Remington Nitro Pheasant

Also be careful about choosing magnum over standard loads. I bought 20 ga. Remington Nitro Pheasant loads in both 3" magnum 1-1/4 oz. #5 and 2-3/4" 1 oz. #5 and they both delivered about the same number of pellets to the patterning board at 40 yards with a modified choke tube. Why waste money and pellets and pound your shoulder with a "magnum" load when a standard load will perform the same?
 
I was using the #5 nitro pheasant loads with 1400 fps. I felt like I couldn't hardy hit anything with them. But then I switched the #6 shot. I had much better results with the smaller shot. Its a little slower (1300fps) and is gonna have a few more pellets but the birds can't tell much, or rather they can tell the difference. I also bought some Federal pheasant loads that would get mixed in with the Remingtons and they performed well also for me.

Really the thing to do is to get used to a specific shot. Each one is gonna perform a little differently then the next. Take em out to a range and shoot a few clay birds with em and see how they perform. It may be a little expensive doing this but in the end you should save some money on wasted shots, plus more birds in the bag!
 
There is a point in all shotgun and shells where excessive speed like 1400FPS could blow your pattern, like Kansashunting said he was not hitting much with his. When he slowed to 1300 and 6 shot he started getting birds. When you consider the standard over the years for a 20 gauge hunting load has been 1220PFS. It is understandable, where 1300 is good and 1400 is bad. This notion of where more speed is better is just not true. He is right, check you loads and make sure they perform well before going out after birds........Bob
 
bobeyerite said:
There is a point in all shotgun and shells where excessive speed like 1400FPS could blow your pattern, like Kansashunting said he was not hitting much with his. When he slowed to 1300 and 6 shot he started getting birds. When you consider the standard over the years for a 20 gauge hunting load has been 1220PFS. It is understandable, where 1300 is good and 1400 is bad. This notion of where more speed is better is just not true. He is right, check you loads and make sure they perform well before going out after birds........Bob
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How am I supposed to kill the bird faster than my buddy if my shot is not faster.
 
I'm no physics major, so I cannot really tell you. I only know what my reading has told me. As I understand that it is simply your shot get going so fast that the shot creates holes in your pattern to where a bird can fly through it. That is why they say put them on a pattern board and you will see if your gun makes holes or the shot holds together. Every gun is different some take the speed, some don't.

Speaking from my 55 years of shooting experience. I have always found shells that are made close to the gauge standard. Perform the best for me. Most of my trap load are 1200 fps and slower. My best load is actually 1187, which is made with WSF powder. My 20 gauge hunting loads are all standard 1220fps with 1 ounce of shot high base pheasant loads. If you want 12 gauge, the standard 1330fps with 1 1/4 ounce of shot. For many years that was all you could buy. You did your varying with shot size and choke. That is why 2 barreled guns were so popular. It was common in those days to load a pump for example 6, 5, 4, shot. Anyway enough of this.........Bob
 
What I've noticed over the years is a pattern of frequent clay bird shooters reacting badly to any heavy and/or fast loads. In their game they shoot mild loads as that's needed with the hundreds of round they punch their shoulder with. When they go hunting they seek out the same--and because they mostly shoot pretty well--they kill birds.

Proper placement of a shot charge downrange--at a reasonable range for the charge and bird being shot at--will always trump load size and speed.

But size and speed do have their place.

If you can hit the head of a crossing pheasant at 30 yards with some consistency you don't need anything heavy or fancy and small gauges will do fine. But for the south end of a north bound pheasant at 40-45 yards, speed can make some difference, as can load size.

I'm not a big fan of heavy loads for anything but turkeys but I do like a bit more speed for pheasants in lead and a lot more in steel. Not sure that 1400fps is needed for lead though--1300+ is plenty in my experience.

I've moved more towards nitro steel for most of my pheasant shooting but when I reach for lead I have done pretty well with either Fiocchi Golden pheasant or Reminton Nitro-pheasant. Both pattern well for me. Win. Super pheasant hasn't done as well in one of my guns--the others I haven't patterned with them yet so can't say.
 
Rooster Roaster, I'm not going to get into whats what with platting etc. All I can say is I've used the nitro lead and nitro steel. They each cost around $20.00 a box (give or take a couple of bucks). These loads are NOT the same as those "nito" $9.99 a box.

The more costly nitro loads throw out a lot of power. I don't usually take crazy shots, but I can tell you I've taken a few with these loads and was amazed at the amount of damage done to the birds at such distances.

I'd give them a try and make sure they are the last shell you fire. I noticed the pattern takes quit some distance to open up. Also, Remington insists they add 50 yards to your shot. From what I've experienced this is the case.

Hope this helps.
 
[QUOTE 1pheas4] I'd give them a try and make sure they are the last shell you fire. I noticed the pattern takes quit some distance to open up. Also, Remington insists they add 50 yards to your shot. From what I've experienced this is the case.
1Pheas4, Could you tell me where you found this. That they add 50 yards to your shot. That means you would be reaching out 80-100 yards. Or do you mean they will reach and give clean kills at 50 yards? To kill a bird at that distance, I find it very hard to believe. Give an address, where I can read this for myself please.......Bob
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bobeyerite, first of all I would like to say I was reluctant to post my last reply because of how ridiculous it sounds,and also I'm not one for boasting so please don't take it the wrong way. Again, as I said in the last post I very rarely take crazy shots like the ones I described.

