I am getting ready to order a 10 pound bag of copper plated #6’s. I started reading about how nickel plated lead shot holds better patterns and penetrates feathers better. Can I safely shoot nickel plated lead in my Damascus barrels?

Yes. The nickel plating is too thin to damage the barrels. Not sure if it's even available.
JR

Thanks, I found some ballistic products #6’s. I never tried nickel plated for turkeys before...always copper plated. I’ve been reading nickel plated lead shoots a little tigger groups as well.

Certainly.

The hardness of the pellets is only very slightly greater than with good magnum lead shot.

Plating acts like a lubricant to penetrate feathers (at least that's the theory).

Given the choice between unknown quality plated lead and known 4 to 6 percent Antimony shot, I'll take the known hard shot.

Think Lawrence or West Coast.

I am set on #6’s. I have found both eagle and Lawrence copper plated. I have found nickel plated #6’s in ballistic products. Any suggestions between the three?

Yes. Skip the Eagle.

Eagle runs under size and has nowhere near the hardness of Lawrence.

I have used the BPI nickel in #5 for years on pheasant in 12 and 20 gauge with very good results.

Thanks I ordered the BPI copper, and then, nickel plated #6’s. I did enough forum readings saying it patterned tighter groups than copper plated lead shot and penetrated further. I figured it might help tighten groups a little bit better. I tried some RST #5’s so far. I put 17 hits on my turkey target neck at yards. I do have a box of RST number #6 1 1/4 oz loads to try yet but figured I’d get started on reloading with my lee loader. Any load suggestions? I have black powder FG, FFG, FFFG, and Pyrodex. I also have 700x, green dot, red dot, and unique. It’s next to impossible to find Damascus black powder equivalent 2 7/8” loads anywhere. I’d like to stuff as many #6’s into my shell as safely possible. Any load data help would be greatly appreciated.

I load the Ballistic Products nickel plated shot (and it's true nickel plating not just a very thin wash) in my "super-duper" 3/4 oz. load for my .410 dove guns. High quality stuff.

Good luck with the turkey loads.

Why on earth would you concern yourself with penetrating feathers on a turkey??

Turkeys are taken with head shots. Place your bead on the upper neck just below the head and fire away.

You'll smash head and neck bones with athority and never have to worry about penetrating feathers at all.

Shoot at enough turkeys and one will eventually find a pellet or two in the body. Even the tightest of patterns will have flyers and spread. Gil

I read that nickel plated shot holds a tighter pattern then lead. I also read that it penetrates deeper then copper plated lead. I once in a while will have a few flyers that penetrate a turkeys body. Just nice to have shot that penetrates deeper for better knock down power. Nickel plated lead might be a gimmick but for the extra $15 over copper plated I figured I’d try it.

I worked up a load of 100 grains of FG along with 692 grains of #6 nickel plated shot. I used a RST 2 7/8” spent shell among with a Winchester 209 primer, a 1/4” nitro card, and an overshot card.

I put 40 pellets in the kill zone at 25 yards from the left barrel. I should be good to go.

some years ago, when steel shot was mandatory for waterfowl, a local dealer had a flat of Federal Premium 12 ga. coppered 1&1/4 ounce no 4 in 2&3/4'- I snapped it up in a heartbeat, use it in mt A-5 with the tight tube for neck shots on Toms in Spring and Fall seasons.. I've had a few Tom's with detatched beards and necks, but none got very far-3-4 steps maybe--RWTF

I bought a quad pin roller and tried it today for the first time. Once I warned it up on my first shell. I pushed down to hard before I heated it up and dented the hull. The second turned out great!



I even rolled a couple thst I hot glued the cards in place. I needed a little more hull length but I got them to roll. It as a little messy as the hot glue melted onto my roller. The hull on the left was my first try. After I did a few of my uneven RST shells (that shockingly turned out pretty good) I re rolled it a little tighter. It chambers just fine...it’s just not a pretty.




I actually traded some lead ignots in clip on wheel weights to a member from another forum recently for #5 shot. The shot he sent me was lead BB. So I will be using the only shot I have which is the BPI nickel plated #6’s. They normally knock a turkey flat under 50 yards in my browning gold. Hopefully they do just as good with lower velocity black powder loads.

I went out today and tried 40 yards and 50 yards with my same RST hulls using 692 grains of BPI #6’s and 100 grains of Fg. The only difference was I roll crimped them this time VS just gluing in an over shot card.

I had 12 hits in my turkey head target at 40 yards and only 5 hits at 50 yards. I then tried the same load but in a federal hull. I had 13 hits at 40 yards. I put a pop can behind my 50 yard target. Thd #6 BPI nickel plated pellets passed through the cardboard box my target was stapled to and then completely through the pop can I placed in the box to test for penetration. I don’t plan on taking a 50 a yard shot but if for some reason my bird hands up at 40 yards I won’t hesitate to shoot it. I can tell you if that was a real bird at 50 yards today it would have been dead as a door nail IMO. One pellet to the brain and one in the neck vertebrae. Same with the RST hull 40 yard shot. I guess I just get lucky a lot with a pellet to the brain.


My first target i shot with a roll crimp RST hull at 40 yards...




My second shot with the same load at 50 yards...





And here was my last test at 40 yards with the same load but with a federal hull...



I must have had a “hot” pellet or piece of powder melt part of one of my RST cases. Here is picture of the fired hulls after I slid them onto my dowel and heated the crimps with a heat gun to straighten them out...





When I inspected it the hole did not burn all the way through but I took the shell out of service just to be safe. The other two cases look great yet. I might order some brass case in the near future.

So in the future if I didn’t burn a hole completely through a case I would assume I can still load it again?

My load worked great. Here’s the first bird taken with the gun and the load. A double bearded Tom. Knocked it flat at approximately 25 yards.

Here's another source of hulls:
https://www.rockymountaincartridge.com/index_htm_files/RMC%20Shot%20Shells%20&%20Load%20Kits.pdf
A couple of bucks more per hull than the site mentioned in your other thread above. Shotgun size primer holes. Gil