Clay Target Shot and Antimony.
The Clay Target crowd is always looking for an edge. Ask any skeet, trap, or sporting clays guy, and they all have their preference in shotshells. Many reach for a shell with a percentage of antimony blended in with the lead. Antimony is a critical alloying element in shotshells, primarily used to harden the lead shot to ensure pattern consistency, effective energy transfer, and long-range lethality. Without this additive, the immense physical forces generated during firing would cause soft lead pellets to deform, leading to erratic flight paths and unreliable performance on targets.
1. Hardness and Shape Retention
Pure lead is extremely malleable—often compared to “butter on a warm day”—and lacks the structural integrity to withstand the high pressures of a shot blast.
- Preventing Setback Deformation:Â When the powder ignites, the sudden acceleration (setback) subjects the shot column to massive compressive force. Harder lead containing antimony resists being “squashed” out of its spherical shape during this initial movement.
- Reducing Bore Abrasion:Â As pellets travel down the barrel, they rub against the bore walls. Soft lead pellets can develop flat spots due to friction, whereas antimony-hardened shot maintains its roundness.
- Avoiding Pellet Welding:Â Under intense pressure, pure lead pellets can actually weld together. Antimony prevents this “slugging” effect, ensuring the shot emerges as individual projectiles rather than a few large, dangerous lumps.
2. Superior Pattern Density-
The most critical advantage of antimony is the improvement in pattern quality. Pellets that remain round fly straight; those that are deformed become “flyers” that veer off the intended path. This is critical when shooting games of perfect like skeet and trap. The sporting clay shooter will see benefits with targets over 30 yards as more pellets remain in the pattern and without deformities
- Predictability: High-antimony “magnum” shot (typically 4–6% antimony) provides more predictable and denser patterns at distance compared to “chilled” shot (roughly 2% antimony).
- Statistical Performance: Tests show that a modified choke firing 6% antimony shot can place an average of 302 pellets in a 30-inch circle at 40 yards, compared to only 236 pellets using 2% antimony shot—a 20% reduction in effective pattern density when using softer lead.Â
3. Lethality and Energy Transfer
For both hunting and clay shooting, maintaining pellet integrity directly impacts the energy delivered to the target.
- Downrange Energy:Â Round pellets have a higher ballistic coefficient than deformed ones, meaning they retain velocity and kinetic energy better as they travel.
- Penetration: Harder pellets penetrate deeper into game. Extensive studies on wild pheasants found that lead pellets with 5–6% antimony produced 15–20% more penetration than softer lead shot.
- Clean Terminations:Â In hunting, the tighter patterns and deeper penetration provided by antimony facilitate clean, ethical kills by concentrating energy on a smaller, more effective area.
4. Commercial Classifications of Shot
Ammunition manufacturers vary antimony content based on the intended use of the shell:
- Soft Shot (Chilled): Contains roughly 0.5% to 2% antimony. These are generally cheaper and used for short-range practice or specific hunting applications where some deformation is desired to transfer energy quickly on impact.
- Hard Shot (Magnum/Target): Contains 3% to 6% antimony. This is the standard for high-level competitive clay shooting and long-range hunting loads like those for turkey or pheasant.
- Maximum Limits:Â Alloys containing more than 6% antimony are rarely used, as they can become too brittle and increase manufacturing costs without providing significant additional mechanical benefits.
5. National Security and Supply
As of 2025, antimony is recognized as a strategic critical mineral. It is essential not just for civilian shotshells but for military munitions, including primers (which require antimony trisulfide) and armor-piercing rounds. Because the global supply is concentrated in countries like China and Russia, ensuring a stable domestic supply is a major focus for defense readiness.
Conclusion
When selecting shotshells for your next clay target outing, why not try a shell with antimony? Ammo Nerds offers several options that may just help you pick up a few more targets in skeet, trap, or sporting Clays. Try premium loads like Winchester AA, Remington STS, Federal HOA, B&P Mach, Fiocchi Rino, Clever Grand Italia, and many, many more. We are happy to make recommendations and we would love to hear your thoughts on antimony and the success you have had with it,
Try These Great Antimony Options: