By Design

Three main shotshell design elements drive HEVI-Shot’s product lines. Each serves a specific purpose at different price points.

For 25 years, HEVI-Shot has been quietly pumping out millions of shotshells at the Sweet Home, Oregon, factory. During that time HEVI-Shot has become an industry leader in hunting shotshells, and its products are now synonymous with high-performance, non-lead projectiles.

Today, HEVI-Shot is stronger than ever as it continues to roll out new products. The brand has a multitude of specific loadings organized into more than a dozen product families. Because of all the distinct options HEVI-Shot offers, its list of choices can be challenging to decipher, for consumers and retailers alike, especially regarding the differences in each product. However, three main design differences set each load apart. Here is a detailed explanation.

Pellet Type

The first key to understanding any given HEVI-Shot load is knowing the type of pellet material(s) in the load. HEVI-Shot only loads non-toxic pellet materials of varying densities: steel, bismuth, or tungsten. Of these three shot materials, steel has the lightest density (7.8 g/cc). Bismuth is next at 9.6 g/cc, and HEVI-Shot tungsten is the heaviest at 12 g/cc. (Note, HEVI-Shot also loads a complete line of turkey-hunting ammo using ultra-dense TSS pellets with a density of 18 g/cc.)
In regard to lethality, you’ll see the same order: steel, bismuth, tungsten. This is because a denser (heavier) material will carry its velocity and penetration energy over longer distances. But there is a price to be paid for such performance. Steel is the least expensive, followed by bismuth and tungsten. So, offering various pellet types and combinations gives hunters choices in price points.

Straight or Layered

The second design element for any given HEVI-Shot load is whether it is loaded with straight or layered payloads. Straight means the load consists solely of one material (100 percent). Layered means multiple shot types in one shell. For HEVI-Shot, that means a layer of steel pellets and a layer of bismuth or tungsten pellets loaded in the same shell.

This layered, dual-shot-type design improves a shotshell’s performance and allows the brand to offer various price points to hunters.
HEVI-Shot’s Waterfowl product category offers excellent examples of this design element. The HEVI-Steel product family features a lengthy list of loads at many sizes and speeds, and the payloads consist of all-steel pellets. HEVI-Bismuth Waterfowl is loaded with all bismuth, and HEVI-XII is loaded with all tungsten pellets.
However, HEVI-Metal Longer Range and HEVI-Hammer feature layered bismuth/steel payloads, which perform better than all-steel, but are less expensive than all-bismuth. HEVI-Metal Longer Range features a 30/70 mix. Here, bismuth (30 percent) is layered on top of steel shot (70 percent). HEVI-Hammer is layered with 15 percent bismuth over 85 percent steel.
HEVI-Metal Extreme and the new HEVI-Hitter feature layered tungsten/steel payloads. These perform better than bismuth/steel or all-bismuth loads yet are less expensive than all-tungsten loads. HEVI-Metal Xtreme also features a 30/70 mix. In this case, 30 percent of the total payload weight is tungsten pellets, which are layered over 70 percent steel shot. HEVI-Hitter is available with 20 percent tungsten over 80 percent steel.

In-Shell Shot Sizes

The third design element for any given HEVI-Shot load is the shot size or sizes in the shell. This can also be straight or layered (mixed). Straight means all the same size, such as No. 2, 4, or BB. Mixed means two different shot sizes, such as 2s and 4s or 1s and BBs, in the same shell.
In general, larger shot hits harder and travels farther, but a smaller shot size allows more pellets inside the hull. So, a mix of different shot sizes in the same shell of the same pellet type, such as all-steel, offers a bit of both benefits. This is why HEVI-Steel layered loads are popular; they contain layers of all-steel shot in two different sizes.

Density also relates to shot size. A one-centimeter cube of steel weighs much less than a one-centimeter cube of bismuth or tungsten. Because bismuth is 22 percent denser than steel, hunters can choose loads that are one size smaller than steel yet still have the same or better lethality. Using tungsten that's 53.8 percent denser than steel, hunters can choose three sizes smaller.

This means layered loads with dual pellet types, such as bismuth/steel or tungsten/steel, can benefit from greater pellet counts or greater power, depending on the loaded shot sizes. For HEVI-Metal Longer Range, the bismuth pellets are one size smaller than the steel pellets, so there are more pellets in the payload. But in HEVI-Hammer, both pellet types are the same size, and the bismuth delivers a harder hit.

For HEVI-Metal Xtreme, its tungsten pellets are three sizes smaller than its steel pellets, so there are a lot more pellets in the payload. On the other hand, most of the HEVI-Hitter lineup (with a few exceptions) have pellet types that are the same size. Because of the density difference in the pellets, the large tungsten pellets pack a much more powerful hit.

Options By Design

HEVI-Shot is no slouch when it comes to offering hunters a choice of what to shoot. All these options stem from combinations of three main design elements: the types of pellets, the types of payloads, and the size (or sizes) of the shot in the load. Those three elements naturally result in many options regarding performance and price.
By offering so many options, hunters benefit by being able to choose what works best for them, which just might be what makes HEVI-Shot such a fan favorite.