New Tungsten Shot To Become Available

<P style="MARGIN: 0px">There's several types of tungsten shot coming onto the market.&nbsp; One such shot is being called Tungsten Super Shot tm.&nbsp; It's almost pure tungsten made from powder and formed with heating into round pellets, a process called "sintering".&nbsp; It's weight is&nbsp;heavy enough to allow the use of smaller pellets and lighter shot charges to achieve the same pattern density and penetration as heavier charges of larger size Hevishot.&nbsp; </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">On a thread on the shooting reloading forum of the Refuge, a comparison was done between 1 3/4 oz. #2 Hevishot 10ga. load (119 pellets) and a 1 1/4 oz. 12ga. #5, TSS load (129 pellets), fired at a 3/8" plywood board at 70 yards.&nbsp; On firing the 1 3/4 oz. #2 Hevi load, 77 pellets hit the board and 55 gave a complete pass through.&nbsp; On firing the 1 1/4 oz. #5 TSS load, 127 hit the board and all 127 gave complete pass through.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">The developer is expecting that people will buy it, even though it will be more expensive per unit of weight than Hevishot as they can use smaller pellets and lighter shot charges and still obtain the same performance as heavier charges of bigger Hevishot pellets.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">The performance is impressive, as will be the expected price.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=352712</P>

 

<P>There's was only one fleeting speculation on cost, that being about $1 more per shell.&nbsp; However, that estimate was so preliminary I wouldn't put much faith in it.&nbsp;&nbsp;As with&nbsp;Hevishot, I would not use it for waterfowling.&nbsp; I get satisfactory results from using steel shot loads.&nbsp; I lose very few birds I hit, probably averaging less than 1 a year.&nbsp; However, I lose 100% of those I miss.&nbsp; Spending more money on shells would only increase the cost of my misses.&nbsp; Now, if they could develop a proximity fuse for use in shotshells, that might be worth the extra cost.<IMG src="http://www.websitetoolbox.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" align=absMiddle border=0></P>

 

<P>There was a post this morning concerning the cost of the TSS.&nbsp; It was $62 per kilogram (2.2 lbs), or $28.18 per pound, $1.76 per ounce.&nbsp; Then you have to include the cost of loading it if you are buying the bulk shot, which should&nbsp;be about $0.25, plus the cost, if any, of the case.</P>

 

<P>The energy transfer difference between the smaller TSS and the larger Hevishot pellets seems to be the primary bone of contention now.&nbsp; The issue of the irregular shape of the Hevishot wasn't brought up, but I suppose it could be an additional factor in favor of Hevishot.&nbsp; Several were arguing that penetration with Hevishot is adequate and the larger frontal areas of the larger Hevishot pellets would likely provide a greater amount of tissue distruction than the smaller, but denser TSS.&nbsp; Most are waiting to see the results of live bird comparison tests to determine which is better from a performance standpoint.</P>

 

<P style="MARGIN: 0px">I&nbsp;believe that there are two main advantages of Hevishot over steel shot for hitting birds.&nbsp; The first is that the velocity of the Hevishot loads are relatively close to what most shooters use in lead to practice, so their leads remain similar.&nbsp; The second advantage is that the greater density of Hevishot allows for the use of smaller pellets and, therefore,&nbsp;denser patterns than obtainable with steel pellets of comparable effectiveness.&nbsp; The advantage of TSS would be in allowing the use of lighter weight shot charges and pellets even smaller than Hevishot, yet retaining the killing power of Hevishot pellets in larger sizes.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">I make a special effort to load and shoot plenty of fast lead loads so my annual readjustment to fast steel loads goes seamlessly as possible.&nbsp; Nevertheless, it usually takes me about 7-10 shots with fast steel to settle back into the groove.&nbsp; However, I doubt that either Hevishot or TSS would offer any appreciable advantages to me in hitting the birds worth the extra cost involved.&nbsp; I make the extra effort to get my loads and chokes working together to make steel shot loads effective for my hunting purposes.</P>

 

