Ammo Review - Federal Cartridge Hevi Shot
Vista Outdoor, the holding company for Federal Cartridge, CCI, Bushnell, and many other brands, acquired Hevi-Shot about four years ago and melded the engineering knowledge and some protected designs into the old Hevi-Metal load design offered by the previous owner Environ-Metal Inc., the (Hevi-Shot) ammunition company in years back. My review is of a new brand offering by the new Hevi-Shot company in a longer-range goose and duck load series of waterfowl ammunition.
Over 25 years ago, I started out as a freelance writer and staff writer for a column in WildFowl Magazine. At that time, even with Hevi-Shot as a young start-up company, I could see that engineering specialist in ballistics and metallurgy, Dr. Darrel Amik, had come up with a blend of raw iron tungsten and nickel that produced a very effective type of shotshell pellet. Over the years, Hevi-Shot as a primary brand had turned to what was called Hevi-Steel and also Hevi-Metal. This outfit was running different blends of tungsten and iron to produce very specific pellet density, but simultaneously avoiding the high cost of using pure tungsten and trying to protect shotgun barrels and chokes regarding the new very hard shot material.
Testing the new shotshells at that time had produced some massively effective results afield and at long-range targets, but some of the offshoot products like Hevi-Metal, in the day, were not so hot. A point in fact was that the loads as first introduced got things a bit confusing for hunters as some of the ammunition released by Hevi-Shot was blended with very little tungsten at all. And, when loads like #4s were pushed in terms of extended range, the end products were many crippled ringneck roosters out here in South Dakota. Thankfully, when my test gunning on the pheasant targets illustrated the problem, it was discovered well before I would have taken some of the ammunition out to test on waterfowl targets. Today much has changed regarding Hevi-Shot the company, and with Federal Cartridge at the controls, some innovative modifications were made to this line of shotshell ammunition. Enter Hevi-Metal Xtreme, as tested by this writer in three different load offerings.
Three of the loads to be presented here make use of the double stack (two pellet-size) payload packing system, with an additional load using a single payload of Hevi-Metal shot. The loads offered for testing specifically were as follows: Load number one was a 12-gauge 3" 1¼ oz. load using a combination of #4 tungsten iron shot and overlaid with #1 steel shot. The second load offering consisted of the same 1¼ oz. payload but this time changed out to #6 tungsten iron shot stacked with #3 steel shot. A final offering consisted of again the same load setup but this time #2/BB steel. This load retains tungsten #2s and steel BBs. The muzzle velocity on these loads stood at 1,450 brisk feet per second.
Regardless of the shot size (being there are three different loads presented here), the makeup of tungsten versus steel is 30% tungsten and 70% common steel shot. The tungsten shot used here is Hevi-Shot, and it is not pure. I believe Hevi-Shot, according to its inventor, contains some nickel, making it a density level of 16%. Pure tungsten shot retains a .18 density, making it the second heaviest metal on earth. Also the cost of pure tungsten ammunition can run as high as $15 per round (Federal 3.5" turkey loads).
In all of the three loads, the tungsten shot is used in the smaller pellet size of the double-stacked loads. The #2, for example, is tungsten-based, and the larger BB steel is standard iron shot (steel). Because the iron shot is lighter, making up the mass loss using larger pellets makes sense. Also, it is more cost-effective to use smaller tungsten pellets in the load because it is a lower cost in terms of manufacturing, making use of less raw material. China holds about 90% of the raw tungsten market, and I have been on direct conference calls to China when orders were being placed by other manufacturers, and believe me, these guys can write their own ticket any day of the week regarding price. Therefore, you now have most of the baseline data on the new Hevi-Metal shotshell loads.
Aside from the duplex-style loading of two shot sizes and makeup of that shot, the shotshell also makes use of the Federal Cartridge-designed “Flitecontrol Flex wad” and a blended “all season” powder type (most likely something on the order of HM 90, one of the first Alliant-developed steel-shot powders, but I am not sure on that point as I have not seen an analysis breakdown of the propellant).
Flitecontrol wads have been around for some time and, in effect, are designed as an actual backward payload-driving system keeping the wad petals on the rear of the fully encased plastic tube. This means more time and distance in payload travel during flight as a fully encased longer-range payload of shot, versus the shot charge coming apart at the muzzle like most conventional wads offer. Using this system, there is less attention given to the choke-tube constriction and style versus making choke tube changes to get different results. However, test-firing time on pattern boards will confirm or deny that bit of information here.
