Here's my ammo stash at this point in time

B

Bob Peters

Well-known member
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This was finally gonna be the year where I would buy a flat of #5's and be done with shell shopping. Of course shells have been a little less prevalent and so I've been putting together a mish-mash of brands and loads. I've got a pile of quality steel shells as well. I guess it's better than throwing rocks at them.
 
Those will work , if they don't, it isn't the shells. Not a fan of 4s, but there should not be many pellets left in the birds using them. The Remingtons, not sure what I would do this those, it wouldn't include shooting pheasants. Looks like you might have enough for a season or 2, if you can shoot 50%, that would be more birds than you (I) could get ate! Those Dakota County HV Pheasant loads are what I load my shells to. A few months and you will be unloading those!
 
Kre said:
Looks good, but those 1500 fps loads are too hot for this guy.
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Do you really notice the extra recoil when shooting at birds? I don't really feel the recoil or remember any of it if I'm actually shooting at game. Trap or shooting my 300 win mag at the range I feel the recoil. In the field I don't notice.
 
I realize that we all have to do with what we've got or what we can get now days but here's some info that I'v posted before concerning Hi-Velocity load performance.

Are you really getting any benefits from the more expensive “Premium” or “Super” pheasant loads on the market?

Well, let’s see what the pattern board can tell us about some of these loads and how they perform in my gun and chokes.

Patterning results from a 12-gauge Browning Citori with 28" Invector-plus barrels using Briley flush chokes (patterns average of five, 30" post-shot scribed circle, yardage taped muzzle to target, and in-shell pellet count average of five).

12 GA 2 3/4" FEDERAL GAME-SHOK HEAVY FIELD LOAD
1 ¼ oz #5 lead (224 pellets) @ 1220 fps
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 173 (77%)
40 YARDS – Mod / pattern 145 (65%)
50 YARDS – Full / pattern 109 (49%)

12 GA 2 3/4" FEDERAL PREMIUM UPLAND HIGH-VELOCITY LOAD
1 ¼ oz #5 lead (216 pellets) @ 1400 fps
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 152 (70%)
40 YARDS – Mod / pattern 126 (58%)
50 YARDS – Full / pattern 84 (39%)

12 GA 2 3/4" WINCHESTER SUPER PHEASANT LOAD
1 3/8 oz #5 lead (234 pellets) @ 1300 fps
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 186 (79%)
40 YARDS – Mod / pattern 149 (64%)
50 YARDS – Full / pattern 113 (48%)

It’s obvious from the pattern numbers that the Game-Shok load shot tighter patterns (IC / +7%, Mod / +7%, and Full / +10%) than the Premium Upland high-velocity load with the chokes tested.

Now, the Winchester Super Pheasant 1 3/8-ounce load started out with 10 more pellets than the 1 ¼-ounce Game-Shok load; and it did put a few more pellets (IC / +13 pellets, Mod / +4 pellets, and Full / +4 pellets) in the patterns than the Game-Shok load. The question you have to ask yourself is… are those few extra pellets in the 30-, 40- and 50-yard patterns really providing any noticeable benefit to killin’ pheasants?

It’s clear to me that you could save some money and reduce recoil by shooting the relatively slow 1220 fps load and not really forgo any pheasant killin’ effectiveness. Heck, the slower Game -Shok load put 24 more pellets (a 29% increase) in the 50-yard pattern than the Premium Upland load and had only 4 fewer pellets than the heavier Winchester Super Pheasant load. Just because they are labeled “Premium” or “Super” loads, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are “better” at killin’ pheasants!

That’s my take, now you can be the judge!
 
Jake300win said:
Do you really notice the extra recoil when shooting at birds?
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I don't notice a difference as long as its a 2 3/4 inch load. I notice a huge difference when I tried a 3 inch shell though. That stung with my Benelli Montrefelto. I think the gun is so light that the recoil was too much. I refuse to use 3 inchers in that gun ever again.

All of my shots are at relatively short range (30 yards or less) and I use an IC choke all season. A high velocity 1500 fps lead load is all I use.
 
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Of course, you are free to shoot what you like, but there are always tradeoffs and compromises to be made with payloads, velocities, shot sizes, chokes, gauges, etc. when it comes to ammo selection. Which combo(s) of those variables is adequate to do the job makes for interesting discussion? I just try to provide data so hunters can make informed choices when selecting their combo.
Good luck!
 
