Steel Shot Review - Shotgun Pattern Information

Just as each waterfowler has their favorite techniques to pursue waterfowl they also have their preference of shotgun shells. The selection is generally made based of several different factors that include: manufacturer reputation, availability, cost, past experiences, etc. Although each of these may hold some validity the best way to determine which is best for you to use is to take the time to pattern your shotgun and choke combinations with a variety of different shotshells. This process will help to ensure that your selection maximizes vital pellet concentration increasing clean kills and reducing cripples.

For those who reload their own shells, it is possible to tweak your reloads to fit your personal needs and also create loads that match the performance of your shotgun\choke combination. For others who do not reload the debate rages on about the best performing shotshell. In recent years the world of waterfowl shotshells has been constantly evolving. Each season is accompanied by new options for non-toxic loads. Recent emphasis on increasing speed has definitely improved the knockdown power of popular loads. However, speed is not the only indicator of what shotshell to choose. Each shell performs differently with different combinations of shotgun and choke system, therefore it is essential to pattern your shotgun with the shotshells you will plan on using in the fall.

I spent a recent Saturday morning testing some of the most available and most popular shotgun shells on the market. I tested each load at 25, 35 and 45 yards with a Benelli Nova using a factory Steel - Modified choke. At each distance I shot two shots of each manufacturer shells to ensure consistency and avoid any misrepresentation of the shell performance.

Listed below is a graph of the 3 ½ inch goose loads that I tested.

In this first test, the Federal Load performed the best and had the highest number of pellets in the kill zone at all three distances. The overall average for the Federal Load was 59.43 BBs in the target zone but a close second was the Fasteel by Kent with an overall average of 51.23 BBs in the target zone. In third was the Winchester load at 45.73 and finishing last was the Fiocchi load which averaged 42.34 BBs in the target zone.

The second test that I performed provided the opportunity to see the vital pellet concentration advantages of using a 3 ½ inch shot over a 3 inch load. Included below is the list of the shotgun shells tested.

I knew that there would be an increased number of pellets with the 3 ½ inch load, but I was interested in how much of an increase there was. The 3 ½ inch shell provided an increase of approximately 30% over the 3 inch shell. These increased pellets definitely could equate to decreased cripples. However, you do sacrifice some speed with the particular manufacturer load that I tested.

I also tested some popular duck loads at 35 yards. Listed below are the details on the shotgun shells tested:

The Federal load averaged just over 89 pellets, Fasteel averaged around 68 pellets while the Remington averaged 73 pellets.

By no means is this study completely conclusive, however it did demonstrate that different shotgun shells perform differently than you may expect. The same test performed with a different combination of shotgun and choke system may produce completely different results. Therefore it is very important to take some time to test the performance of your shotgun.

The summer is a great time to prepare for the upcoming season, one thing that is often overlooked by many waterfowlers is testing the performance of perhaps the most important piece of equipment….your shotgun shell. Take advantage of a couple free hours this summer and test the shotshells that you are currently using, you will definitely learn something and it will also help you bag more birds and avoid cripples in the fall.