SpheroTungsten Shot: Anyone tried it?

[THBailey]

Sitting here in "no lead for hunting" California and spring turkey season approaches. Contemplating trying Sphero Tungsten shot in my Pedersoli 12ga SxS. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this shot? This is an extremely hard tungsten based shot that is almost 40% denser than magnum lead. ( https://www.ballisticproducts.com/00bsts.pdf )

 

[tenngun]

Since it’s so hard do you have to have a collar to protect your barrel?

 

[THBailey]

I'm thinking a shot cup would be required. My Pedersoli has the chrome barrels which would probably help also. And turkey hunting only involves minimum shooting anyway.

 

[BrownBear]

I'm thinking a shot cup would be required. My Pedersoli has the chrome barrels which would probably help also.

And not just any shot cup. Be sure to use only the ones rated for tungsten, cuzz the stuff is so hard it will cut right through a conventional cup. My experience with cups sezz you also need to put a lubed wad under them, both to help limit plastic fouling in the bore and to get a decent seal around the shotcup. They're hard enough they don't upset on firing and you get some fierce gas blow-by around them.

 

[jackley]

Being chrome bbl's would you need a sleeve? You can shoot steel out of them can't you? Just asking.

Jerry

 

[Rich]

Tungsten makes steel seem like lead. It is very hard and very abrasive.

 

[Robby]

https://www.rotometals.com/bismuth-shot-alloy-for-reloading-shells-10-bag-made-in-usa/
I think this stuff would be easier on your barrel steel. It is pricey, but you can pattern your gun with the same shot in lead and a jar of this will last many years.
Robin

 

[THBailey]

And not just any shot cup. Be sure to use only the ones rated for tungsten, cuzz the stuff is so hard it will cut right through a conventional cup. My experience with cups sezz you also need to put a lubed wad under them, both to help limit plastic fouling in the bore and to get a decent seal around the shotcup. They're hard enough they don't upset on firing and you get some fierce gas blow-by around them.

I hear you on the shot cup. As for loading, I figured to put in my usual overpowder and cushion wad, then set the shot cup over that. Probably need to trim the shot cup to the top of the shot load so the overshot wad will snug down on the shot.

 

[Juice Jaws]

https://www.rotometals.com/bismuth-shot-alloy-for-reloading-shells-10-bag-made-in-usa/
I think this stuff would be easier on your barrel steel. It is pricey, but you can pattern your gun with the same shot in lead and a jar of this will last many years.
Robin

Would you need a shot cup with these or just reg. wadding? Also the size is metric, what were # 6 shot be in metric? Thanks

 

[Firelock937]

Sitting here in "no lead for hunting" California and spring turkey season approaches. Contemplating trying Sphero Tungsten shot in my Pedersoli 12ga SxS. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this shot? This is an extremely hard tungsten based shot that is almost 40% denser than magnum lead. ( https://www.ballisticproducts.com/00bsts.pdf )

I have never used Sphero, but have used their ITX-10 in unmentionables for several seasons on ducks, and it works pretty darn good. Very similar performance to lead, and it's soft enough that no special wads are required. Your chrome lined bore should be fine with traditional loading methods

 

[jackley]

When I hunt in a couple of areas for pheasants you can't use lead, so I use bismuth in my flintlocks with no issues.

Jerry

 

[Robby]

According to the chart on their web page, #6 ( ~.11" , 2.8 mm). I use it without a shot cup. I'm sure, down the road California will find that Bismith is much more dangerous to the environment than lead, especially if it becomes more popular with hunters.
Robby

 

[Juice Jaws]

According to the chart on their web page, #6 ( ~.11" , 2.8 mm). I use it without a shot cup. I'm sure, down the road California will find that Bismith is much more dangerous to the environment than lead, especially if it becomes more popular with hunters.
Robby

Thanks, they don't care about it being dangerous its just a back door way to get our guns.

 

[Robby]

Yeah, I know.
Robby

 

[THBailey]

Well, just about had to take out a second mortgage on the homestead to get it, but my pound and a half of #7 ST has arrived. Sure not a very large package for $74 plus $10 shipping! Weighed out some 1 1/2 oz charges, my pound and a half will yield a total of 16 of these, which pencils out to over $5 per charge. And a special thank you to the California Democrat super majority legislature for passing the lead ban! The ST charge occupies about 2/3 of the space needed for an ounce and a half of #5 lead shot. Just playing around with the scale a bit, I also found five #7 ST pellets pretty much weighs the same as five #5 lead, but being smaller diameter I would expect the ST to hold on to velocity a tad better, and the pellet count should be a push. I also got a bag of the Ballistic Products super heavy duty shot cups and trimmed them to just fit the ST charges. We will see how this all works out on the opener, March 30.

 

[THBailey]

Posted a report down in the hunting forum, short story: The Tungston did quite well.