It is often said the higher velocity blows the patterns up, I have never tested it, I have a load that works well (middle of the road payload/charge) and I stick with it and I don't switch-up shotguns either. Use what you have confidence in. In saying this, I had a friend that came out with us once last season, had hunted with him in prior years. He was shooting some heavy weight crap (said they were all he could find), those just destroyed the birds, then he had to "get going" and didn't take those mutilated birds with him. He will not be going out with me this year if he still only has those shells. Isn't that what is happening with you fellas that shoot the one & three eighths loads and higher loads? I had a good dog and hope I do again, and would rather the dog has to track down a winged-bird, than end-up with birds that have little left to eat. I see no sensible reason to kill pheasants if you aren't eating them, so I would think that might play into shell selection. But with the shortage, I guess guys grab what they can find if they aren't somewhat well supplied before all this hoarding started.
 
remy3424 said:
I see no sensible reason to kill pheasants if you aren't eating them
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Slightly off point with this thread, but eating a pheasant is not the primary reason I hunt them.

I do eat them, but that really has almost nothing to do with it. I do it because I enjoy hunting and nature. I don't hunt deer or wild turkeys solely because I want to eat them either.
 
If I could pick my own magic 12 gauge load it'd be copper-plated or nickel plated hard lead shot, buffered, 1 1/4 ounce pushed at 1330 fps. in #5 or #6 shot. Unfortunately this load is not made by any factory to my knowledge. High velocity shells will put more energy per pellet on target at close range, but for farther shots or follow up shots in the 40+ yard range that faster load has slowed much quicker and provides no advantage.

Remy, on those 3" remington buffered magnums, I'm not sure if they'll ever see use for pheasant. I read Bob Brister's book Shotgunning: The Art and the Science and he did a lot of testing on buffered magnums and when I saw some (I wasn't even sure they still existed), I had to buy a box. If I hit a late season day and the birds are all really jumpy I'll give them a try. And if not I'll use them turkey hunting.
 
Sounds like a good plan Bob.

If polled, I really doubt if anyone here hunts pheasants soley to eat them, if you shoot many, I hope it is in the top 10 reasons. I sure don't hunt them (or any animal) for the sole reason of eating them. I do enjoy eating them but there are several things that I enjoy more that the eating. If I wasn't going to eat them, I wouldn't be killing them...we have a lot of them here, but not to where they are a nuisance....or as someone here said, it was something like "needed to run the wipers to keep them off the windshield". Not there yet, but I am working to get there! October 29th is coming!
 
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Federal premiums are awesome. But I did find out some guns do not like them. I shot trials with a FAIR gun for years lights out. Killers. My gun was tired after 10 years of heavy abuse, training, hunting, shooting trials. I went to buy a new one, no imports anymore. So I bought 3 Beretta 5,000$ guns. Along with several others. They sucked. And were fussy with many loads unless you shortened up your range severely. I now found my same old original FAIR guns being imported, and ordered 2 of the same as my old killer. They shoot premiums lights out again, along with a far better variety of loads. I feel like a kid at Halloween again. I believe it is in the forcing cones of guns. Until you try so many to find out, you have no clue. Each gun will like certain ammo with any given chokes. I have paper stacked a mile high from trying so many combos. But now the price and availability is our big issue. Now that I am right with the world again with guns that work, I will take those fed premiums any day over anything else. I do not shoot the 4's however. Can't in AKC so, never tried em.
 
remy3424 said:
If polled, I really doubt if anyone here hunts pheasants soley to eat them, if you shoot many, I hope it is in the top 10 reasons. I sure don't hunt them (or animal) for the sole reason of eating them. I do enjoy eating them but there are sereval things that I enjoy more that the eating.
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This is what I agree with. In my previous post, I meant to indicate something like this. Your previous post came off a little differently as in eating pheasant was the top reason to hunt them. Thank you for clarifying. Carry on.
 
Bob Peters said:
Federal premium doesn't denote any specific shell. In the above picture there are 3 different federal loads and each one is marked premium.
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True, I meant the 1500's.Copper coated Federal upland. Used to be the pheasants forever boxes, now marked upland, and new wads. These new ones shoot a tad softer for us in trials. But good luck finding them at an affordable price. I am lucky to still have 5 cases of the old ones.
 
I picked up a couple more boxes. Never hear much about these Remington nitro pheasants, probably because they don't have as catchy/gimmicky name like "prairie storm", but I think they're gonna be winners when I put my eyeball and the barrel in the right location on a flying rooster.
 

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