Target: 4x4 pattern paper. Range: 40 yards. Pellet count 80.
Test Gun/Choke: Pointer Side-by-Side 12 gauge, Modified & Full chokes. Beretta pattern standard length.
#1 test pattern 2XBB Hevi-Metal Full choke 82%
#2 test pattern 2XBB Hevi-Metal Full choke 81%
#3 test pattern 2XBB Hevi-Metal Full choke 76%
#1 test pattern 2XBB Hevi-Metal Improved Modified choke 100%
#2 test pattern 2XBB Hevi-Metal Improved Modified choke 89%
#3 test pattern 2XBB Hevi-Metal Improved Modified choke 92%
Obviously, the Imp/Mod was the leader in pattern performance regarding the Pointer side-by-side. In truth, I have been a bit gun-shy of some standard style (short) Full chokes as used with Flitecontrol wads. In this case, the Full choke tube was difficult to dislodge from the choke threads, and when clear of the threads, the barrel itself. My guess is there was some degree of choke wall expansion being the culprit here. Even though this double gun outshot almost everything it was matched against on 40-yard paper targets, the choke issue did not go away. And, as such, the gun was taken out of service until damaged tubes could be removed and then replaced with IC and Mod tubes. Be advised, in this case I have been shooting Flitecontrol for many years, being over a decade to date, and this is the first issue I have seen with choke tube equipment as applied to the Federal-designed Flitecontrol shotshells. However, that stated I have used almost all extended special very hard steel choke tubes in the past as well. Pointer indicated in their manual not to shoot any steel in their Modified and Full choke tubes. I guess I missed the fine print this time around. After installing IC tubes, the shotgun printed patterns good enough for decoy geese and ducks with 68% patterns overall.
As a second test gun, I elected to turn to my Mossberg 835 28" barreled goose gun and the high-performance Hevi-Shot long-range, tungsten-safe, triple-ring choke tube. This .775 backbored almost 10-gauge barrel system as matched to the massive 835 choke tended to lift some of the pressure off the Flitecontrol payload control-sending system.
Test Gun/Choke: Mossberg 835 Waterfowl with Hevi-Shot long-range matched choke tube; 40 yards
Load: 2XBB Hevi-Metal
#1 test pattern 71%
#2 test pattern 64%
#3 test pattern 68%
In terms of actual percentage points, the Pointer side-by-side again outgunned the Mossberg 835 3.5" overbored shotgun based on the new Hevi-Shot 2XBB Hevi-Metal loads. Patterns were very workable, but the Mossberg 835 was still in contention. I was a bit taken back by these results regarding these specific loads being my old friend, the Hevi-Shot choke, had been in service. But as the old saying goes, if the boots fit, wear them.
As a third offering and just because I was very curious, I pulled out my Remington 870 Wingmaster with the Boyd custom stock and Ziegler Backridge Ammunition custom-built 11-gauge 3" 12-gauge chambered barrel. I wrote about this setup over a year ago and, during those tests, got outstanding results to 70+ yards, making life tough for some South Carolina swamp hogs as well.
Test Gun/Choke: Remington 870 Wingmaster 11-bore with Boyd custom stock & Kick’s custom choke; 40 yards
Load: 2XBB Hevi-Metal
#1 test pattern 80%
#2 test pattern 84%
#3 test pattern 76%
Central thickening regarding core pattern was solid and indicated the load had plenty of extended range potential left in it at the indicated test range. All facts considered, the Remington 870 and Kick’s choke combination would rank high on my list as a heavyweight goose gun for work during the upcoming waterfowl season. (As a side note: this example used in the Remington package is likely going to go into production as a custom-classed waterfowl gun at some point in the near future through Backridge Ammunition and their spin-off covering research technologies.)
Leaving the heavy goose loads and making a move to some over-decoy loads with the same basic payload configuration less the same shot size, my attention turned to #4 tungsten and #3 steel in the Hevi-Metal double-stacked offering. Here we have a duck-harvesting decoy spread load that can cover a setup 40 yards in size end-to-end.
With the previously indicated setback in the side-by-side, I made the decision to select a different test gun, but still workable as a faster-handling decoy gunning system. In this case my Benelli Super Black Eagle (SBE), which makes use of a Carlson Modified and extended length choke tube, was my field gun of choice.
Load: 3X4 Hevi-Metal 1¼ oz.
