Coyote shot shell loads

[Furguy]

WAY back when Joe was sending me money I ordered a shot mold. I got it Monday. I normally use lead F .22 caliber shot for my 3" coyote shotshell loads.
But since I could get any size I wanted I got lead TT .21 caliber shot mold. I can get two more pellets in my shell and practically the same ballistics.
The lead I'm using comes out at 14gr per shot.
At 1300 fps It should pernitrate 3" of gel at 70 yards ish.





Dang labor-intensive, the mold has 4 cavities 3 pellets each on both sides so 24 pellets each pour.
Each shell holds 46 pellets you can see that's a lot of casting. The trimming uses 2 times more lead than the shot.
But what the heck I have shot now. I made 5 pounds of Lead TT shot today. The lead is old 45 caliber bullets picked up at an indoor range, for whatever that makes them.
I water quenched them as I cast.
I'll run them in a tumbler with graphite powder for a wail till they're nice and round.
34 to 36 gr of steel powder and a roll crimp or fold I'll see what fits the best.
NOW If I can find a coyote...

[Weasel]

Now that is self sufficient dedication right there. Casting shot should keep you out of trouble for at least a little while. Looking forward to in the field reports.

[Furguy]

[SIZE="4"]A buddy of mine, father pass a year or so ago, and I was helping him clean out one of the outbuildings. We ran across the lead pot and 180 pounds of lead he had melted into 1 pound ingest. He gave me them the pot and 3, 45 caliber lead bullet molds,
So the shot cost is only the mold I ordered.
A few days worth of casting and snipping and I have 10 pounds of "TT" lead .210 shot.
At an ounce and a half per shell that's a little over 100 coyotes or whatever shells.
My other ones Magnetospeed out at just a tick under 1400 fps for fold crimp and just about 1350 with a roll crimp. I'll use the same load on this batch.
I should be good to 70 yards + for coyotes or PBR on a Buick...

They would make a very bad home defense load.
The wad is only cut once for two pedals and I run a .670 choke. At 20 yards it is less than the 10" pattern. Not only would it bore a football-sized hole in a person it would leave the house and hit the neighbor.

I will pattern them but the Fs at 60 yards will put 10 pellets in the kill zone of a coyote.
That's what I'm hoping for and expect for this load also.
The longest kill I have had was 93 yards, It did not fall over dead but it only ran a few feet till the second blast caught up to him, and rolled him over.

I have the red dot on the Stoeger zeroed at 65 yards Putting the center of the pattern dead on.
Red dots are sure odd to shoot with...
With my birdshot, I plan to use it on birds, cranes, and swans too.
It fads out Red or green, when looking toward the sun, I'll have to watch that.
​I loaded 5 #TT 47 Pellets.
They load well I think I could get two more in a shell with the roll crimp.
I went out today and shot them.
65 yards to the foot laser ranged.
Shoot count, shoot count.
I'm using an extended ported .670 choke on my M3500 30" Stoeger.
A 3'x3' target with an X in the center to aim at with the red dot. The pattern looks fairly even throughout and very centered
5 shots 27 hit average, 53%.
On a side note, I loaded some BB 1 1/4 load about the same speed and only hit the target 20 pellets out of a LOT more?
I would hope when I tumble the TT's they will get a smidgen rounder. When I snip them off the mold tang there is a little flat spot, may increase the hit % ???
In the ten-inch ring in the center, there were at least 7 hits, one with the BB.
In my mind that is a dead coyote or at least stopped for a second dose of TTs.
I'm going to try .5 gr more powder and 48 pellets on the next set.
It's hard to say if the recoil is worth the change but with the dead mule in the Stoeger, it was not bad as is.
The 870 may be a different animal it kicks with bird loads.
New test.

49 #TT lead pellets.
XX gr steel Powder.
Test#1, 2 shots 65 yards, and average counts.
Two shot, average 28 hits on 3X3 board 8 in 10" center
Test #2, 2 shots 75 yards, ave. 20 hits with 6 in 10 ring.
Test#3, 2 shots 85 yards, ave. 19 and 4 center.
I know the average % goes way down but 85 yards Is a LOOOONG shotgun shot and still get some in the kill zone.
For whatever reason, it looks like my POI of the group is high even on the 85-yard test. still, a lot of coverage and I think on a running coyote that would NOT be a bad thing.

With my bird shotshells, I did not notice that, Humm. Time to load up a hundred or so and test them out.​