"Rollin' Your Own (Steel Shot for Crows)"
by Boots Mrozek

Please note: Crow Busters in no way indorses the safety of the loads described in this article. We strongly recommend that you follow all guidelines and safety precautions found in a reloading manual produced by the manufacturer of the components you are using.

Being an avid waterfowler for over 35 years, I can still remember the good old days of lead shot and its many offerings of loads, shot sizes, shell velocities, etc., etc. Fast forward to the current times and love it or hate it, the use of steel shot shells or other federally-approved non-toxic shot has become the norm in the waterfowl blinds across this great nation for some time now.

Nowadays, just like back in the good old days, I enjoy the use of reloads for all my shooting and hunting. Reloading shot shells for me is a way to unwind and relax, plus the benefit of having a personal part in the ammunition I am using (an added but debatable benefit is somewhat of a cost savings).

As stated earlier, I am an avid waterfowler of 35 years, but a "new guy" when it comes to crow hunting. Thanks to Crow Busters, however, I am now hooked on crows also. Coincidentally, much of my waterfowling equipment can now be used for crow hunting also, including burning up my leftover steel shot reloads from the past duck season. The loads that I use for waterfowl are handpicked by myself from the various steel reloading component companies and must meet a certain personal criteria. That criteria being: readily available hulls, primers, currently manufactured steel shot wads and steel shot, and the use of a certain Alliant gunpowder called "STEEL" (more on this gunpowder later). Loads, or recipes, with high velocities are some of my favorites. Shot size, of course, is dependent on what type of hunting you do, pass shooting versus over decoys, ducks versus geese (don’t forget crows!), and so forth.

A nice aspect of reloading is that you can tailor your shot size to your individual needs matched with the velocity you want and shell length you want, which is not always possible with factory loads or what your local sporting good store has on the shelf. What I have found is that steel pellet size number "3" seems to fit a happy medium between being a good pellet size to use over decoys plus have adequate down-range energy for the occasional 40-45 yard shot.

The use of the Alliant Powder Company gunpowder called "STEEL" is stepping to the front line as far as gun powder goes because "STEEL" is the first powder to be developed for shot shell reloaders solely for the use in loading high velocity steel shot shells within safe pressure limits. To make sure the loads were doing what the published data said they would, I saved up and invested in an Oehler Chronograph and tested all recipes (10 shells each recipe!) for their velocity values. To simulate cold weather hunting conditions, I even froze loads for up to 24 hours in a freezer and then immediately after taking them out of the freezer test fired through the chronograph. This powder does not, I repeat, does not lose velocity in cold weather! The next step was pattern testing, which in turn helped me to arrive at my pet loads.

So along comes Crow Busters and the great sport of crow hunting, and here I am using steel shot reloads on crows. I am here to tell you folks that gunning crows with loads having velocities in the 1400’s and 1500’s and no virtual shot stringing is pure annihilation!! I appreciate it because I can virtually use the same loads for crows that I use on waterfowl, which in my opinion, keeps my "shootin eye" sharp, plus during crow shoots, as in waterfowl hunting; the amount of crippling is next to none.

Two of my favorite loads are as follows:

Hull: 12 ga. 2 3/4 inch Federal Gold Medal
Primer: Federal 209A
Powder: 32.0 grains Alliant "STEEL"
Wad: Precision Reloading TUFW 12
Shot Weight: 1 1/8 ounce (steel shot)
Velocity: 1425 f.p.s.
Approximate Pressure: 9600

This load recipe and its components can be obtained from:
Precision Reloading, Inc.
P.O. Box 122
Stafford Springs, CT 06076-0122
Catalog requests and orders: 1-800-223-0900
Customer Service: 1-860-684-5680

Another load goes as follows:

Hull: 12 ga. 3-inch Remington (straight walled, marked steel, plastic base)
Primer: Win. 209
Powder: Alliant "STEEL" 38 grains
Wad: Reloading Specialties Incorporated (R.S.I.) "Sam 1" 3-inch plus one (1/8") felt spacer under steel shot size #3 or smaller
Shot Weight: 510 grains (steel shot)
Velocity: 1590 f.p.s.
Pressure: 10,900 p.s.i.

This load recipe and its components can be obtained from:
Reloading Specialties Incorporated
Bucks Run Sports Supply
P.O. Box 450
Pine Island, MN 55963
Catalog requests and orders: 1-800-274-0403

A couple of final notes on reloading, especially steel shot, always use safe reloading procedures and use a scale to check your powder charge weights and shot charge weights. Always use the specific components listed in the data, and never substitute any components listed in the data. If you have questions or problems, stop and contact the company whose components you are using and ask them for help.

In closing, the two loads I listed in this article are from two very different reloading component companies. Both companies have their own reloading manuals, and I strongly suggest obtaining these manuals. Besides the two loads previously mentioned, both companies list many other loads, so be sure to check them out. I mentioned earlier that I like to use the steel shot pellet size "3" for my waterfowling, but for crows I think sizes "4", "5", or "6" would work great and some component companies even offer size "7" in steel. More pellet count certainly would help on the wiley ol’ crow!!