Two of the three birds shot at these distances were pen birds that my hunting partners missed so I gave it an "ahh what the heck" and shot. To our amazment, both times those birds were hit very hard by those lead nitro magnum 4's. My hunting partners said those shots were 80 yards and I would agree.

The third bird was this past fall. A young wild rooster went up around 35-40 yard. I peppered him in the first shot, missed on the second, and knocked him hard on the third. Again with the nitro. He was busted up really hard. I couldn't believe it myself.

As far as weâ??re I read about the nitro magnum adding 50 yards to your shot; that was on the box of nitro magnums. I read this back in 2005 while in S.D. pheasant hunting This is when I first started using nitros. I had to read it over again, because I thought I miss read the box. I told my hunting partners what I read and they too had to read it for themselves.

Go to Cabalaâ??s and check them out. I went on their website and they sell for $25 to 29.99 a box. NITRO MAGNUM LEAD. It's a green and bright yellow box.

Also, I was looking online for stats but couldn't find any. All I found was info on nitro turkey loads and some guy that feels nitro lead should be outlawed (lol). Hope this helps.:)
 
HTML: 
Bobeyerite "they will reach and give clean kills at 50 yards?"

This may be the case too Bobeyerite. I'll check out a box of Nitro mags. as soon as I can so we can get it streight. It may be a case of "can increase shot up to 50 yards". Not, "adding 50 yards". I'll get back to you as soon as I can.:cheers:
 
So how does a shell add 50 yards? I think the choke has a much bigger effect on pattern lethality and distance. Even if the shell did add 50 yards some how that pattern would be so tight at 20 to 30 yards you would be destroying birds. I think you might have misread the box.
 
moellermd said:
So how does a shell add 50 yards? I think the choke has a much bigger effect on pattern lethality and distance. Even if the shell did add 50 yards some how that pattern would be so tight at 20 to 30 yards you would be destroying birds. I think you might have misread the box.
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I would obviously agree the choke has a lot to do with shot pattern and distance. But like I stated in an earlier post I don't use nitro mag's for my first two shots because I have a heck of a time hitting birds with them at closer range just because they seem to keep such a tight pattern.

My brother swears by them for all three of his shots, but as a result his birds are hit up too hard. I like to eat pheasant breast not pheasant hamburger.

I'm preparing for our PF banquet today so I'm not sure I'll get to cabala’s to take a look at the box. Tomorrow should be good. Either way, these shells most definitely pack the hardest punch out of all the shells I've tried (and that's most of them on the market).;)
 
Very few hunters should even try a shot past 40 yds or so and within that range there simply wonâ??t be any difference in the lethality of a shotshell assuming youâ??re using at least # 6 pellets shooting approximately an IC pattern. Itâ??s human nature to blame the shell or choke when you miss a big cackling rooster but frankly if you didnâ??t move the gun to the right place when you pulled the trigger, changing shells or choke tubes wonâ??t help anything except possibly your confidence.
 
1Pheas4, Thank you for the update, I have tried the nitro's on trap. But they are an entirely different load. I got a buy on a case of them. To be honest I was never so happy to see a case of shells gone. They really beat me up with the recoil.........Bob
 
Iâ??ve done an informal â??pinch testâ?� squeezing the shot from several manufacturers w/ pliers to determine relative hardness and the Fiocchi nickel plated was among the hardest. What I donâ??t like about it is the payload of 1 3/8 oz which is all I can find around here. Thatâ??s just more shot than is necessary and combined w/ the listed velocity of 1,485 fps, I donâ??t see the need to get my teeth rattled to kill a bird. From shooting a lot of long range pheasants for my spaniel club training and field trials, Iâ??m convinced that there is no need to exceed 1 ¼ oz of nickel plated #5s to bring down any rooster I can hit.

My long time hunting buddy invited 2 new guys this year who both came loaded for bear w/ #4 shot, heavy payload shells. They both had the idea that they were in a quick draw match to see who could shoot first but fortunately they usually missed. The birds they did hit were torn up so bad that I wouldnâ??t send my dog to retrieve them. Neither of these guys had the ability to hit a bird past 30 yds so all they were doing is clobbering both the birds and their shoulders.
 
I never had a bad Remington shell. They have always been among my first choice but are not always available.

Add's 50yards to your shot?

I have known some brands of beer to do that after the hunt but never heard of a ammunition company boasting this.

Onpoint
 
1pheas4 said:
Rooster Roaster, I'm not going to get into whats what with platting etc. All I can say is I've used the nitro lead and nitro steel. They each cost around $20.00 a box (give or take a couple of bucks). These loads are NOT the same as those "nito" $9.99 a box.

The more costly nitro loads throw out a lot of power. I don't usually take crazy shots, but I can tell you I've taken a few with these loads and was amazed at the amount of damage done to the birds at such distances.

I'd give them a try and make sure they are the last shell you fire. I noticed the pattern takes quit some distance to open up. Also, Remington insists they add 50 yards to your shot. From what I've experienced this is the case.

Hope this helps.
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Major Correction on this one. Sorry guys about the jack-ass mix up and it took so long to get a hold on a box!! My buddy had a box in his basement (green and yellow) and these Nitros add 45 Ft not 50 yards! Sorry about miss-leading any one with this post:). Even so, a GREAT shell! I highly recommend giving them a try for late season birds:thumbsup:. 1Pheas4
 
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