Lead free shot for a fowler?

[Justin Urbantas]

I am thinking about some waterfowl hunting with my fowler, and trying to figure out what kind of shot to use in a typical smoothbore barrel. Colerain, Rice, Rayl etc... I am pretty sure that steel shot is unsafe.
Any suggestions for me?

[Matthew1969]

Is Bismuth an option?

[Justin Urbantas]

That's what I am trying to find out. Something that won't hurt the barrel, and still shoots well.

[Smoketown]

This is the place I bought my supplies ...   

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Shot-Slugs/departments/63/

Cheers,
Smoketown

[Hungry Horse]

If your Fowler is unchoked you can shoot steel in it if you use a shot cup. It will make your pattern a little tighter as well. If your gun is choked I would go with Bismuth.
  I have a shot maker I inherited from a friends estate. It uses rods of lead, slowly melted with a stationary propane torch, through a very small nozzle. The shot drops into a can of water. I make my own tin shot with this device. This contraption has no label, or any other markings, and I have never seen another one. Somebody told me there was an article about them in an old Buckskin Report, but I've never been able to find it. The shot turns out looking like little raindrops, but the critters can't tell the difference.

  Hungry Horse

[Mauser06]

I've read ITX and Bismuth were both safe as well as NiceShot. 


Like was said, if in a shot cup, steel or any other shot can be fired...The issue is hard shot will score the bore if not in a shot cup. 


I really want to shoot heavier than lead tungsten based shot for turkey. In a Colerain turkey barrel I haven't come up with a good shot cup...If I had a jugged bore, I believe a shotcup defeats the choke...So it's probably not great for my needs....



Still pondering ways....

[Daryl]

If using bismuth- load as normal. If using iron of any type, including heavy shot, or other glued up sintered tungsten, I'd use a steel shot cup, with card wads between the cup and powder.  BP WILL melt the plastic and spread it on your bore.

It can be a chore to remove if the plastic was not protected from the flame.  This happened in BP loads in a SXS breech loader. I firmly suspect the very same would happen in a ML.

[Scota4570]

ITX or "Nice Shot"

Steel has insufficent sectional density to be effective at ML velocities.  I have tried, on ducks, it is like shooting blanks.  Imagine the absolute worst first genertion steel shot shells. It is like that.   

[Justin Urbantas]

For $39 a pound for the shot it might be cheaper to raise ducks than go out and shoot them.

[WaterFowl]

Justin.... iffin your making noise about 39 bucks for shot stay home....
               When you get serious shoot Hevi shot with a protective shot wad.
               You will never get the speed of cf shells shooting black powder.......
               but you will get the weight of lead with Hevi shot.

               Call them in close and hit them hard!!!!