Steel yourself

Much has been written about the pros and cons of steel shot but we’ve all forgotten to talk to the true experts, says Simon Reinhold

- Simon Reinhold

Twenty years ago, when restrictions on the use of lead shot on the foreshore came in, the steel shot cartridges commercially available to wildfowlers were not good enough. Steel shot has been playing catch-up ever since and still struggles to slough off its poor reputation. But there was a small band of committed shooters who started experimenting by loading their own. Is it possible that they might have some insights into the future of shooting live quarry with a shotgun over the next few years?

Graham Howse is secretary of Wells & District Wildfowlers Club and has been home-loading steel for 20 years. “I use it for fowling, of course, but also for game shooting and pigeon shooting without any problems, but you do have to experiment to find what works for you,” he says.

To get the best out of steel, he adds, you have to get it going as fast as you can. It’s important to remember that not all steel shot is the same. Some of the best comes from China: “It’s really good, very uniform in size and easy to load,” says Graham.

“I like to buffer my loads for geese and use Mix 47 buffer, which was specially developed for steel shot. It’s essentially a very fine grain powder. I also use ‘wad slick’ in the cartridge when loading, which is a slippery powder. I coat the steel shot with that then buffer it. It’s all about reducing friction and driving it at speed.”

Clean kills