence suggests they're OK. 
Would you put them through your Gun ? If you had a choice and was only going on price.

 
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I have read about someone firing at a steel pattern plate with steel clay loads to prove the ricochet element was overstated and apparently with no harm whatsoever. I am not in favour of steel BUT evidence from countries which have had to adopt it suggests it is safe. Millions have by now been shot here and abroad and if the bounce was a "thing" we'd have had hundreds of videos and pics of people with injuries. 

Again I am not suggesting I like them or know what they're like in practice but evidence suggests they're OK. 
It was a pattern plate that I witnessed a BB gun being shot at. The steel BB seemed to pick up momentum after striking the steel plate at an approximate 25 feet. It struck the side of a skeet tower to my right, with sufficient power to enter the timber cladding to a depth of around 1/8" . 

 
Would you put them through your Gun ? If you had a choice and was only going on price.
My gun is steel proof so I have no qualms on that score but I wouldn't want to shoot steel if I can possibly help it because it clearly recoils more (like for like), has a lower specific gravity/weight than lead and other oddities such as bigger pellets being required etc, etc. 

It was a pattern plate that I witnessed a BB gun being shot at. The steel BB seemed to pick up momentum after striking the steel plate at an approximate 25 feet. It struck the side of a skeet tower to my right, with sufficient power to enter the timber cladding to a depth of around 1/8" . 
I know from first hand experience that BB guns can be very dangerous in the wrong environment and little hands. In my yoof I hated them with a passion because even then I was consumed by accuracy and BB guns are rubbish beyond 10 yards. 

Anything can be made to bounce off certain things, I remember once finding the sweet spot and angle to make my little .177 lead pellet gun ricochet back rather accurately towards some friends and I  :lol: :blink: :lol:  who played dodge with the incoming pellets. I would aim at the asphalt inches from the resting tyres of a big lorry (I was avoiding direct hits so it didn't go right through plus took some of the energy off) the pellet would then hit the tyre and come zooming back towards us  :lol: , luckily we could see them glinting in the sun. Even then I knew it was mega stupid but just couldn't help dabbling with physics. 

 
It bounces back apparrently.  I don't think they believe that people want their targets shooting back or customers hit by them bouncing off  hard surfaces such as a concreat layout etc. 
Not just that. Grounds with trees obviously don't want seel shot  entering the timber.

 
Would you put them through your Gun ? If you had a choice and was only going on price.
If I was only going on price, I would put them through my gun as I know it can handle this very well.

Unfortunately I don't have the choice, but as everyone here has to use steel, it's not an issue.

I think a lot of people underestimate the capabilities of steel shot.

For OT we're allowed to use 28/5, which does the job quite well :D

 
http://www.clay-shooting.com/news/club-chief-vows-to-strip-off-to-prove-steel-point/

So, the reality is: if you are using modern steel shot, it won't score your barrels as the shot is contained in the shot cup.

It isn't steel BB, like you might imagine...it is soft iron.

I have shot many, many thousands of steel 9's for skeet, because there's no better load for skeet (30% more pellets and short range).

I tend to shoot ESP these days and shoot lead, but if I could not afford to, I would have no issue with steel.

Most "haters" of steel, are concerned that it will become a replacement for lead, which would be bad for sporting and very bad for game shooting.

In certain European countries, they have to shoot steel.

If you intend to try steel, go for gamebore White Gold Pro Steel...really nice cartridge.

 

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