Distance lead travels

minktrapper

Anybody know how far lead shot travels after being fired. Let's say at at a typical clay shoot.

Cass

I believe the average is in the 200 yard mark. Depending on shot size it can be slightly further or considerably less. Angle also plays a role, but i assume that is factored in.

minktrapper

I presume that would be 7/8 shot size.

J.R.

300 yards now seems to be the distance

https://basc.org.uk/blog/press-releases/scotlandnews/how-far-does-gunshot-travel/

Mach Two

Has there been any talk on the toxicity of lead shot from clay shooting. It has to land somewhere. If every shot is an ounce of lead then it wouldn't be long accumulating.

cavan shooter

Mach Two wrote:

Has there been any talk on the toxicity of lead shot from clay shooting. It has to land somewhere. If every shot is an ounce of lead then it wouldn't be long accumulating.

Most lead shot for clays has a high antinomy content. Every know and again it pops up with the tree huggers I'd suggest natural levels in certain areas would be higher.

Half-cocked

When setting up a clay shoot, organizers are supposed to observe a safe fallout distance of 275 metres/300 yards. This distance has a big safety margin allowed and takes into account angle of shot, tail winds etc. Max shot size allowed in competition clay shooting is no.6. Larger shot sizes have the potential to travel further.

In tests, the longest distance that no. 6 shot could be made travel was 240 metres. This was with the gun fired at approx. 30 degrees from horizontal. Not to say that new cartridges coming onto the market since the tests were carried out might travel further. Some of the Italian made trap cartridges pack a serious punch.

123shooter

Half-cocked wrote: »

When setting up a clay shoot, organizers are supposed to observe a safe fallout distance of 275 metres/300 yards. This distance has a big safety margin allowed and takes into account angle of shot, tail winds etc. Max shot size allowed in competition clay shooting is no.6. Larger shot sizes have the potential to travel further.

In tests, the longest distance that no. 6 shot could be made travel was 240 metres. This was with the gun fired at approx. 30 degrees from horizontal. Not to say that new cartridges coming onto the market since the tests were carried out might travel further. Some of the Italian made trap cartridges pack a serious punch.

Where are these tests?

Half-cocked

123shooter wrote: »

Where are these tests?

I've got them in an English CPSA safety manual published about 15 years back. As I said, some more recent cartridges to hit the market might go further, so don't take it as gospel. Also, the tests were specific to competition loads, hunting loads might go further as well. And I have no info on steel shot.

123shooter

Mach Two wrote: »

Has there been any talk on the toxicity of lead shot from clay shooting. It has to land somewhere. If every shot is an ounce of lead then it wouldn't be long accumulating.

This could be true that's why some clay shoots took place in quarries. But then other factors come in like how much heavy metal is already present in the soil etc. This question has arisen a long time back and in some cases the lead from car exhausts (gone now) was worse especially by motorways which didn't stop them growing food from that land and the farmer also got a free dose of nitrogen from the exhausts as well.

I think lead shot was more of a problem over waterways where some birds ate it and then it gets ground up in the digestive system.

At this time plastic wadding was being introduced and plastic was more of a problem and is a massive problem now as that breaks down and releases chemicals. At the time it was being eaten by the livestock by accident and causing problems there so we had to pick up after clay shoots.

123shooter

I would be amazed to see 6, 7 & 8's travel probably half that distance. (300 yds).

cavan shooter

123shooter wrote:

At this time plastic wadding was being introduced and plastic was more of a problem and is a massive problem now as that breaks down and releases chemicals. At the time it was being eaten by the livestock by accident and causing problems there so we had to pick up after clay shoots.

Lots of shoots in the UK want fibre wads. Tis possible to purchase fibre wads and photo degradeable wads also.

It's possible to pick up the plastic wads, they tend to drop in the same place.

123shooter

cavan shooter wrote: »

Lots of shoots in the UK want fibre wads. Tis possible to purchase fibre wads and photo degradeable wads also.

It's possible to pick up the plastic wads, they tend to drop in the same place.

There was no problem for probably 100 years with fibre wads people still hit the target and I wonder how much if any the advantage of a plastic cup wad. In fact at first the plastic replacements were only a plastic wad not a cup.

I dont think there was a problem with waxed cardboard cartridges either.

Shot and bullets are still found in the ground after many years so they do not dissolve away.

minktrapper

I see on a utube video in Spain where they have a "hill" that they shoot in to. It is covered with Mypex or something similar. I presume the lead shot falls down along it and can be collected at some stage.

cavan shooter

The wad protects the pellets from deformation and confines the string a little bit longer, apparently you will get a better pattern......bit overly complicated for me...pull trigger....bang...clay breaks or bird drops....simples. ..