#1 test pattern 76% (pulled off target center)
#2 test pattern 82% (clean tight core)
#3 test pattern 70%
With the correct pellet spread associated with the Modified choke almost to a textbook level and all good in the very fast high-pressure muzzle-stress department, the Black Eagle 3.5" 12 gauge would get the call regarding field application on warm targets, as the days were closing fast on the waterfowl and upland (ringnecks) opener here in western South Dakota.
Shooting the SBE again in the Carlson Modified choke, the final load offering of the three new wet-bird systems would again be a Hevi-Metal tungsten/steel shot blend, but this time in a larger #1 steel packed into a #4 tungsten package. This load, like the previous pair, was a stiff waterfowl-harvesting system with the larger #1s keeping pace with the small Hevi-Shot #4s. (Remember, do not equate the Hevi-Shot with pure virgin .18 tungsten. The field results with Hevi-Shot are outstanding, but do not carry over to the almost insane downrange energy retention associated with .18 tungsten pellets in just about any shot size.)
Load 4X1 Hevi-Metal 1¼ oz.
#1 test pattern 69%
#2 test pattern 73%
#3 test pattern 77%
Some Warm Targets — Game On!
Ormen Dam in South Dakota was the first stop in my live-fire test program covering the new Hevi-Shot two-shot-size fodder. In general, the ducks are a mixed bag on the big open water reservoir, and the shooting can be a stretch in terms of range if the wind turns against you out over the decoys. As ducks were my targets, load selection in this case consisted of the 4X1 load package, which allowed a bit stiffer longer-range non-toxic harvesting product.
In the shooting system department, the Benelli SBE was my first choice, and the custom Hevi-Shot long-range (tight constriction) choke tube was my payload control system. Getting on ducks was not much fun, as scouting took far more time than actual calling and shooting. Several mallards and a canvasback were harvested with 4X1s, which filled in the required range extension required even over decoys. Local birds were not very cooperative, and an outer edge of the decoy spread shooting just beyond 40 yards was the name of the game at times.
After shooting patterns and now a few warm targets, I have concluded that making use of aftermarket extended chokes built to take on even pure tungsten shot are the order of the day, as more commercial loads are moving into the realm of heavy tungsten blends as well as standard iron shot. Various shotgun manufacturers are catching on in this area and offering steel-shot and tungsten-shot “safe” chokes, but even so, progress is slow so buyer beware. As the modern game load today moves at over 1,400 f.p.s. and is packed with super-hard shot in larger pellet sizes, in some cases payload-control systems (chokes) need to keep up with the progress in performance-directed smoothbore ballistics as illustrated here.
A good example of this newer direction in payload control is the new Weatherby Orion side-by-side in 12 and 20 gauges. In this series of shotguns, the extended long-parallel-section choke tubes have been offered versus flush-fitting short tubes. These forward tube thread pattern chokes were developed in Turkey, along with the side-by-side English-style stock and splinter forend design used by Weatherby. This offering is available through Scheels Sporting Goods stores.
It would seem as though Weatherby has closed in on the same issues I have been seeing with double guns; that thin chokes can’t handle much, if any, stress. I spoke with Ret. Major Adam Ziegler, the manufacturer of Backridge Ammunition, who is developing steel-shot loads that move out of the muzzle at 1,400 f.p.s. but burn off under 7,000 p.s.i. at the chamber. Backridge, as a new up-and-coming outfit, has become large enough that powder manufacturers like Alliant Powders are blending special batches of low-flash powder for use with special iron-shot and tungsten-shot factory loads. Most heavy hunting loads run 10,000 p.s.i. plus. Get my drift here? Autoloaders are wearing out in half the time regarding field life because of chamber and barrel stress associated with modern high-chamber-pressure steel/tungsten shot ammunition.
Where do the new Federal Cartridge Hevi-Steel steel/tungsten loads fall in this pattern? I would say close to or at the heavy higher-stress pressure range. You could say for every full-house Hevi-Steel game load you fire, it would equal about two boxes of conventional lead shot trap loads regarding receiver and barrel/choke stress. Duck and goose hunters will get the worst of the deal in this case because of the high-cartridge volume gunning involved. That stated, I found my old Benelli SBE after a decade in the field, as previously indicated as a test gun, did well by using special tungsten-safe chokes. When reviewing many hours of varied writings covering new guns and loads, very little is discussed as to the internal stress effects associated with common steel through tungsten shot loads. Why is this? I believe few understand even the basics of bore strain, energy transfer and pellet performance associated with modern non-toxic shotshells today.
