# Steel Shot Speed, How Important



## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

This is part of my own thinking with all the new super high velocity steel. Maybe my thinking is wrong, but take a look and let me know what you think.

Look at the following pellet ballistics for #2 Steel from Reloading Specialties Data.

#2 1400 fps vs 1600 fps vs 1800 fps

yds vel. energy vel. energy vel. energy
0 1400 15.2 1600 20.0 1800 25.3
10 1092 9.3 1229 11.8 1372 14.7
20 905 6.4 989 7.6 1076 9.0
30 775 4.7 836 5.5 895 6.2
40 673 3.5 723 4.1 768 4.6
50 590 2.7 631 3.1 668 3.5
60 522 2.1 555 2.4 586 2.7
70 463 1.7 493 1.9 518 2.1

As you can see, a 400 fps muzzle velocity different is down to 120 fps difference at 30 yards. While there is a vast difference once you get to 1400 fps and above from the old 1250 and 1300 fps stuff that was originally loaded when steel first was brought out, the additional costs to go to the really high performance stuff really doesn't pay IMO. I would rather take the additional shot in the pattern vs the minute bit of speed you are really gaining at distance as most of the highest velocity stuff has a much smaller payload.


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## jumper (Mar 20, 2005)

lead time to target?


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

some high speed steel doesn't pattern well.

as stated lead time is very important when shooting at a bird that can fly 50 mph


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

I agree on lead time, but most of that is getting use to what you are shooting and judging distance.

That is where I think a lot of guys that are constantly switching shells get the opinion of this or that load kills better. They just finally find a load that is matching their lead.

I also have pics I should post some time of patterning some really high speed T shot and BBB's that have huge holes in the pattern with the pellets clustering. Drop down to a 1450-1500 fps load and the patterns look good.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

sdbf, this has been debated over and over for years. Myself, I am in the camp of what patterns the best as my choice. In my shotguns that I use steel,all of them pattern the 1400 to 1475 fps steel the best. Thus it is what I chose to use. Some of the guys I hunt with run the Kent 1650 fps loads and have found choke combo's that tame them and hold them together.

Thus I always advice people to shoot what patterns best and forget about the speed or weight of the load. Better uniform patterns IMHO kill better and is much more important.


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## duckmander (Aug 25, 2008)

I was using 3" #2's at 1 1/4 oz. factory loads and doing a great job of killing mallards. through my mod and IM chokes. 
When I started loading I duplicated that load with a couple of loads I found in the books. and they worked just as good. All of them running around 1500 fps. I never patterned these loads

Then I found the rsi manual. and started using some 7/8 to 1 1/16 oz. loads running between 1630 to 1775 through the same chokes. These loads helped me to make more one shot kills. I was also like the rest of you thinking about the lead differance. when I lead birds normally I usually shot in front of them. so I just started aiming at the tip of their beaks. and it worked great for a while. then I started missing birds. so I started back with my normal lead. and started killing them again.I did pattern several loads and found 4 loads I like best in my gun. the ones that pattern best.

My normal lead is I get on plain with target start behind said target swing trough the target and slap the trigger at the very point I want to hit the target. I use this lead with my recurve bow, compound bow, shotgun,3006, 270,22,17mach II, everything I shoot with I use the same lead. no matter the speed of the projectile. or the distance to the target. the lead is always the same.

Now this is what I do. I am sure you have your own style. which works great for you.

I recently loaded up some loads only running 1400 fps. I have hunted with them a couple of times this year. I managed to hit a mallard drake at about 30 yards which crumbled hard. when the dog brought it to me I laid it down at my feet and it was holding its head up. and was postured like it was sitting on the ground. not laying on the ground like it was dead. so I had to properly finish it. when cleaning the bird I found pellets in the breast of the bird.

So my conclusion is with the shot moving less then 1550 fps it dont penetrate as good as it does at 1630 plus fps. which most of my birds taken last year has no shot in the breast. and the dog delivered them to me dead limp dead not holding their heads up. 
Therefore in my own personal instance I prefer to shoot faster speeds. no need to go overboard with it but I like mine some where between 1600 and 1700 fps. But thats just me. it patterns well through my setup and it kills dead more often then the slower stuff does for me.


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## jumper (Mar 20, 2005)

Is the coefficient of friction the same on some of the new shot vs. the round sphere? Maybe these new shapes will maintain there velocity better. It helped us against the Brits muskets vs. our Kentucky rifles in the hand of ordinary citizens. "Assault weapon's"


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

I can't find the pellet ballistics anywhere for the BC flitestopper pellet.

I will say this, if it did cut the air better, they would load it in the front and not in the rear of the shotcup.

I believe most of the improvement with the BC steel is in the wad design and the rest is a marketing gadget to market lower priced miss-shapen pellets at a higher price.


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## duckmander (Aug 25, 2008)

southdakbearfan said:


> I believe most of the improvement with the BC steel is in the wad design and the rest is a marketing gadget to market lower priced miss-shapen pellets at a higher price.


I have to agree with you on this. I too dont see how a flying saucer shape can fly straight without swarming everywhere and out of the pattern. If it was that good they would not use regular shot with it.


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## jumper (Mar 20, 2005)

Any kid with a sling shot know's a round marble flies better than a rock. That why I could never understand the claims of such good patterns with heavy shot . Cut one open its all shapes.


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