Steel Shot for Canadian Geese

I bought a 12 gauge Navy Arms side by side and I'm looking to work up a load for Canadian Geese. I will be shooting steel shot 40 yards and in. From research I've come up with one ounce of size B steel (82 pellets per ounce) ahead of 82 grains of FFg. Comments, thoughts, or recommendations? I will be jump shooting salt marshes in New Jersey.

We will all pray for the expected early demise of your barrels.

ihuntsnook said:

Comments, thoughts, or recommendations?

Click to expand...

You probably already know to use protective shot cups made for steel shot.
And if your bores are simply cylinder choke, no sweat.
But if they have any choke you'll probably want to verify that you can shoot steel shot through them without damage...

I haven't had the gun in my hands yet, and a realize the problem with choke. I would like cylinder bore in both barrels for steel shot, and that's certainly achievable. I was wondering if any had any positive advice for a load. Maybe it's not doable. But given the fact that you must use non toxic shot, I will skip all the acerbic comments from Arkansas about ruining my gun and hopefully find something more helpful.

Well, as you already know, steel is certainly one non-toxic option...there are some others like ITX (from Ballistic Products), and NiceShot from EcoTungsten.
My largest is only a .20ga and I did buy some of the EcoTungsten/NiceShot for testing a couple years ago...the good news with it for smaller gauges is that no protective shot cup is required at all so if someone is inclined to forgo a modern plastic cup they can.
Also, in the smaller gauges, without the space limitations of the cup, larger shot charges can be considered.

While waiting for other replies, you might use the search feature for the hunting section as I recall a number of threads on this sort of subject over time...

Steel shot seems to work better with pretty high muzzle velocities, and getting high muzzle velocities with muzzle-loaders usually results in blown patterns. So, personally I would recommend biting the bullet and going with one of the expensive non-toxic shots.

Nice shot can be had from Precision reloading in one kilo amounts (which helps the initial cash outlay some). Precision also carries bismuth.

Ballistic Products carries ITX. Ballistic also carries hevi-shot (which definitely requires a special shot cup).

The "ruins your barrels" is potential with either steel or hevi. But, this is also dependent on how much you really expect to shoot (as in: 3000 rounds per year or 30 if I'm damned lucky). Chokes also make some difference.

Paul is likely to chime in with a long post about how muzzle loaders are just a different breed from modern cartridge guns. It's well worth reading!

Nobody has answered my question just yet. Is there a load that will kill geese at 40 yards with steel shot? If everyone says nay I will put this thread to rest. But so far, I'm inclined to shoot at 'em 40 yards and in with size B behind 82 grains of ffg. Tungsten shot is $239 for 10 pounds. Steel is less than $15. Both are very hard on choked barrels. I ain't stupid. I repeat -- does anyone have a black powder steel shot load for Canadian geese. If you don't, please post elsewhere.

A little bit of attitude!
Try two (2) oz. steel and two hundred grains of 3f, and then we all will know how steel works in a muzzleloader.

:slap: since this is a traditional muzzleloading forum, about traditional muzzleloading, heres a suggestion for you. If you want to use traditional steel shot, cut up some old door nails and shoot them at your jersey geese. Was that acerbic enough for you :blah:

Reply to Smoothbore Addic:
:thumbsup: :hatsoff:
Old Ford

Based on everything I've read, 40 yds on Canada geese with a 1oz - 3.1/4dr steel load is improbable, especially from unchoked barrels. Even if you pattern is dense enough, penetration might be getting questionable, and that's assuming you are not dealing with the larger breeds of Canadas. The only way for you to know for sure is to try the load in your gun, testing both pattern and penetration.

Frankly, for geese, I favour bismuth or NiceShot. One of my hunting partners is quite happy with either bismuth or Nice Shot #4s on lesser Canadas and Snows, but even with his choked 12ga flinter and 1.1/4oz loads, I don't think he pushes it to 40yds. I still want to try to see if I can work up a steel load I'm confident in for ducks, but until then, I'm working through my stock of old-production #4 bismuth (about like #5 lead).

Good luck,
Joel

Listen to whats printed above..and here.we are all trying to help.

The problem with steel and bp is vel. lack of it!
While goose hunting I pretend I'm dove hunting and do head shots only!
30 yards maybe..if you have your mind set for 40 yds using steel bring a cf gun along to chase crips...your going to have lots of them.
compounding the fact that you will be jump shooting.
remove the chokes for ease of loading..get to the pattern board... use a heavy protective cup..try Hevi-shot.....
have field tested..steel..nice shot..hevi-shot
Hevi-shot is in my bores!
Oh did I mention..Get to the pattern board!

Call them in close and hit them hard...

still think I'm blowing smoke....

these geese were decoyed..

10 ga. Pedersoli..pad added for trigger pull.



12 ga. Pedersoli flint

I began hunting geese in Maryland in 1966, albeit with lead shot #2's. I have never shot a muzzleloader at geese, but had some experience with steel shot in the late 80s in Vermont. Number 2 steel was marginal on decoyed geese. I just wondered if anyone had any experience with larger size steel shot in muzzleloaders. Thank you for your reply. I will let you know how I do come September. We have a 15 bird limit here for the first month. I expect most of my shots will be less than 40 yards thanks to plenty of concealment.

I can pretty much guarantee that an older Navy Arms will have "straight rifling", cylinder or not, if you try shooting steel through it.

I have a new Pedersoli SxS, and I wouldn't even consider steel shot if I could get one of the softer substitutes.

I know its trivial, but for some reason its one of my pet peeves (like calling a magazine a "clip").

The species is Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). "Canadian" geese are geese that live in Canada, no matter what species.

(Maybe this post makes me a goose nazi? :wink: )

So Canada Geese are honkers and Canadian geese are hosers? :wink: