steel shot

[wankerjake]

Hey guys I'm not familiar with steel shot but a buddy just bought a shotgun and it came with two boxes of 7 1/2 steel shot. The guy he bought it from (also a friend, they both know little about shotguns) said he doesn't remember what choke is in the shotgun but it is one that is not to be used with steel shot. So, I said I would trade him straight across for two boxes of lead shot. I am shooting an 870 express with a modified choke. I did a search but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. Anyway it is ok for me to shoot steel shot thru my modified choke no? Just want to make sure before I shoot it.

Before you ask, the other shotgun is a benelli nova, and the original owner said the choke in it is the "standard" choke and the instruction manual says not to shoot steel thru it. These instructions are vague obviously, but does anyone know what the stock choke is for a Nova? It came with numerous chokes (which he lost) but I got the impression that he didn't change out the one that it came with. I would assume modified but that is a guess. I am fairly confident that the steel shot in question can be shot safely out of my 870 but just wanted to make sure. Thanks.

 

[6x6pinz]

You will need to be using steel shot (or non toxic shot) if you are shooting near a registered waterway here in AZ. Most of the better shotguns today are rated for steel. What I have noticed is a need to use one choke setting tighter for steel than for lead. You will also need to be using steel rated choke inserts or barrels rated for steel shot. The choke tubes should state wether they are steel rated, if not stated I would assume lead only.
I am assuming you have a conventional barrel rather than a rifled barrel on the benelli. If so you should have screw in chokes. Simply remove it and it should be labeled as to which choke it is.

 

[Virginian]

Standard RemChokes up thru Modified are okay for steel to size #2. Remington also makes a steel rated Full tube, and it says for lead or steel and FULL right on the tube. It is made out of maraging steel and it is not cheap, but I can personally vouch for that one being tough.
I know nothing about Benelli's choke tubes.
You can get steel rated tubes for everything from Carlson's or Briley's - some of them are extended chokes.
I believe they usually say you can get by with one degree less of choke with steel than you would normally use with lead.

 

[MCgunner]

7.5 steel? Wow, that's shoot maybe 25 feet before it falls in the dirt, LOL. Okay, an exaggeration, but there's no steel shot law YET in my neck of the woods for quail hunting. I shoot 3s in 2 3/4" high speed 12 on ducks and it kills 'em just as dead as the 3" loads I used to use of normal velocity. I like the new high speed stuff, 1550 fps, with lighter charges of steel for ducks over decoys. To my knowledge, Kent started it with the "fasteel" line, but Winchester picked it up with the Expert Hi Velocity loads and I saw Remington on the shelf at Walmart last year with a 1550 fps duck load. It's the rage in the marshes down here, now, and for a reason, it works. I settled on number 3 because in both my 12s, for some reason, it patterns best. Number 4 is a little light, anyway, for shots over 35 yards, but it just don't pattern that well from my guns, not as well as does number 3s. Pattern is everything. Whatever you decide on for steel if you need steel, pattern it. Every gun will act different and there's nothing written in stone. On the average, a lead modified will give the densest pattern usually, but sometimes I/C actually works better with some individual loads. General rule of thumb is USUALLY, a choke more open for a given pattern in steel vs lead. Steel loads are some weird stuff and don't always follow convention for choke selection.