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Chronicling the state of the art of shotshell ammunition is similar to the very nature of shotgun sports: getting a fix on a moving target, calculating your lead and following through. In Reloading for Shotgunners, 5th Edition, Rick Sapp has stepped up to make some noise and break a few clays.
Modern, non-toxic pellets and the recipes to make shotgun ammunition are, in many cases, superior to similar lead-pellet loads. This is an outcome many of us hardly dared dream of 25 years ago, when it became federal law to use nontoxic pellets for migratory waterfowl hunting. At that time, the ammunition industry had to re-examine everything, including the most fundamental question: “What makes an effective shotshell?” Everything until that point seemed rather self-evident.
A modern shotshell is defined differently than it was even 10 years ago, when the previous edition of Reloading for Shotgunners was published with Mic McPherson and myself contributing. Today, we have several new non-toxic pellet choices for handloading. Some of these, like HeviShot, are denser than lead. In 2005, we can shoot waterfowl and upland game carrying favorite old double guns, loaded with Bismuth No-Tox pellets in any gauge, without worrying that the pellets will damage our barrels and without leaving toxic ejecta scattered in the marsh. Steel shot handloading continues to evolve over the course of time. Handloaders have new powders with customized burn rates available; these powders are specifically designed for steel shot payloads. We have improved, tweaked and designed steel shot load data, components and classifications in this time as well. By any standard, modern steel loads are recognized as excellent waterfowling ammunition. Furthermore, because steel pellets are the new industry standard for waterfowl loads, their use has become an economical option.