Question about Remington Hevi Shot

[MCgunner]

I was just scannin' the mack's prairie wing's site and seems my old favorite Federal Tungsten Iron has gone up and Remington Hevi Shot has gotten cheaper. I can get 10 rounds in 20 gauge for 16 bucks.

What I'm wondering is, does Remington's Hevi Shot require less choke than lead, IOWs like Steel and Tungsten Iron, you want a modified pattern, go with a lead IC choke????? I was thinking of getting a supply over the spring/summer of this stuff in 20 gauge so I can use my new Remington Spartan on a few duck hunts next season. I normally shoot steel in 12 gauge, but figure the 20 could use some help. Too, the only choke tubes, according to the Remington site, approved for steel shot is the IC and cylinder bore chokes. Wondering if the heavy shot could be used with the full/modified tubes like lead or if it's hard enough to mess those chokes up and need to be fired out of an open choke for better patterns?

IC works pretty good out of a 12 with steel in 12 gauge. I'd like to have a full choke pattern in the gun, of course, if I'm going to use it on ducks. Also, if this Hevi Shot didn't hurt lead choke tubes, it might not hurt my old double 12 that's not steel shot compatible.

Any info on this stuff is appreciated. I know it's killer good ammo, should be for the price. I'm probably going to do most of my duck hunting with my Winchester 12 next season, but I like variety sometimes. I like for a shotgun I own to be able to take ducks, since that's mostly what I hunt with one. I shot a lot of ducks when I was a kid with a 20 gauge 870 and #6 lead 2 3/4 inch loads. A 3" Hevi Shot load should be pretty killer out of the 20. I don't like spending that much on ammo, of course, so all this is in the thinking stage. Right now, I just need info on it. Another thing I'm thinkin', if I can shoot the Hevi Shot in a full choke for a full choke pattern, I can load a steel in the IC for a modified pattern and save money at the same time, but have a very effective full choke for the high flyers and occasional goose I might get a shot at.

 

[Upriver]

Yup,

You use a more open choke - I think hevishot has a guideline on their website, but, of course, you'll have to pattern your gun. I've been pretty happy using a mod choke with #4's and #6's in my Mossberg 835 (and getting full patterns), but I know quite a few guys that shoot Hevishot through I/C.

For what it's worth, I went from shooting 3", #2 steel to 2-3/4, #4 & #6 hevishot... (and getting way better results).

 

[ArmedBear]

A recent American Rifleman went through a lot of this stuff. Good article, with charts.

Also, AFAIK, this year Remington starting loading their own proprietary alloy, not Hevi-Shot. The prices you see are probably clearance prices.

Also AFAIK, Hevi-Shot is quite hard, though I'm not sure if it's as hard as steel. It does require steel-rated choke tubes and barrels, and I think it patterns like steel (i.e. a lot tighter than lead for a given choke constriction). Whether it patterns the same as steel is another question.

Remington's new alloy is softer, so it patterns more like lead, I think. http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/shotshell/wingmaster_HD.asp

I figure I can get skunked with steel just as easily as with a newfangled alloy. But if I ever actually see any ducks, I'll have to try some of the new stuff.

 

[TrapperReady]

MCg- I've shot a lot of Hevishot over the past two years. First of all, I really like the way it performs on ducks, geese and pheasants. When shooting lead, I like to hunt with a FULL choke most of the time. With Hevishot, I go with IC if I'm shooting over decoys and MOD for pass-shooting and pheasants.

My favorite load for ducks is 12ga 2 3/4" Hevishot with #6 shot. I've used that on a couple of geese that came into the decoys, and both times they were dead in the air. For some reason, the #4s didn't pattern too well for me... but that's OK since the #6s work great.

I do usually keep a handful of steel #7s in my coat for finishing off any wounded birds on the water.

 

[MCgunner]

WELL SHOOT!:banghead: I went to the mack's prairie wings site and Bismuth is just as cheap as hevi shot! They're gettin' 17 bucks a box in 20 gauge 3". AND, according to the Bismuth site, it patterns like lead and is safe in any lead choke or any gun. I've never considered Bismuth because of the cost of the stuff, but apparently it's come down a LITTLE, too, not much. But, I'm back to thinkin' a steel in the open choke, but a full in the rear trigger's barrel and load it with Bismuth and I got a killer 20 gauge duck combo and don't have to break the bank if the ducks are setting into the deeks like they should and I'm mostly pullin' the front trigger. So, I think I'll buy some Bismuth to pattern and maybe stock up on that over summer.

I could buy 2 3/4" Hevi Shot 12 gauge for the Winchester and load 'em in the mag with a steel in the barrel. That way, the long second shots I have a little more pop. Might pick up a few boxes of 12 ga Hevi Shot for that tactic, too.

I guess I got plenty to think over here. I currently have five boxes of Federal Tungsten Iron left over from the last year I had a goose lease. That stuff used to be about 14 a box in 3" 12, but it's gone WAY up over 20 bucks a box! I'm thinkin' the price of Tungsten must've gone out of sight.

 

[Upriver]

I got shoddy patterns with bismuth in my Stevens 311 (m/f, 28"), but pretty nice ones with the Kent tungsten-polymer stuff - I'd buy a little and pattern it first. I couldn't tell you how it patterns out of the 835, I've never tried it (got a deal on a bunch a while back, and squirreled it away for the days that I'm not in a boat, and jump shooting with the 311).

FWIW, I seem to be on a similar plan as Trapper, as I keep a handful of #6 steel to reload with and swat wounded birds after I've emptied... ducks are kind of an opportunistic thing for me (I rarely get to set out dekes) so most of my shots are passing...