Shooting pigeons with steel
Peter Theobald tests the proof of the steel ‘pudding’ with an open mind and is pleasantly surprised
Up until now, I have managed to steer clear of the debate on the phasing out of lead shot for the killing of game, including woodpigeons. But now is the time to address the reality: lead is dead, and steel shot is the most likely candidate to replace it, particularly for us pigeon shooters.
If you are paying in excess of £800 for a 200-bird pheasant day, an extra £75 for 50 Bismuth shells is no big deal, but a big day at the pigeons, where you could easily fire 200 shots, will cost you an eye watering £300 in cartridges alone.
So, the big question is, can steel cut the mustard for pigeons over decoys? I couldn’t care less whether it will kill an 80 yard pheasant, as some pundits assure me that lead will, even though it will take the average gun 10–15 shots to pull off this feat. If my average on pigeons was in the region of one bird per 10 shots, I would conclude that I was shooting at birds that were out of range.
Hopeless
Unfortunately, when duck shooters were forced to abandon lead and use steel shot, it was not fit for purpose. Other countries, like the US, switched earlier than us, and realised that they needed to ‘beef ’ up the cartridges, which meant increased pressures and higher proof requirements. Gun manufacturers started producing guns that could handle these ‘hot’ shells, so the transition from lead to steel was seamless. However, we still wanted to use our old side-by-sides handed down over the generations, so the loads designed for these guns were hopeless.
Stories abounded of ducks being knocked down, but recovering and flying off. Hardened wildfowlers soon followed the Americans and bought a gun that could take the more powerful shells.
Those with long memories probably think modern steel cartridges are the same as 25 years ago, but vast improvements have been made. It was about time I tested the modern steel cartridges on an average day’s pigeon shooting. As the renowned cook Mrs Beeton once said on being asked how to cook a hare: “First catch your hare.” In this case we needed pigeons, so in stepped Tim Barber,
a shooting pal, who just happened to have a situation where 600-plus pigeons were attacking patches of laid barley. Surveying the situation late one afternoon it soon became obvious that it was not going to be easy. The field was large, some 130 acres, and surrounded by woodland. There were small flattened areas everywhere and birds were just peeling out of the woods to land pretty much anywhere.
After two hours of watching, we identified an area that seemed to be more popular, with a large flat patch where we had the chance of a decent pick-up should things go well. We intended to banger some areas and flag others, hoping the power of our shot would prevent pigeons getting in to feed elsewhere. A friend of Tim’s volunteered to cover the spot we were going to banger.
Tim managed to persuade Dave Poole, the owner of our local gun shop in Boreham, to sponsor the day with a slab of Eley VIP 32g 5s, loaded with Eley’s eco wad. One of the biggest moans about steel cartridges is the recoil, but Dave reassured us that the eco wad actually made these shells softer to shoot than the equivalent lead ones.
Distance
The early rain was meant to ease by midday, so we were not surprised that the field was deserted at 11.30, a misty drizzle discouraging any movement. We set up where we intended and I took the trouble to pace the distance from our hides to the far edge of the laid patch. It was exactly 30 yards but it looked further and I wondered if the people who claim to shoot birds at 80 yards and over are just not very good at judging distances. Anyway, with the rain still falling, we awaited our first customers and 10 minutes later two obliged. I had the honour of firing the first shot, so as the two birds approached the tree we were sitting under I gently stood up to shoot.
Turning away at 25 yards, they presented my favourite shot, and both collapsed in an impressive cloud of feathers. The perfect start and my confidence in the shells immediately flowed. They were, indeed, extremely soft to shoot, but how effective would they be at longer ranges?
The rain persisted throughout the afternoon but while the action could not be described as frenetic, we had a steady flow of birds heading our way. Anything that decoyed within our 30-yard patch was killed as cleanly as it would be with lead, but it was noticeable that beyond this range the ratio of ‘winged’ birds increased.
I compensated for this by giving these birds a bit more lead, killing some genuine 40-yarders. Tim had trouble adapting and probably shot below his normal standard.
My conclusion is that you should try steel with an open mind and perhaps restrict the range in which you take birds on until you are confident in a cartridge. Because I was not firing at 50-yarders, my average was actually better than with lead.
Perhaps if we stopped attempting the ‘gallery’ shot, beyond our skill level, we could accept that the arrival of steel cartridges is not the end of shotgun shooting as we know it. By the way, we got wet and bagged 52 pigeons.
“I wonder if people who claim to shoot birds at 80 yards aren’t good at judging distances?”