Bioammo Blue

[georgedoubleyou]

Has anyone on here used Bioammo Blue cartridges?

I have some for a mixed duck and partridge day next week in 27g 5 and wondered if I could get an unbiased first hand account on whether they are as good as all the sponsored reviews claim!

TIA

 

[shezza87]

I cant coment on cartridge. I’d be looking at 3’s or 4’s in steel for duck to be honest.
General rule of thumb is go down two shot sizes from lead to steel.

 

[georgedoubleyou]

I cant coment on cartridge. I’d be looking at 3’s or 4’s in steel for duck to be honest.
General rule of thumb is go down two shot sizes from lead to steel.

This is whats prompted this post. Normally I'd do exactly that, but the man in the shop assured me they'd be man enough for the job. It's my first time shooting driven game with non-toxic and I'm using my old side by side hence my hesitation to put big steel cartridges through it. I've only ever shot duck with heavy steel through a semi auto or O/U made for that sort of load

 

[75]

I cant coment on cartridge. I’d be looking at 3’s or 4’s in steel for duck to be honest.
General rule of thumb is go down two shot sizes from lead to steel.

They aren't steel though:

"Bioammo Blue comprises of an alloy mixture of Bismuth, Aluminium, Tin and Zinc producing performance similar to that of lead"
But can't offer anything on personal experience - sorry!

 

[georgedoubleyou]

They aren't steel though:

"Bioammo Blue comprises of an alloy mixture of Bismuth, Aluminium, Tin and Zinc producing performance similar to that of lead"
But can't offer anything on personal experience - sorry!

Correct.

Although, 27g is still lighter than I'd normally go with lead so we'll see! It seems like it will be more like a 20 bore load. I'll update on how they do next week

 

[AGR]

Shooting UK reviethem quite favourably, although the pellets are lighter than lead so maybe going up a size for ducks might be a good idea. You will soon know!

 

[Ratcatcher]

Correct.

Although, 27g is still lighter than I'd normally go with lead so we'll see! It seems like it will be more like a 20 bore load. I'll update on how they do next week

I shot steel through my Aya 20 bore sbs and they shoot great, I've gone from 4 to 5 as the pattern starts to struggle, bearing in mind mines a 25 inch barrel cyl/1/4, I was also a real doubter of steel but have tried a few different brands now ( not bio sorry) and i wouldn't worry. Please don't take this as an endorsement of the anti lead brigade viewpoint as I think that is

 

[One on top of two]

I had a box to try last weekend.
Fired through a beretta A400 extreme
6/10 cases split from front to back after firing.

 

[PeterHenry]

I've used the 27g '4's on mallard, teal, pigeon and crows - they were good on the duck through 1/4 and 1/2 choke in my over and under. I've also no complaints through imp cyl and 1/2 decoying pigeons / crows with a light weight side by side.

Although none of this was super high bird shooting or whatever, they killed cleanly and - to my mind - more convincingly than steel.

I have some more to use up, and when I'm finished, I'll be buying them again.

 

[DC .270]

I’ve used them once. I spent more time crying over the cost of them than shooting them.

That being said- on a pheasant and partridge day, I do recall that they didn’t seem to hit as hard as lead, and there were a few birds that needed the dog to gather them.

 

[Liveonce]

They aren't steel though:

"Bioammo Blue comprises of an alloy mixture of Bismuth, Aluminium, Tin and Zinc producing performance similar to that of lead"
But can't offer anything on personal experience - sorry!

Similar all them metals are less dense than lead so just how similar will it perform about the same as a lead 7 I would say, but nowhere near similar in price.

 

[georgedoubleyou]

I’ve used them once. I spent more time crying over the cost of them than shooting them.

That being said- on a pheasant and partridge day, I do recall that they didn’t seem to hit as hard as lead, and there were a few birds that needed the dog to gather them.

I still weeping a little bit, I must admit!

 

[KimE]

I use them on mountain grouse they work for what application. 27g us5

 

[Whitefront]

I used them in 5s for last season for driven pheasants. They worked very well.

 

[georgedoubleyou]

Update: I'm pretty pleased with them. I found they seemed a little slower than my normal cartridge and had to give a touch more lead than usual, but they hit hard and were killing cleanly

 

[HistoricBore]

I took some apart last year and weighed and counted the pellets. The alloy is a bit LIGHTER than steel.
So they are OK for old guns, but with 5 or 10 yards less range.
Have fun, and let us know how you get on.

HB, retired chemist.

 

[georgedoubleyou]

I took some apart last year and weighed and counted the pellets. The alloy is a bit LIGHTER than steel.
So they are OK for old guns, but with 5 or 10 yards less range.
Have fun, and let us know how you get on.

HB, retired chemist.

Id say they performed well enough for what I was using them for. Everything I shot was dead in the air. However, I wasn't really putting the range to test too much as nothing I was shooting at was too extreme in terms of distance. I'd use them again for similar shooting, but I can't comment on how they'd perform on high pheasants etc.

 

[HistoricBore]

Id say they performed well enough for what I was using them for. Everything I shot was dead in the air. However, I wasn't really putting the range to test too much as nothing I was shooting at was too extreme in terms of distance. I'd use them again for similar shooting, but I can't comment on how they'd perform on high pheasants etc.

Not that many hills in Norfolk...

 

[georgedoubleyou]

Not that many hills in Norfolk...

This was on lincolnshire partridges, so not too dissimilar in terms of topography, I'd imagine

 

[Heym SR20]

Lets face it shotguns have always been a short range proposition. If you look back to say the 2nd Edition of the “New Wildfowler” max effective range of a 12 bore 2 3/4” cartridge with 1 1/4oz of shot was about 40 yds. Going to 3” magnum with 1 1/2 oz or even 10 bore you were only at 50 yards. That was 30 years ago.

Yet everyone now seems to think its perfectly ethical to blaze away at 60 plus yard phaesants, and are whinging that steel doesn’t give them this ability. I rather question how many such high birds are pricked and go on to die later and just end supporting the fox population.

Keep the ranges reasonable, put the bird in middle of pattern and birds die. I have used no 4 steel and no 5 steel. I think no5 with more pellets probably hits harder, but I have been using 28gram No 4 steel Eley Grand Prix steel in my Alex Martin ribless, and most phaesant and duck are dead in the air. I have also bowled over a hare at 30 yards, and a fox at 20. Both were dead on the spot and no need for a second shot.

I do have high velocity 3” steel proofed no 4s which use in my Franchi Affinity on the foreshore. They kill well, but can’t say that on duck they kill any better than yhe Eley Grand Prix. They are however significantly more effective on killing my bank account.