<P style="MARGIN: 0px">I don't think I have ever read anyone say that Hevishot or TSS is not better than steel shot.&nbsp; The only shot type I have heard being used that is worse than steel is tin shot they tried in England.&nbsp; It is said to have been like shooting sand, it is so light and ballistically inefficient.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">The argument has always been whether the additional performance gained&nbsp;in using&nbsp;them is worth their higher cost.&nbsp; In my case, I don't use Hevishot as I don't shoot at ducks or geese with my 12 ga. beyond 50 yards, or geese beyond 60 yards with my 10ga.&nbsp; I insure I use chokes and loads that will deliver killing pellet penetration and patterns at those ranges with steel shot.&nbsp; My problem is not bringing down the birds I hit, but hitting those at which I shoot.&nbsp; I lose very few birds I hit, averaging about 1 a season, but I lose 100% of those I miss.&nbsp; Using Hevishot or TSS would not likely improve the hit/miss ratio, just increase the cost.&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">For those who do not take the time to pattern their guns, who won't make the effort to get good chokes&nbsp;and steel shot loads for their guns, who shoot few shells each season or shoot birds at long ranges, the more expensive non-toxic shots like bismuth, TM, Hevishot and soon, TSS, offer an opportunity to get good patterns and killing loads similar to or better than formerly obtained with lead with relatively little extra effort, albeit at a significant increase in cost over steel shot.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">Just like the engine comparison, each of us has to decide what we need to "Get R Done".&nbsp; Some of us need more power to do that than do others.&nbsp; I don't pull a big boat trailer.&nbsp; I don't haul&nbsp;heavy or large loads.&nbsp; A vehicle with a small engine works perfectly well for my needs, costs less to buy and less to&nbsp;operate.&nbsp; </P>

 

<P style="MARGIN: 0px">Big Mexican and I did some function testing of the 1 oz. 1300 fps. and 1450 fps. loads for SP10R a week ago with a frozen SBE and frozen shells.&nbsp; The purpose was simply to see if the light charge weights would cycle through a recoil operated gun in very cold conditions.&nbsp; Since the SBE is the most popular recoil operated gun now used in waterfowling, we put Big Mexican's SBE in the deep freeze as well as the shells.&nbsp; All of them fired and ejected without a hitch.&nbsp; Recoil was very soft.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">The 1 1/4 oz. #5 loads used&nbsp;what appeared to be a Precision Reloading steel shot wad.&nbsp; The 1 oz. #7 loads used a Federal wad.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Federal wads did not show any perforations, even though modified choke was inadvertently used.&nbsp; With that light of a charge and small pellet size I wouldn't be concerned about wad perforations.&nbsp; A pellet slipping between the petals might be another matter, however.&nbsp; I believe they are now going in a different direction than lead wads in their wad choice, however.&nbsp; I would also prefer to err on the side of using a thicker than necessary wad and that's what I recommended even though they haven't seen any problems so far with the small shot in the lead wads.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">SP10R had recommended using a skeet 1, or IC, and after shooting the effectively 18" wide patterns at 40 yards with the Mod., I can understand why the skeet 1 or IC choke was recommended.&nbsp; He told me the modified tended to blow patterns, but these were quite good, albeit too tight for 40 yard shooting.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">&nbsp;</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">We'll have to wait for the live bird tests before firming up&nbsp;an opinion on whether the larger shot sizes perform better.&nbsp; My gut instinct tells me that they will, given an equal number of pellet hits.&nbsp; However, the smaller pellets of theTSS&nbsp;loads may afford a greater number of hits, so the truth will have to be established by field testing both.&nbsp;</P>

 

<P>There have been very&nbsp;few reviews of Hevisteel performance posted.&nbsp; Most have been like Bill's, disatisfaction with the buffer leaking and no apparent increase in killing power over fast steel.&nbsp; The roll crimped loads were too long to feed properly in some 3" guns.&nbsp; They are said to have changed to a fold crimp so the length and buffer leaking issues should be solved, but whether they offer much of an advantage in killing power in the field, as opposed to theoretically, remains unanswered.</P>

 

<P>After you have had a chance to use them and feel confident in expressing an opinion about them, post up.&nbsp; You might save some guys a little money by relating your experiences with them.</P>