Stars and Stripes 12ga Steel BB Shot 1-1/8 oz – Proven 25 Round Box

Description

Stars and Stripes 12ga Steel BB Shot is the goose end of this steel range. The 3 inch hull carries 1 1/8 ounces of BB steel at 1500 fps, loaded by Cheddite of Italy under the Stars and Stripes label. Twenty five rounds to the box, a larger count than most waterfowl ammunition ships in.

• Why BB Steel for Geese
• Stars and Stripes 12ga Steel BB Shot Specifications
• Honest Notes on Budget Steel

Why BB Steel for Geese

Geese are big, heavily feathered and usually shot further out than ducks, and all three of those facts point to a larger pellet. BB steel is .18 inches across and carries enough energy at forty five yards to break bone, which is what it takes to put a Canada goose down cleanly rather than crippling it. Smaller steel simply does not do that reliably at goose distances.

The cost is pattern count. A 1 1/8 ounce charge of BB holds far fewer pellets than the same weight in number 3, so the pattern is thinner and there is less margin for a sloppy lead. That is the fundamental tradeoff in every 12 gauge goose load, and it is why patterning matters so much at these sizes. You need to know exactly how many BBs land in a thirty inch circle at the range you shoot.

The 1500 fps velocity helps here more than it does with smaller shot. Heavy pellets carry velocity well, so starting them fast means they arrive at forty five yards with meaningfully more energy than a slower load would deliver, and the lead you have to give a high crosser gets shorter.

Stars and Stripes 12ga Steel BB Shot Specifications

Cheddite has been manufacturing hulls, primers, powder and loaded shotshells in Italy since 1901. These are standard 3 inch shells requiring a 3 inch chamber and a barrel proofed for steel shot.

• Line: Stars and Stripes steel
• Gauge: 12 gauge
• Shell length: 3 inches
• Payload: 1 1/8 ounces of steel shot
• Shot size: BB
• Pellet diameter: .18 inch
• Muzzle velocity: 1500 fps
• Shot material: steel, non toxic
• Quantity: 25 rounds per box
• UPC: 8033343363794
• Manufacturer: Cheddite, Italy

Honest Notes on Budget Steel

Pattern this one before the season, not after. With BB the pellet count is low enough that the difference between an adequate pattern and a poor one is a handful of pellets, and you cannot guess it. Shoot Stars and Stripes 12ga Steel BB Shot at a thirty inch circle at forty and forty five yards and count. That number is your effective range, not whatever the box says.

A 1 1/8 ounce charge is on the light side for geese. Many dedicated goose loads run 1 1/4 or 1 3/8 ounces to get the pellet count up, and if your birds are consistently at the far edge of range that heavier payload is worth the money and the recoil. Where this shell earns its place is on decoying geese inside forty five yards and on volume days when you are shooting a lot.

Barrel proofing applies as always. Older fixed choke guns and pre steel full choke barrels can be damaged by steel shot, and BB at 1500 fps is about the hardest test you can give a barrel. Confirm before you shoot it through anything old or unfamiliar.

Choke choice leans more open than instinct suggests. Steel patterns tighter than lead, and with large pellets an over tight choke produces a pattern with holes a goose can fly through. Modified is a sensible default and improved cylinder is often better over decoys.

For ducks we stock the same shell in number 3 shot and number 1 shot. The manufacturer publishes its background on the Stripes and Stars Shells website.

Stars and Stripes 12ga Steel BB Shot suits goose hunters running 3 inch chambered guns over decoys, and anyone who wants a large pellet non toxic load without premium pricing. MAG5 Firearms is a family owned FFL in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Boxes ship where state and local law allows.