One way to explain the problem is to use a basketball and pure steel ball of the same size. Using a hammer, if the basketball is hit, the energy spreads across the surface and some compression takes place. This soaks up the energy associated with the impact of the hammer. Now, shift to a solid steel ball and hit it with the same hammer at the same velocity. The energy will not transfer and the hammer will bounce into your face if not careful. This is the effect a steel, tungsten or blended Hevi-Shot pellet can have on the side walls of the shotgun’s chamber, barrel and, most of all, choke system. Nasty stuff to control. Again, my advice is to use an extended choke tube designed for big, hard shot at all times when shooting any type of tungsten-based or similar shotshell ammunition.
In this final phase of testing it was again back to wet birds, and some additional upland gunning against pheasant targets. In this case, a mix for all three types of the new Federal iron shot and tungsten were sent aloft over the course of almost two full months out here in the wild western stock tanks and natural hot springs’ steaming pools of South Dakota. Shot size, based on the three test loads of Hevi-Metal, were selected based on the type of birds being hunted, and was flexible in an attempt to gain as much information as to each load’s ability to harvest birds. General performance associated with autoloaders, fixed breech and pump guns was also a factor in the final analysis of the Hevi-Metal load offerings.
Mirror Lakes in Western South Dakota was the focus on a few cold winter days when running my final field testing of Federal’s Hevi-Metal loads. With muzzle velocities of 1,500 f.p.s. and tungsten-laced steel in a 1¼ oz. 3" payload package, I set up on some of the only open water left in the western part of the state. With heavy snows, my Toyota Tacoma 4x4 had had all it could do to keep me on an unplowed state trail to access a warm-water volcano-generated lake.
It took some time, but when the first greenhead came rolling in almost from my blind side and the cliff edge above me, swinging the bulky 835 long-barreled waterfowl gun was no easy task after stiffening up in the almost sub-zero cold. But I was ready with the backbored 11-gauge pipe attached to the Mossberg monster and a Hevi-Shot pre-Federal Cartridge acquisition choke tube in Extra Full. I shoot with heavy (almost Turkey) tubes at passing waterfowl, giving me a basketball size-pattern at 50 yards. It is either all the shot on target or a clean miss in my book.
My greenhead darted in at a sharp angle, then cut straight, giving me the old-school, pattern-board, in-your-face shot. This was short work for the Federal high-performance duck load, and my intended target dropped like a sack of wet grain into the black willows along the edge of the warm water pocket kill net I had pre-scouted.
Jacking a fresh round into the big gun’s chamber, I was on hold for a possible buddy to the first bird that had entered my air space and died. It was a good gamble. In about two minutes, a second greenhead came in, circled high overhead, and locked up for a look-see scouting pass. Bad idea against this high-velocity super-performance load of #4 blended shot. At the shot I realized I was behind this bird. Jacking a fresh round into my barrel, I pushed ahead of my departing duck and connected on it at a range of about 55 yards, with a resounding slap of shot against warm feathers. This bird, like the first, never saw what was coming, and I am very sure left this world in an instantaneous flash. No flop or wobble was the end product, which matched the early-season results I had observed several weeks prior to this hunt.
During the course of the next two weeks, I visited several additional hot winter gunning duck holes and succeeded in harvesting 11 total, greenheads being the last thing in duck targets on the open prairie potholes in the warm artesian water basin. Temperatures had now dropped to 20 below zero with high-wind warnings of 40 below during many of the possible days I could have hunted. My duck season was wrapping up in short order.
Federal has now offered a new and interesting performance load in iron/tungsten shot that fits the needs of both duck and goose hunters. Staying with a selection of high-performance waterfowl chokes and robust waterfowl guns is a key to getting the best performance out of these new shotshells. Priced a bit under the upper high-end product, the loads are not bargain-basement shotshells, but they will perform well. In the end, that is what always counts. SS
L.P. Brezny has worked in research and development in the shooting industry for 40 years. He developed and marketed the first sub-sonic shotgun and shotshell — The Hastings Metro Gun™ System (www.metrogun.com or 605-787-6321) — and was the first to measure shotshell pellets in real time at target distances, building ballistic tables demonstrating shotshell load performance and chronographing systems that are still in use today. He also developed the Dead Ringer® high-performance waterfowl/upland choke-tube system. L.P. has been writing for various shooting publications for over 40 years.