Favorite steel shells??

N

NCorley

New member
I am looking to stock up for next season with all the sales going on now. What are y'all's favorite steel shells and loads?
 
I am a fan of Kent fast steel too, but......
had a hard time finding kent in stores last season. Have to say that the cheap 10$/box ESTATE #3s sure worked good for me this past year. Anchored many a Greenhead with 'em. Sure seems like velocity is what stones them.
 
Winchester Drylok #2 1 1/4 oz. OR Winchester Supreme Hi-Vel. same load. I think it's doing 1450.

Both are the deadliest rounds I've shot in m hunting career.

Never messed with fast steel b/c I found Win. first.

Not a big fan of any Remington Steel, or Win xperts.

-D
 
Dave's Drylok pick is a great one...in 4's too. I have found the love of my life with the Federal Heavy High Velocity Ultra Shoks. They are amazing for the money.I especially like the 2's, 4's and BBB's for geese-all 3inch 1 1/4 at 1450fps. The BBB's for geese are incredible. They also make a high vel version that are 1 1/8 oz. The only really cheap load I like is the Xpert 1oz 6's and 7's for teal or close decoying birds(like inside of 20 yards). They work great in a 20 gauge too. I don't have any qualms with the Kent Faststeel but I don't have ease access to them. I've used them and they're a fine shell. 90% of what I shoot are the Fed HHV's now.
 
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I like Kent Fasteel. I shoot 1 1/16oz of 2's at 1550 and kill ducks as far as I need to. I tried the same load of 3's in Xperts last fall and will fall back to that if Fasteel gets tougher to find.

Tim
 
I like the Kent as well but also really liked the Estate I used this year. I shoot 20 ga, and prefer #4 shot of either, though #3 is nice too.
 
What deals do you speak of? I shoot the highest velocity shell I can find for the cheapest price. I'm currently working on hv winchester experts, federal speedshok and ultrashok. They all seem to work well. I got these a couple of years back for 5 bucks a box at a walmart.
 
Thanks for the advice. I've been shooting the Win. Xperts and had so-so luck, but close in they are deadly. My buddy swears by the Estates. Looks like I may need to add Fasteel to the list too
 
For the last 7 years, my partner and I have shot Estate 3", 1 1/4oz, #4s almost exclusively. We've had great luck with them, no complaints. Some of the ones I shot this year are over 2 years old and still performed just fine.
All of these Estate shells have been bought from Able Ammo, which normally has great prices.

This year, I actually bought a case of Rio 3" #3s from Able Ammo ($79.00/case delivered). I used two boxes of them and they worked great too.
 
I've had very good luck with 1 1/8 oz. #3 Winchester Xperts (1550 fps).

I have had terrible luck with Winchester Supreme High Velocity (1450 fps). The 1 1/4 oz. #3's produced an astounding number of cripples.

I've only used Fasteel one time. They were 1 1/4 oz. #3's (1425 fps) and they performed like the Supremes. I imagine the 1 1/8 oz. loads are devastating.

I've seen the debates on other forums regarding high velocity vs. more payload. I am in the high velocity camp.
 
I know you said steel shot, but I bought a bunch of 12 ga. magnum 1 1/4 oz Bismuth shells to shoot ducks with my old Lefever double gun. The magnum Bismuth ended up being too hot for my Lefever so I used it up shooting ducks with my Ruger Red Label.

I'll tell you what, even though they cost 2-3 times as much as steel shot, I felt it was a break even proposition because they were much more deadly than steel shot for me. No more sluicing a bird two or three times, ducks folding up and falling dead in the water like the old lead shot days. You have to adjust your lead because the Bismuth is slower than steel, but for me, that means I'm shooting the same speed shot all season, ducks, pheasants and other upland game, so no more relearning my lead when I switch from waterfowl to upland and back again.

I'm not sure I would buy the more expensive Bismuth for my modern guns, but if it went on any kind of off season sale, I would think about it. I will be buying a lot of 1 1/8 oz Bismuth for my Lefever though.
 
I'm a HUGE fan of the Kent #2s 1625 fps.

That being said, IMO the most important thing is to pattern YOUR gun with various quality loads and determine which it likes the best.

My SBE likes Remington Nitro Mag BBs and Kent 2s the best......
 
Kent Fasteel 3 1/2" BB. I buy it buy the case and shoot it at everything, from puddle ducks to divers to geese. The only change I make is the choke tube. Skeet early in the year when teal and wood ducks are close and fast IC and Mod the rest of the year.
 
Billy, not to be a dickhead but to me shooting a 3.5 inch load of BB's at woodies and teal is like shooting a whitetail deer with an AT4 shoulder fired rocket launcher. WOW!


 
As I read this thread I was recalling my earliy days in the blind and longing for the 2 3/4" Winchester XX 1 1/4oz #5's (lead).....pure death on divers over the blocks.....ah give me the good ol days.
 
Those were killers and I also really loved the 1 1/8 of hard sixes for woodies and teal in the early season. I shot my first goose with that load. Stoned him.

This past teal season I shot the Xpert 1oz 6's and 7's in my 12 and the 3/4 oz load in my 20. The 20 was deadly. I was getting those for $3 bucks a box. Pattern density really does a number on close birds. I think you could shoot sand at them and knock them out of the air.
 
Never duck hunted with lead. The only shells around our house growing up were Remington Power Piston High base #6's . We used them on everything..except deer...then it was Remington 1oz slugs.
 
Never duck hunted with lead......
Click to expand...
In some regards you are lucky Lee; you don't have anything to compare back to... Most of the shells I used on ducks in the pre-steel days were home loads by a school buddy of mine. My God, he had extra powder in those lead #4 shotshells!! It's probably a miracle that our old pump guns didn't explode all over us.... I still have a few of those old shells. I don't know if they are safe to shoot at pheasants now 20+ years later, or if I should just drop them in the bottom of a post hole to rot....
 
Yeah, I remember shooting the same 2 3/4' 1 1/4oz lead 4's and 6's at everything. Makes me wonder why when a new heavy non tox comes out they load it to 1500 fps. I bet most of those loads we remember smashing ducks were probably between 1200 and 1300 fps.

btw I recently read that tungsten shot is going to have a big price jump soon so anyone who uses that and finds a deal better stock up. Jeez, even lead shot is going up fast. Darn world competition for raw materials.

Tim
 
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