Thanks for the opinions both for and against. It is good info. I'm familiar with Browning's stance on the subject. I'm also familiar with several Belgian A-5s that have several cases of steel shoot put through them annually with no ill effects. I am also pretty familiar with the available no-tox options. I was lucky enough to be involved in some of the early bismuth testing back when I was a lad (I grew up on the Eastern Shore). It's performance was less than stellar with fractured pellets being the norm. The better steel shells of today simply perform better than the early steel AND bismuth options. Granted most of the no-tox shells are better today including bismuth but there is a place for steel when ducks or geese are within reasonable distances. And it is less than half the price of the more popular no-tox options. The safty of the O/U in the duck blind does make a bunch of sense so that will be a discussion with my shooting mate. I appreciate the experience of the shooters on this topic.
