Is bismuth shot worth it?

[BeeMaa]

What is it almost 2 g/cm squared more weight then Steel? I would go tss every either first shell or third depending on what kind of shooter you are.

I've had some friends do this. The same friends who forget what load they have up the next time they pull the trigger and curse the shell for their misfortune. Keep it simple with all of one type of load or use a double barrel (with double triggers) to be able to choose what you are shooting.

 

[BWH]

Personally, as a waterfowler….. how much do you hunt? If you shoot a lot, you may not go to the expense. However, if you are are not cost prohibitive or more concerned with body count then go with Boss Shells. Pound for pound they are killers. Yes they do cost more. Assuming your shots are fairly true, you will see more clean kills than the cheap stuff off shelves. If only going once or twice a year, the heavy bismuth will save your bacon and you’re out the same amount of cash. They kill at 2x+ the level. My experience.

 

[Pheroze]

Personally, as a waterfowler….. how much do you hunt? If you shoot a lot, you may not go to the expense. However, if you are are not cost prohibitive or more concerned with body count then go with Boss Shells. Pound for pound they are killers. Yes they do cost more. Assuming your shots are fairly true, you will see more clean kills than the cheap stuff off shelves. If only going once or twice a year, the heavy bismuth will save your bacon and you’re out the same amount of cash. They kill at 2x+ the level. My experience.

I have heard a lot about Boss but we can't get them in Canada. Kent is available here and they have both Bismuth and Tungsten

 

[Rimshot]

Bismuth only makes sense in a gun that might be damaged by steel. The difference in density is marginal, and some other properties are inferior (brittle, less round)

 

[Pheroze]

Bismuth only makes sense in a gun that might be damaged by steel. The difference in density is marginal, and some other properties are inferior (brittle, less round)

I have pretty much settled on tungsten matrix as the way to go. It's just like any hunt, why jeopardize your chances with inferior ammunition? But, man is it expensive.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

When I first started waterfowling I was given a piece of advice that seems to hold true. Money spent on clays is money saved on ducks, I try to load my clay loads at the same speed as what I intend to hunt with. For me atleast it allowed me to learn my lead while use shells worth cents to save on shells worth dollars.

We all spend hundreds on practice ammunition and hours on the range for large game, I believe small game deserves the same consideration. I don’t shoot expensive shells becouse I get more birds with it I shoot it becouse I kill more of the birds I hit. Loosing cripples is the single worst part of waterfowl For me. In one of the above posts someone mentioned planning to shoot geese multiple times I doubt any of use would set out this fall planning to have to shoot a deer multiple times.

 

[Pheroze]

We all spend hundreds on practice ammunition and hours on the range for large game, I believe small game deserves the same consideration. I don’t shoot expensive shells becouse I get more birds with it I shoot it becouse I kill more of the birds I hit. Loosing cripples is the single worst part of waterfowl For me. In one of the above posts someone mentioned planning to shoot geese multiple times I doubt any of use would set out this fall planning to have to shoot a deer multiple times.

Well said and totally agree.

 

[BRICKBURN]

That is an interesting trade off of shot size over spread density.

After watching smaller steel shot rattle off birds I quit using it at all.
Modified Choke, BBB., Quality Shells I have dropped Snow Geese at distances most would not bother shooting.
I shotgun enough in a year to know the proper leads at distance.

I’d suggest you try both out.
I would not do the mix and match your buddy does. Use the same load. Speed, lead don’t need to change.

 

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I handload and use both; steel in my 12 gauge 870 (which does most of my serious waterfowling work) and bismuth for my thinner barreled 1100 and my smaller gauges (16 and 20 gauge). I also like to hunt with traditional muzzleloaders (including shotguns), and steel is not an alternative for a black powder double. I've gone to bismuth for all my upland work, for a few reasons 1.) if I jump a wood duck or mallard off of a pot hole or drainage ditch while hunting pheasants or grouse, I'm still legal 2.) I don't have to worry about the toxicity of lead when eating/canning game birds and 3.) there are a lot of areas where you can't legally use lead.....either due to govt. regs (areas that are primarily considered wetlands, but have some upland cover for rabbits, pheasants, etc) or because the landowner doesn't lead used. We have a local pheasant preserve that insists (now) that everyone use 'steel shot only'. Having seen what a 1 oz load of steel can do to a close flushing rooster, I asked if I bismuth was an alternative. They said 'yes'.......I think that they are concerned with the environmental impact of all the lead shotshells being fired on their tower hunts.

 

[BeeMaa]

I have pretty much settled on tungsten matrix as the way to go. It's just like any hunt, why jeopardize your chances with inferior ammunition? But, man is it expensive.

I just bought some 3.5" tungsten Turkey loads costing $10 per shell. Yeah it's up there, but at least during Turkey season I only shoot a couple of times.

 

[Rimshot]

I just bought some 3.5" tungsten Turkey loads costing $10 per shell. Yeah it's up there, but at least during Turkey season I only shoot a couple of times.

Watch the sales and sometimes you can snag for "only" around $6 per shell after clearance price+rebates. After trying a box and dropping a tundra swan at an absurdly long range, I got a lifetime supply once I found a deal for all my turkey/swan shooting.

The TSS is pretty amazing. I've used these for 'special occasions' like tundra swan where you only get 1 tag and shots can be long. This stuff is much denser (almost 50%?) than lead and has superior energy and penetration.

The tungsten matrix is (if I understand correctly) a mix of tungsten powder with plastic that makes it around the same density as lead (maybe a little more). It performs equivalent to lead and is much cheaper than TSS. Unfortunately I haven't seen any on the shelves here in a long time.

I still contend that for a high volume waterfowl shooter, none of these make any sense over iron (steel), except for the occasional novelty of shooting your classic double gun from the blind. I make pretty good money, and shooting a case of bismuth or tungsten matrix (or TSS if you're Jeff Bezos) every season would be an absurd waste. If you're getting longer shots, step up in shot size and use 3.5" 12 gauge to maintain pattern density. I have found that for the mix of mallards and canada geese I commonly encounter, a 3.5" shell with #1 steel is ideal. If it's only a goose hunt then BB, BBB. I have found that 'cripples' are extraordinarily rare - 99% of the time the bird folds and splats for good, or I miss entirely.