plated shot or not

[billd]

What's everyones opinion on using plated shot in their fowler. I have a 12 gauge just about finished. It's a 46" Rayle barrel with a lot of jug choking by Lowell Tennyson.  I only plan on using this for turkeys.  Does plated shot throw that much better of a pattern to make the cost justifiable?  Does copper or nickle plating hurt the barrel? I don't plan on using shot cups.

Thanks,
Bill

[roundball]

Speaking only from my own experience...also using a 'Full' jug choked barrel by Lowell...I found hard magnum shot patterned very well for 40 yard turkey head shots, followed slightly better with copper plated and better enough with nickel plated for that to be my final choice.
IMO, the difference in cost is not really an issue, no more shots that are needed for sighting in and shooting turkeys.


Now interestingly enough, I had also bought some non-toxic EcoTungsten/(Niceshot) for possible head shots on some local canadian geese and it patterns unbeliebably tighter / more dense than any of the above...it's more expensive than any of the above...but...any modern waterfowl load today is expensive.
However...the good news is since EcoTungsten is a direct replacement for lead, all the load testing can be done with hard magnum LEAD shot of the same size...ie: do load development with lead #6s, then just take a couple insurance test shots with EcoTungsten #6s to satisfy yourself that it's patterning the same.

[490roundball]

I wouldn't worry about it hurting the barrel.  Just my opinion, but I would guess that the pattern improvement may relate to the use of harder shot for the plated brands than in the economy versions, as much if not more from the plating (some times better classed as a wash anyway).

the only real way to find out how much it improves your spread is a pattern board.

[billd]

Thanks for the replies.  I was a little scared of the nickle plated scratching the barrel.  As far as the cost, I don't mind spending the money, but I don't like wasting it I'm not going to see an improvement.   

Bill

[roundball]

I was a little scared of the nickle plated scratching the barrel.    

The main key to shot scratching a bore is whether or not it is soft enough to "give" at ignition set-back time, and/or as it's being compressed going down bore and through a constictive (modern) type choke.  As long as the core of plated shot is made of lead which will "give", there's no problem.

NOTE: Caution against possible thoughts of buying/using copper plated BB's (for an airgun) because they are copper plated steel, not lead.

EcoTungsten is a specially made material that acts exactly like lead and can even be used bare bore in old original damascus barrels.

I've probably used a good 150+ bare bore shot loads for pattern testing with copper plated, nickel plated, and EcoTungsten(Niceshot) types of shot in my .28ga and .20ga Flint smoothbores...not a mark on the bores at all.

Final suggestion:
If you decide on copper plated shot...work hard to find some old bag(s) of Winchester Lubaloy (copper plated) shot...hasn't been made in a few decades but was the king in the first half / two thirds of the 1900s...true "plated" chilled shot...not the copper plated (wash) junk made by Lawrence...otherwise pay a few dollars more and use Nickel plated as it's better.

But the Winchester Lubaloy is the real deal if you can find any left over bags...old hardware stores, garage sales, estate sales, etc...I still have a half bag of #4's that I use from very sparingly...nothing beats the old Winchester Lubaloy.      

[Daryl]

I have found 5-7% antimony Hard lead shot (Bleimeister brand) to pattern much better than any of the plated shot I've used, mostly WW plated in modern guns.

[Jerry V Lape]

I don't know about plated shot in a muzzleloader but in modern shotguns hard shot, usually called magnum shot,  patterns the best.  The shot used in the copper or nickel washed shot is too soft. 
Need the hard shot with good antimony content.  It doesn't deform as much getting out of the barrel and therefore flies better.

[billd]

Daryl,  you have a PM

[roundball]

Bleimeister brand

Can you post contact info or a link for a distributor where I can order some 7% antimony Bleimeister brand shot?

used, mostly WW plated in modern guns.

Are you saying...with equal shot charges...that this Bleimeister brand lead shot patterns better out of a smoothbore with no shotcup, than Winchester Western copper plated shot does in a modern shotgun with a shotcup?

[Daryl]

It's been a long time since I was doing choke work (not since iron shot laws). Bleimeister shot was sold locally - made in Alberta. The larger #3's and #2's were not quite round, but rounded, some a bit oblong - but ti was hard- might have been wheel weight alloy as you could not sqeeze a pellet into a disk with plyers.  It was wonderful stuff.  Billd sent me a PM asking about it and mentioned the google search on Bleimeister being a method. Perhaps that's how they made it, I don't know, but the 25 pound bags said Bleimeister right on them.

It out patterned all 'chilled' shot, hard magnum shot, nickle plated shot and copper plated shot I was able to buy.  I-to found copper plated shot by Winchester was mostly pure lead coated with a wash and didn't pattern anough better than the Lawrence 'magnum' shot (fairly good stuff) to warrent the extra cost.  The Bleimeister shot did 94% and 96% @ 40 yards in my 'altered' chokes of my10 bore double & over 90% in a 20 bore double and 12 bore over-under with 3" loads.  I've not used it in a muzzleloading shotgun, but with it's patterning improvmements in modern stuff, it must be better in ML's as well.

[roundball]

Billd sent me a PM asking about it and mentioned the google search on Bleimeister being a method.

That's all I ever found last year when you made this same reference...thought since you mentioned it again you might have a source where it was available...and checking again now, there's still nothing on the Internet about it being commecrially available...too bad.

Also, maybe WW copper plated shot changed in their final years...but the 30-40 year old partial bag of WW Lubaloy #4s that I have is an outstanding copper plated shot...by comparison the Lawrence brand copper and nickel plated is just a light 'wash' coating.

Then I tried a 10 lb bottle of Nickel plated from Ballistic Products and it seems to have a  stronger plating, patterns very well, putting a few more pellets into a turkey head/neck at 40yds than magnum lead so I settled on the nickel.

[Daryl]

There is nothing like experimentation to help with loads, rifle or smoothbore.

[billd]

Apparently the magnum shot is no longer made is sizes larger than 6 anymore.
Bill

[northmn]

I would suggest that you go back to what Roundball said about the lead substitute, in what is called Nice Shot in Precision reloading or Eco shot.  It will probably pattern better than lead.  When you mention not using plastic wads, and the use of a standard card wad column you start to lose pattern from barrel "scrubbing".  Also you may want to look into cushioning as Turkey loads tend to be very heavy shot charges.  The bottom pellets take a bit of a beating upon ignition as they are rammed agains the top layers.  One of the advantages of a ML is that you can add a little more cushioning.  The old 1 7/8 oz 3" 12 bore load was a joke unless used with very large shot (as it was intended).  The 1 5/8 would often pattern better, and a 1 1/2 oz would do as well.  I ahve gone back to "magnum" lead shot as the costs and advantages of plated are limited.  Plated shot does not drag feathers for a wing shooter which is a plus but is meaningless in a turkey load.  $60 a Kilo is expensive but would last quite a while once a load is determined.

DP

[Gene Carrell]

My turkey and pheasant loads are both nickel plated shot from Ballistic products, giving excellent patterns from both my modern  caplock single (turkey) and my  orig. damascus English double.  When patterning, play with your cushion wads to find the best combination. Both the 12 and 14ga shotguns will blow a doughnut hole with a cushion  over 3/8".