Steel shot in an older shotgun???
I have read about not shooting steel shot in older shotguns as it can damage the barrel.
Is this because steel shot does not compress like lead and the steel in older shotgun barrels is not strong enough to handle the pressers?
Can steel shot be fired in an older shotgun like a Winchester 97 or Model 12 if it is a cylinder bore?
Is this because steel shot does not compress like lead and the steel in older shotgun barrels is not strong enough to handle the pressers?
Can steel shot be fired in an older shotgun like a Winchester 97 or Model 12 if it is a cylinder bore?
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When steel shot first came out, the general rule of thumb on older guns, i.e. 'shooters', was that any choke constriction tighter than modified might not be able to handle the increased pressure as the harder steel shot left the muzzle (pretty much just as you stated above). In other words, shooting steel out of a full choke barrel was considered taboo. One thing I know for sure... is that Bert H. will know with absolute certainty whether the quality of steel used in early Winchester 97's and early Model 12's can handle steel shot when using a cylinder bore. If he doesn't stumble upon this topic, and you don't get your question answered to your satisfaction, just repost but put Bert H. in the topic, and he'll see it for sure. 0 -
Good question. One I've never really gotten a straight answer to.
Lacking a straight answer, I was at a gun show a couple years back and found some 16 ga federal steel shot (four cases) the owner said he couldn't give away. I've got a 16 ga model 12 in pretty rough shape with a modified choke so what the heck, we made a deal. Bottom line is the steel shot is all gone, ducks were shot, barrel and gun are in the same shape (from what I can tell) as when when I started. 1000 rounds of steel shot (#2's) no harm many fowl. (Sorry, I couldn't resist) My Model 12 was made in the mid 1930's and sees regular service on ducks, grouse, amd clays. There's never been a better shotgun made. EVER. GOD hunts with a Model 12; probably a 28 ga.0 -
It may depend if the shot is in plastic cup or wad which would keep it off the barrel.would not shoot in tight choked guns myself.tks hedge[:D] 0 -
The issue with steel shot in a "fixed choke" barrel is that it will eventually alter the constriction at a barrel's end through excessive wear because we all know that steel is harder than lead. It's also known that "Winchecter Proof Steel" is many times stronger than it has to be. However, 16 gauge model 12s have barrels that are pretty thin at the muzzel. I, personally would not use steel in any of my model 12s, but I find riley p's post quite interesting and a testament to the quality of Winchester proof steel. I'd like to hear bobski's observation on this as well as Bert's. 0 -
I would never recommend shooting steel-shot loaded shells in a Model 1897 (pre-1920), or in a Model 1912/12 with a nickel steel barrel, regardless of the choke constriction. I also would not shoot steel-shot through a Full choked Model 97 or Model 12 regardless of when the gun was made. All of that said, I would not be afraid of shooting it through an open (MOD or CYL) choked Model 12, or a CYL bored Model 97 Riot Gun that has a Proof Steel barrel. 0 -
Riley P,
I think that a bunch of us on this forum would find it very interesting if you (or a friend or gunsmith) could measure the current muzzle diameter of your barrel (modified choke which has shot 1000 rnds of steel shot now) to the nearest thousandth of an inch, using a caliper/micrometer (or whatever the heck that measuring device is called) to see if it has opened up significantly. I'm sure we can dig up specs on what the typical plus/minus factory tolerances were on a Winchester fixed modified barrel versus a fixed improved cylinder barrel. I'm just curious to see if your barrel would still fall well within specs, that would tell us alot about the quality/strength of the steel in these early Winchester barrels.0 -
Makindu: This I can do. Gun is at home; I'm at work. Let you know tomorrow. If this post fills up I'll... Think of something....
quote:Originally posted by makindu
Riley P,
I think that a bunch of us on this forum would find it very interesting if you (or a friend or gunsmith) could measure the current muzzle diameter of your barrel (modified choke which has shot 1000 rnds of steel shot now) to the nearest thousandth of an inch, using a caliper/micrometer (or whatever the heck that measuring device is called) to see if it has opened up significantly. I'm sure we can dig up specs on what the typical plus/minus factory tolerances were on a Winchester fixed modified barrel versus a fixed improved cylinder barrel. I'm just curious to see if your barrel would still fall well within specs, that would tell us alot about the quality/strength of the steel in these early Winchester barrels.0 -
When steel shot first came out, the "common knowledge" was that it should not be fired in an older gun, especially one with a fixed choke. So we decided to do a bit of an investigation to see what would happen if a limited amount of steel shot was used. The budget was small, so we selected six older, well used shotguns for the test. All the guns were manufactured from the teens through the 30s. Careful measurements were made of each choke ID at the start and end of each test. Photomicrographs were taken of the metal just inside the muzzle at the start and finish. Each gun was fired with 500 rounds of steel shot ammo. Each was patterned at the start and after each 100 rounds.
The pattern results showed no trends in size or distribution. There were no statistically significant pattern differences for any gun from start to finish. The choke IDs for three guns showed very slight increases but again the results were not statistically significant (ie, within the standard error of measurement. The photomicrographs at the end of the test showed a slight increase in longitudinal scratching for four of the six.
No comparable test using lead shot was done.
The overall conclusion was that limited use of steel shot in an older fixed choke gun did not appear to be harmful to the choke.0 -
I have a Winchester Model 59 with the fiber over steel barrel in Mod. chok. would steel be safe in this Gun? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by cueballcontrol
I have a Winchester Model 59 with the fiber over steel barrel in Mod. chok. would steel be safe in this Gun?
I wouldn't do it.0
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