Gravelly

On some ranges in America they use a machine that strips the top couple of inches of soil, washes out the lead shot, and uses it for reloading.

Nekarsulm

123shooter wrote: »

I would be amazed to see 6, 7 & 8's travel probably half that distance. (300 yds).

Only danger is when a group of pieces of shot get ground together and amalgamated to form a heavier larger pellet.
This will travel much further than normal shot. It's called "shot stringing ".

minktrapper

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Only danger is when a group of pieces of shot get ground together and amalgamated to form a heavier larger pellet.
This will travel much further than normal shot. It's called "shot stringing ".

Incorrect I think. A shot string is the length of shot after it leaves the barrel. There is another name for what you're talking about.

123shooter

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Only danger is when a group of pieces of shot get ground together and amalgamated to form a heavier larger pellet.
This will travel much further than normal shot. It's called "shot stringing ".

If that happens I would think it would fly off in any direction.

Two shoots I used to attend regularly were in fields right next to a busy UK motorway and although we didn't shoot directly at the motorway, we were easily within 50 yards of it and nobody ever bagged a Ford Escort. Saw some bits fly off a Morris Marina once or twice but that was standard for those cars anyway.

I always thought the larger the shot the less accurate it became at range. 9 shot buckshot being an example.

minktrapper

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Only danger is when a group of pieces of shot get ground together and amalgamated to form a heavier larger pellet.
This will travel much further than normal shot. It's called "shot stringing ".

What you are talking about is when some gases escape past the wad and melt some lead shot. It then solidifies and becomes a larger piece of lead. Then we have a problem.

Nekarsulm

minktrapper wrote: »

Incorrect I think. A shot string is the length of shot after it leaves the barrel. There is another name for what you're talking about.

I stand corrected,
You are quite right.
Its called "balling" or "cold welding".
nec.

123shooter

minktrapper wrote: »

What you are talking about is when some gases escape past the wad and melt some lead shot. It then solidifies and becomes a larger piece of lead. Then we have a problem.

Would that actually be possible in the tiny fraction of a second the shot is in the barrel. I would have thought it would be from the sudden compression of the shot if the wad wasn't doing it's job properly?

minktrapper

Yes. It was more of a concern with fibre wad.

ligertigon

Potentially, a no7/8 cartridge could travel 300-800 yards






Reason being, that the shot itself could be contaminated with other sized shot including bb's (00).

You wouldn't have to wait long cutting no7 cartridges open to find an odd no6 or 5 or 4.

Depends on manufacturer process.

http://www.frfrogspad.com/extbal2.htm#Shotgun

123shooter

ligertigon wrote: »

Potentially, a no7/8 cartridge could travel 300-800 yards

Reason being, that the shot itself could be contaminated with other sized shot including bb's (00).

You wouldn't have to wait long cutting no7 cartridges open to find an odd no6 or 5 or 4.

Depends on manufacturer process.

http://www.frfrogspad.com/extbal2.htm#Shotgun

Dunno sounds unreal for shotgun shot especially the light stuff like 5-6-7-8-9's. And as I said before the bigger the shot they are so inaccurate and veer all over the place........except for slugs which are very accurate at over 200 yards through smooth unrifled shotgun.

I know bullets are different and a .22lr has enough energy to kill at 400 yards plus.

No7 shot I have seen bounce off cardboard at well under 100 yards.

Pkiernan

I killed a wild boar at 120 yards with my 12 gauge.

ligertigon

In a mixed bag so to speak of "contaminated shot". They all leave with the same velocity. A 00 buck pellet is 59 grains.
800 yards is quite possible while all the other lighter pellets have dropped.

123shooter

Pkiernan wrote: »

I killed a wild boar at 120 yards with my 12 gauge.

Yes I know it is very possible and at a much further range.

123shooter

ligertigon wrote: »

In a mixed bag so to speak of "contaminated shot". They all leave with the same velocity. A 00 buck pellet is 59 grains.
800 yards is quite possible while all the other lighter pellets have dropped.

How often is shot liable to get mixed though......common ..... rare?

ligertigon

8 +7+ 6 common

8 with a 00 buckshot accidentally in there.. rare

depends on manufacturing I guess

123shooter

I remember if my mind is correct they made shot by pouring molten lead through a shot size hole from a height of 30 feet into water. So by the time it had hit the water it was perfectly round and cool enough not to deform. Wonder if still the same?