I'm going to pull a hopedale and bump this thread.
I'm about to post an answer about Bismuth on why it is superior to steel, it came off of Facebook, so I'm only supplying one answer. There was a resounding Yes to the question that Boss Bismuth does in fact kill birds better. Yes, it's expensive, but the cost offsets itself. Say you never have to water swat a cripple, or even just chase one 150 yards because it fluttered away, that's worth something right? So now it takes one shell to kill that canada goose or big mallard instead of 3 shells. No, Bismuth wont make you a better shot, but it kills cleaner and quicker. And maybe being expensive ammo, you might be less likely to send up that hail mary on that passing bird, so you're doing everyone a favor by not chancing crippling that bird. An estimated 3.4-3.7 million ducks are crippled each year. That's 1/5 ducks killed. Basically what Bismuth does is it completely takes the ammo out as a limiting factor, now the only limiting factor is you and your aim and knowing your effective range.
But if you dont want to take the two minutes to read it, the easiest comparison is shooting ducks with steel is like shooting a deer with a full metal jacket. But a Bismuth pellet is like shooting a deer with a good quality bullet.
I'm just trying to get rid of my steel, and as soon as I do, I'm running straight bismuth. The owner of Boss isn't an advocate of long shots, they're like everyone and loves seeing feet down duck, but has said that a lot of guides for outfitters are coming in and saying that it's stone cold killing geese at 55-60 yards with their 2 3/4 #5's.
This is my question, which I basically knew the answer to, just wanted a good answer to it.
"Everyone says Boss kills the birds more efficiently, that's because of KE correct?
Being that it is denser and moving at the same speed as steel, it's hitting with more umph behind it.
What brought this up was a few birds I've seen hit this year with steel are being hit well, then they flutter down, so you know they're still alive, but when you get to them, they're dead. I shot a woodie this weekend with steel and it folded him. He hits the water and is swimming and I had to finish him with my finisher, seeing weird kills like that.
It seems with boss though, a lot of people are saying that these same birds are being smoked and dying as soon as they're hit. Is this actually the case?" This last question was the resounding yes, birds are dead before they hit the water
The long answer, and not from an employee.
"Kinetic Energy, Penetration, and Deformation of the projectile (in essence, energy transfer) are what causes the difference in terminal performance between copper plated bismuth and steel.
Greater density, means greater energy down range for the same size pellet. Greater density means a smaller pellet size can be used, meaning the shot is more aerodynamic and has less drag. Higher energy on impact transfers into flesh as the more malleable material deforms while meeting resistance. The copper plating helps maintain the integrity of the shot, keeping the pellet from breaking apart and maintaining penetrative capability.
Because bismuth is malleable but brittle, it needs 6% tin added to not shatter at firing or impact. This in combination with copper plating helps to mimic the characteristics of lead shot. All of this adds up to mean that Boss ammo causes trauma on waterfowl that steel can simply not. The greater energy causes shock and bleed out very quickly for birds centered in patterns. Even when a pellet does not strike the central nervous system, this usually leads to instant incapacitation."
As a sportman and conservationist, I'm going to do my best to not have any crippled birds. Imagine if that 3.5 million was cut in 20% because more people switched to a superior shell over steel. That would send 700,000 more birds to the nesting grounds each year. Just something to think about.
https://bossshotshells.com/
