As usual, sports writers and industry advertisers are first out of the chute to rave about new products-but the conclusions offered are almost never based on scientifically designed studies of external ballistics under field conditions. At this stage, the jury is still out on whether most hunters can cleanly kill waterfowl better with these loads than with lead or steel. Ultimately, most of us will be throwing iron in the marsh because of its price, availability-and we have adapted to steel's characteristic velocities and patterning performance. Nevertheless, a brief refresher might provide some valuable preseason thoughts on ammunition and choke choices, and stimulate practice on the range to improve our skills. Steel is lighter than lead.
Steel is harder and deforms less.
Steel shot shell configurations are different. Unfortunately, the shot shell marketplace is often not in tune with our needs. The technology of shotgunning is fascinating and rewarding if you want to devote some time to serious study of ballistics. However, it is important for waterfowl hunters to educate themselves at least about the basics of shotguns, chokes and shot shell effectiveness to ensure better satisfaction in the field and a more efficient harvest of birds. The advent of nontoxic shot has both unfortunately produced misinformation that persists in confusing hunters, but also provides reason to learn how we can use shot shell technology more effectively without toxic lead shot.