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Question:

Lead vs steel chokes?

Why can't you use a lead shot only choke with steel shot or a steel shot only choke with lead shot? I have used a lead only choke with steel shot and my shotgun shot fine and there was no damage to the choke.

Answer:

The reasoning behind lead shot only is that those chokes (usually) have a very tight constriction. It can cause severe and dangerous pressure spikes when a charge of steel shot (almost impossible to compress compared to lead) gets slammed through them. Another reason could be that the tubes are either very soft steel or very thin and steel shot will damage them quickly. I personally haven't seen any steel shot ONLY tubes before just ones marked for lead and/or steel or ok for steel shot.
To add to this, Screw-In tubes in older guns can make removal a challenge. I destroyed a FULL lead tube removing it for a friend from his NOVA.
You should not have done this. It not a matter of shooting fine - it's a question of getting the correct distance and shot pattern SAFELY. Lead only chokes squeeze the lead shot a considerable bit. Lead is compressive and soft - it takes more squeeze to get the correct patterns from a shotgun. Steel only chokes do not squeeze as much as the lead version because the steel is very had and does not compress well. When you accidentally shoot lead through a steel chock the pattern will be weird. But, it usually is not an unsafe condition. However, steel through a lead choke will cause unsafe pressure at the choke and can explode. You end up with a bugs bunny/road runner cartoon looking shotgun! Most gun shops all over the USA are decorated with these blown up shotguns from people doing exactly what you did. Unless you want to add yours to the other dead gun collection in some shop - I recommend you take your shotgun and all your chokes into a gun smith and have him look it all over. See if anything is out of tolerance. Guns are not fool proof. If you do not follow the instructions and operate them safely they will blow up and tear a piece of your body off. Just ask any ER doctor or long time shooter.

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