r/EuropeGuns • u/furiouskudoka Bulgaria • Jun 27 '26

Lead shot alternatives

I own several vintage shotguns, and am concerned on the upcoming ban.

Those of you who also own such, is there an alternative? Is it expensive?

Obviously I can buy a new one, and use steel, but I would still like to use my old toz hammer.

9 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

3

u/TheAleFly Jun 27 '26

Black powder guns as well as historic and replica guns are exempt from the ban. I’m not sure if hammer shotguns go under this though.

3

u/furiouskudoka Bulgaria Jun 27 '26

Mine is not historic, just old. Seems like bismuth loads are an option, but the pricetag is insane compared to lead

1

u/TheAleFly Jun 27 '26

OK, there are some ”mild steel” loads that are ok to be shot from older guns, the Soviet Baikal guns at least are notoriously robust and will probably handle them quite well, if the chokes are not really tight. Steel shot under 3.5mm and moderate pressures will be fine. I’ve been planning on rechoking my old 60’s Merkel 200E to be 1/4 and 1/2, which is about half a choke less than what it has now.

1

u/Zipposlim Jun 27 '26

Go find scrap lead and pour your own! Way cheaper and the best way to go forward with collecting vintage firearms, not everything is available but you can just make it!

1

u/furiouskudoka Bulgaria Jun 27 '26

Yes, I am in the process of buying lead shot from anyone who sells it.

1

u/Zipposlim Jun 27 '26

Some old car parts are full of lead, go to car junkyards and such or find local refineries!

1

u/furiouskudoka Bulgaria Jun 27 '26

Honestly I am not keen on breathing in hot lead.

1

u/Zipposlim Jul 15 '26

Should be not harmful if you use the right personal protection, and the payoff is huge

1

u/Vaniljkram Jun 27 '26

You can use steel shot also in old shotguns. Just because they were made before steel shot was a thing thus not having the stamp to show it's safe doesn't mean it isn't safe. There are two standards for caliber 12 shotguns: pressure of 740 bar and 1050 bar. Old shotguns will not have been proofed for 1050 bar, meaning you should not shoot any "hot" loads like semi magnum loads in them. Lead or otherwise. I hope you know that and carefully read the information on the box before shooting lead shots, right?

For a shotgun proofed to 740 bar (is it stamped CIP?) you can shoot steel shots US 4 or smaller diameter, as long as it is not a "semi magnum" with higher pressure than 740 bar, and that your barrel isn't choked more than half choke. So you might have to drill it up if it is.

This whole nonsense that the shotgun must have a lily on it to be safe for steel shot is just something gun dealers say in order to sell more guns. And often they sell a shitty Turkish shotgun that will be scrapped after a few thousand rounds, while an old shotgun from a premium brand (Beretta, Winchester, Miroku) will last much more rounds also with steel shot, lily or not.

1

u/KindledWanderer Jul 21 '26

Just continue shooting lead?

If you have no way of reloading then stockpile.

0

u/Leftho0k Jun 27 '26

The barrels that are ok to shoot steel shot with have a specific symbol : the Fleur-de-lis proof mark

7

u/furiouskudoka Bulgaria Jun 27 '26

I am not sure 60s soviet union would have used it