Stop the Insanity?!!

[TrapperReady]

I wandered into the local Gander Mountain today, to pick up some 20ga target loads for some folks I'm introducing to sporting clays. With not much time to burn, I walked straight over, picked up a few boxes and started back to the registers.

About halfway there, I stopped dead in my tracks, did a quick double-take, and started laughing... loudly. My kids were trailing by a couple steps and immediately began asking why I'd obviously fallen off my rocker.

Pointing to a large display of non-toxic loads, I showed them the one showing a price of $39 for a box of 10 Hevishot shells. Now, I'll freely admit to spending a ridiculous amount of money on my shooting and hunting. I even spent most of a season using Hevishot on pheasants, just to see how it performed (which was "darned well"). However, that's up in the insane category.

Needless to say, I'll be using the Hevishot I've got stockpiled from previousl seasons... and when that runs out, I'll be using steel. I'll also probably avoid GM.

 

[Virginian]

I found some for I think it was $219.00 for 10 boxes of 10 earlier. Yes it is sad, and Kent tungsten matrix, my favorite, at $419.00 for 10 of 10 is a genuine tragedy, but I am one of those fools who is not going to use steel until there is nothing else available, period. Every years I see my huinting buddy, who will not pay for anything more than steel, kill a bunch of ducks, but lose a bunch more. No thanks.

 

[Red Label]

With the price of all metals going up, shooting is getting much more expensive. I hope I'm wrong but I see the day when lead is outlawed and we are forced to use nontoxic shot for everything. I think the leftists would have their way with us. Who could afford to shoot?

 

[chas08]

About halfway there, I stopped dead in my tracks, did a quick double-take, and started laughing... loudly. My kids were trailing by a couple steps and immediately began asking why I'd obviously fallen off my rocker.

Pointing to a large display of non-toxic loads, I showed them the one showing a price of $39 for a box of 10 Hevishot shells.

Every years I see my huinting buddy, who will not pay for anything more than steel, kill a bunch of ducks, but lose a bunch more. No thanks.

The price jump took place here at the begining of last hunting season. Kent Tungsten -Matrix more than doubled in price. I was paying about $14 for ten rounds, now it's $38 for the same ammo. Kent has priced me out of using my model 12 16 ga on ducks. Hevi-Shot, Remington HD, and all the others have followed suit. Steel is now the only reasonably priced non- toxic option. I still have about 200 rounds of the Remington hevi-shot. when it runs out, it may be "back to steel only for me." I still use steel only for geese in my 10 gauges at $220 for a 250 round case its a bargain compared to other non-toxic options. In all fairness to the industry though, the steel shotshells of today are far superior to those in the begining. I can't remember the last time I saw a "scuffed through" shot cup and I pick up a lot of them. Most folks fail miserably in selecting their shot size. With steel it's important to move up about Two shot sizes over what you would choose in lead. Happy Waterfowling.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Guess I'll miser out my remaining Hevi-2s. I noted whe I bought them that one shell cost about the same then as a box of my target reloads. Guess the ratio's about the same now.

 

[JohnBT]

I'm thinking about reloading Tungsten Super Shot when I run out of Hevi-shot. The stuff sounds almost too good to be true ballistics-wise.

www.tungstensupershot.com/pages/product.asp?cat=4&code=K-12-07-1SS

 

[gunut]

I stopped hunting ducks/geese back when the feds first made steel/nontox shot manditory....and did not hunt waterfowl again untill the 90s....This may be my last year as my supply of bismuth anf tung/matrix is just about run out....I for one will not buy a State stamp Fed Stamp and pay 35/40 a 10 shot box for shells I can shoot in older guns and have the thump needed to actualy kill game humanely....

 

[35 Whelen]

I've been shooting trap and loading my own since I was since my early teens...which amounts to over 30 years. Shot prices haven't changed all the much in those 30 years. It was around $12-$13 back in the '70's when I started and I remember one point it went up to around $20 a bag. I was told this was due to the construction of a nuclear power plant whose walls or a portion of the walls were biult of lead.
Anyhow, we're at war so LOTS of lead and copper are being used for bullets. I predict that when the military stops using ammunition at its current levels, the price of lead, copper and other metals will come down.
35W

 

[rantingredneck]

Geez. Makes me glad I don't waterfowl hunt.

I've thought of trying those "dead coyote" loads out on yotes a couple times. Then I see the pricetag and that thought passes.