Using Lead-Free Cartridges for Clays

Really, how effective are lead-free alternatives on clays? Are there issues with shot density, stringing, velocity, and terminal performance, and are there any range limitations? The move from lead shot to alternatives, such as steel, bismuth, and tungsten, is gathering pace, with more and more manufacturers offering specific loads and alternatives to your regular game and clay lead shot ammunition.

In the search for answers, we took several varieties along to GB Shooting, where Guy Bond and Jake tested a selection of lead-free ammo on Guy’s excellent clay layout.

We also wanted to see how lead-free game ammunition patterned and performed on clays, as this would give some indication of any differences out in the field. It’s not just the lead shot that has been exchanged for a non-toxic alternative, as the casings or wads now also play a vital role in achieving a viable and effective non-lead alternative.

Ammo stats

You have to remember that there are two steel loadings, either standard or high performance. It’s very important to differentiate between the two, due to pressure issues and older guns.

With standard performance cartridges, it is safe to use No.4 (or smaller) steel shot in your gun, so long as it is nitro-proofed and can fire modern-day lead shot. In order to use high-performance steel, the gun needs to display the fleur-de-lys proof mark, and you will often find ‘steel shot’ also stamped on the barrel.

Chokes are also an issue, as steel shot should only be fired through guns with chokes of ½ or less when using high-performance ammunition. Standard steel shot loads (No. 3 or less) can be shot through any choke. In fact, steel shot through a ½ choke performs much like a full choke would while using lead shot, so more open is safer and still useable. The use of more than 1/2 choke can blow your patterns, reducing performance.

Due to the density difference of steel, if you usually shoot a load with No. 6 shot, then when using the steel alternative, choose a shot size two sizes bigger. You will notice the patterns are tighter, so you still have a lethal pattern using the larger steel overall, despite there being fewer pellets than the equivalent lead load. But some say even with the smaller or regular shot size, the extra pellets in the pattern add up to a high-energy strike anyway. Let’s see.

Due to steel being a lighter material than lead, it will have different ballistic properties. Hopefully, with Guy’s help on ‘real life’ clays, we might be able to dispel any doubts about steel cartridges and see how effective they are, as well as examine the biodegradable wads after firing.

Ammunition

Jake uses the 24-gram No. 7.5 Blue Diamond lead cartridges for clays, and these would be our control. One of the three steel loads that we used is the Eley VIP Steel (28-gram | No. 7s) with the Pro Eco wad. They feature a recyclable plastic casing and the wad is made from organic materials. If the wad is not dissolved in water by direct contact, then it will degrade of its own accord within 30 days. It will then fragment into the soil after a further three months, making it ideal for all clay or game shooting.

Next up are the Bio Ammo Rex Steel cartridges (Standard Performance | 24-gram |No. 7). These use steel shot and are 100% eco-friendly, as Bio Ammo has developed the first truly 0% plastic cartridge, with biodegradable, biocompostable, non-toxic wads and cases.

Finally, we have the Jocker Bio Sport cartridges, which are the cheapest steel load of the bunch. They use a light load (21-gram | No. 7) and a wad system made from a mixture of paper, fibre, and cork material, which is, of course, highly bio-degradable.

Results

Using the Browning Shadow on ¼ choke, the Blue Diamond shot lovely patterns, with a total of 270 pellets on the board. These were distributed with 151 inner hits (15” centre) and 119 outer, so good coverage, and this was our control pattern.

Next up - the Bio Ammo Rex Steel on ¼ choke. We counted a total of 257 pellets, so pretty close to the Blue Diamond. They were distributed with 183 inner strikes and 74 outer hits, so a tighter pattern, as expected. We also shot this load on ½ choke to see what would happen to the pattern. The results showed that the shot count was reduced to a total of 245 pellets, with 167 inner hits and 78 outer strikes, with some off the board. So, the tighter choke blew/widened the pattern.

We also shot the Eley VIPs, counting a total of 257 pellet strikes, with 195 outer hits and 62 inner strikes. Overall, a nice and consistent pattern that showed great coverage of the 30” board.

The Jocker Bio Sport on the ¼ choke produced a total of 241 pellets on the board. There were 83 inner strikes and 158 outer hits. Overall, a really lovely and dense-looking pattern with no real holes.

What was also evident on the pattern boards was that steel loads shoot just that bit higher than a normal lead load would, and this was true on the clays as well, so it’s a good idea to remember this and visualise it when taking the shot.

Time to target the clays

Switching our attention to clays, Guy guided Jake through the first trap, which was a going-away bird launched at alternating angles and speeds. Both the Bio Sport and Bio Ammo Rex performed very well, smoking the various birds with ease. In truth, they performed just as well as the Blue Diamond lead loads. So, a good start.

The beauty of Guy’s range is that he can offer any type of bird, tailoring the target to your needs. Next, we had a little more range and speed from naughty Uncle Guy, and these targets came in the form of some very fast, flushed pheasant pairs that came over the hedgerow. Again, the non-lead loads kept up with the birds, but it was evident that the steel was travelling a tad faster than lead, and needed perhaps just that little less lead than normal, although Jake did say, in regards to the pattern height, that his point of aim was the same as the Blue Diamonds.

It was also interesting that the Jocker produced some lovely paper wad confetti. Plus, Jake hit more with the lighter Jocker load than the VIPs.
The next trap allowed us to test effectiveness against high birds, and this time the clays were flying left to right at speed. For a bit of a blind test, Guy juggled the different 12-gauge loads in his pocket, and there were no surprises, so long as the correct lead was observed. The Jocker performed remarkably well, again.

Guy also had some very long-range targets in the form of fast crossers and away birds, all from his unique trap setup. Here, it was evident that the fast steel shot performed the same as lead shot up to about 30 yards. In fact, the pattern boards showed the non-lead did not pattern any tighter in this gun than the Blue Diamond loadings. Nonetheless, the non-lead ammo really smoked the clays. Beyond around 35 yards, we had a few more clipped birds compared to the heavier lead shot of the Blue Diamonds.

Finer details

One thing you will notice is how clean the barrels are after a 100-bird session, as the non-lead shot is enclosed, minimising pellet-to-bore contact, so you have far less fouling in the barrels. The Jocker cartridges with their paper wad seemed almost self-cleaning!

As far as the shooting experience goes (recoil, noise etc.), there was no discernible difference at all. In fact, we were all impressed by how the non-lead varieties performed on the clays, plus being so biodegradable on a clay ground like GB Shooting, the benefits to the environment are obvious. Next time we will be trying out some game loads on the clays, pattern boards, and game, so stay tuned.

Conclusions

We can all see where the industry is going with lead-free ammo, and now we have a good selection to choose from. Plus, it seems to perform very well. With the correct chokes and shot size, the patterns were as good as lead down range, and with the added benefit of bio-degradable internal wad systems, these new cartridges should prove popular amongst game shooters needing a lead-free option.