How Much Difference Does Velocity Make?
 

I know that most people use 1550 fps or higher loads for waterfowl and I understand it's for longer shots and possibly less lead. My question is how much will lowering velocity from 1550 to 1400 really affect performance out to 40 yards? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
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Not that much if you put the main pattern where it's supposed to go and have just a tad more lead on the bird because of the speed difference.

.............. and there you have ! :lolabove:

Begg to Differ..

Everyone says Kent FASTSTEEL is useless, but I have found the most luck with their 1550 or 1560 loads, #4's, even for the big mallards and pintails (in California at least)

Tried the hevi-steel, tried the blackcloud...I think that velocity trumps what the actual pellet is made out of. Yah sometimes you will send a bird flying if you start to push 40+ yards, but if your using a full choke, you will have good kill power out of 45 easy.

Pattern and pellet size mean more than velocity, that and knowing how to wing shoot. Shot that moves at the speed of light will not help someone who can't shoot. Shoot em where they eat and not where they crap.

Yep, and the newbie member can beg to differ all he wants to, LOL! PS: Love that last sentence, LOL!

Wind Drift
 

hunter,
Don't have numbers for steel shot, but here's a reference:

Lead #2 shot
at 1,200 FPS
10 MPH crosswind
Drift at 40 yds = 5"
Drift at 60 yds = 11"

LOL - Wish lead was still legal!!!

If you do your part, the bird can't tell the difference! I love that line Oldtimr!

AMEN!!!!!!!!! I remember those days all too well!!!!!!!! Nothing like lead 4's or 5's for ducks and Copper BB's for geese, SLAMMED EM!!!!!

The difference is a matter or calculating it, but I am not that good in math that I could calculate it.

I don't think that at 40 yards the 1550 to 1400 will do that much difference as the critical borderline is further. As the objective is to kill the duck, not make kinetic energy records.

Lead drifts too.

But nothing like a much lighter piece of steel at same distances. No matter what the speed.

Usually the shot size is upped with steel, so there is not much difference in weight, or no difference at all. Also the steel shots can be (and are) shot at much higher velocities and thus the exposure time for wind is shorter. Although same weight steel shot is bigger than lead shot and has bigger surface area (wind/air resistance), but taking the greater velocity into account that shouldn't matter that much.

Just to put things in perspective I found 2 calculators that convert FPS to MPH. I use both and the answers were the same. I rounded off to 4 numbers after the decimal point.

1400 FPS = 954.5455 MPH

1550 FPS = 1056.8182 MPH


Ducks normally fly between 40 and 60 MPH, a canvassback was once clocked at 72 mph and a red breasted merganser was once clcked at 100 mph. No duck comes close to approaching the speed of shot, lead or steel. In the grand scheme of things, so long as you swing through the duck and shoot when you ass the bill or if you have mastered the sustained lead method of shooting, I prefer the first, method, the speed of the shot doesn't mean a whole lot, knowing how to wing shoot means a whole lot more.

And I fully understand this. Lead 4's, Steel 2's. Technically same difference. But fire both at 1400fps with a 10mph crosswind and see who drifts more at 40 yds. See what has more sustained energy at that distance.
I grew up shooting in the great lead days and have since made the switch, to much dismay. I now shoot almost exclusively Hevi-Metal and now ITX reload's in both 12ga and 20ga.

Shooting lead 1400fps is not quite realistic, at least if it's not well plated. I am quite sure that you didn't shoot with shots like that in the "good old days". 1200fps sounds more realistic.

If you put them on the same line otherwise, lead is of couse better as it's surface area is smaller, as already mentioned. But putting them on the same line requires plating lead heavily, so it's not just lead anymore. Same is with steel compositions, you can add all sorts of things to steel, like tungsten. Without plating lead shot is/comes more ununiform and thus has more air drag and more "odd flyers" those affect pattern performance.

What's the point putting them on the same line, as they have different charasteristics and you should use those to your benefit. If you really want to compare those, you need to put each shot to it's best use, not hinder it. That's why you should give steel shot higher velocities, as it can take those.

Also the aim is to shoot the duck, both can well do it in this scenario.

Exactly what I have been saying. Who deleted by JW poor laguage cares about velocity!!! If you don't have the capability to hit the target because your a bad shot, then no matter what the velocity is, your not going to hit the target!!!!! 1700fps miss same as a 1150fps miss.

I think that the thread starter was more worried about kinetic energy than hitting the bird. Though velocity helps to shorten the lead and it is more common to miss from behind than front.

But yes, you gotta hit the target.

Shoot em where they eat and not where they crap. Great line Oldtimr!

Watch out for some of the 'hotter' loads. Some guns like'em many don't. There's a hyper-sonic load sold as 1700fps. That is got to be harder on a gun than neccessary. Speed kills, but a miss is a miss and a broken gun won't shoot.

I'll venture that stopping the barrel, aiming at the duck, too much thinking (about a target) and a poor fitting stock account for more missed ducks than slow pellet speed.

Practice in the off-season different clay target presentations at a local skeet or sporting clays range (5-stand works too). Better shooting makes the recoil worth it in the duck blind.

Hey hunter, in order to determine kinetic energy we use 0.5 x mass x velocity^2. Shaving off 150fps would decrease your energy by 18.5%. Would this make a big difference at 40yrds? Hard to say as this energy is calculated at the muzzle. You would need to look into drag on the shot to determine shot velocity at 40yards. Close range tho, an 18% difference wouldn't be very noticeable as the shot would more than likely pass through just as much in either load.

Personally I only shoot 1550... why? Because that's what I'm used to shooting. Although small, I don't want to have to remember to adjust my leads all the time and in my head I'm thinking I'm more accurate sticking with the 1550's. I'd say get used to one or the other (which ever fits your needs and pocket book), and go with it! Practice makes the difference too. Shooting 2000 rounds a year gets you on the mark pretty quick.

Personally I cut all the scientific stuff out and light em up when there feet are down!Cleaner 1 shot kills,less frustration for your dog chasing crips,and few shootem again bs!!At 25 yards on your spread little to no lead,and less shy birds!Hunted 2 many public refuges to know 1700fps doesn't mean clean consistent kills at 45 to 60 yards!Letem work for more kills instead of how far we can stretch the gun barrel!just my take!!

speed vs recoil
 

yall just wait till the retinae detaches from you eyeball due to the recoil from those hot ounce and a quarter loads.
at 1 1/4 ounces, 546.86 grains at 1550 fps is closely approximating the 458 win magnum 300 gr bullet at 2250 fps generating close to 60 foot pounds of recoil, twice the recoil of an 30-06.
young eyes get old quick and old eyes retinaes detach, eventually.
IMHO