Kent Fast Lead

Nick

Active member
I just bought a case of Kent Fast Lead. I've never shot it before. When it arrived I noticed that they are not high brass. I don't think I've ever seen a pheasant load that wasn't. They are 12 gauge 5 shot 1345FPS. Just curious if Kent has always been low brass or if that is something new.

Thanks, Nick
 
The brass is for show and has nothing to do with the performance of the shell.
I get it. Like I said just curious as I hadn't seen it before. I know a lot of guys really like them, so I'm looking forward to trying them. I've found that when I miss it has nothing to do with the shells or the gun!😁
 
Actually they are more of a mid brass neither high or low. I have shot them for years with no issues good shells IMO.
 
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Left to right Remington nitro, Winchester super pheasants, Kent ultimate fast lead, fiocchi golden pheasant, Kent ultimate fast lead. Purchased fall of 2017.... I have shot several boxes of the Kent fast lead and have been happy with their performance....
 
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Left to right Remington nitro, Winchester super pheasants, Kent ultimate fast lead, fiocchi golden pheasant, Kent ultimate fast lead. Purchased fall of 2017.... I have shot several boxes of the Kent fast lead and have been happy with their performance....
Now stick a 12 gauge 1 oz dove load in there and see if they are a low brass. Like Bird Buster said, a mid brass, but not a low brass.
 
I just bought a case of Kent Fast Lead. I've never shot it before. When it arrived I noticed that they are not high brass. I don't think I've ever seen a pheasant load that wasn't. They are 12 gauge 5 shot 1345FPS. Just curious if Kent has always been low brass or if that is something new.

Thanks, Nick
For low brass, they sure are hauling the mail @ 1345 fps!! I’m going to guess that the amount of shot is lower- maybe an ounce or a tad over. How much shot is in them?
 
Here's a 16 ga. comparison. Left to right: Federal Hi-Brass, Kent Fast Lead, Herters Lol Base. Kent has the standard High Brass in 16 ga.
 

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For low brass, they sure are hauling the mail @ 1345 fps!! I’m going to guess that the amount of shot is lower- maybe an ounce or a tad over. How much shot is in them?
1 3/8 ounce 12 gauge is what I shoot. Although they used to make them in 1 1/2 but you had to replace your recoil spring every 6 boxes. Again mid brass not low brass.
 
Hey Jeff, still enjoying the dog box. I agree about the mid brass. Just threw me off when I first looked at them. Looking forward to seeing how they work. As I've said before, if I miss it will be on me not the gun or shell. Back in my college days I hunted around Hiawatha/Seneca area. Lot's of quail and a decent amount of pheasants. Always lead on my O/U with 8 shot. Killed plenty of roosters. Just a matter of "getting on 'em".
 
Hey Jeff, still enjoying the dog box. I agree about the mid brass. Just threw me off when I first looked at them. Looking forward to seeing how they work. As I've said before, if I miss it will be on me not the gun or shell. Back in my college days I hunted around Hiawatha/Seneca area. Lot's of quail and a decent amount of pheasants. Always lead on my O/U with 8 shot. Killed plenty of roosters. Just a matter of "getting on 'em".
I shot a case of the 1 1/2 ounce through my gold hunter about 20 years ago and replaced the recoil spring twice with Wolff springs. It would soften them up so much the bolt wouldn't close.
 
Great shells, speed kills.
Bilbo -- You're free to shoot what you like or what the marketing folks tell you, but here is some info that I've posted before comparing Federal High-Velocity loads against their normal-velocity loads and some heavier Winchester loads.

Hope this helps, good Luck!

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!
 
I realize that various guns will pattern various loads differently. But that being said, what your test results indicate is what I have maintained for many years. No need for the premium stuff if you just use a good standard field load and do your job as the shooter. There is way more variance in the gunners ability to put the pattern on the bird than there is between shells.
 
Amen to the use of good standard field loads, been using Remington Express 16 gauge 1 1/8 ounce field loads in #5 and #6 for years, they don't let me down. How dead is dead?
 
Those Kent's kill birds dead. Not for sure how they pattern on paper or percentages of shot in a 30 inch circle, but they don't cripple birds. But from a 12 gauge, you would have to be a piss poor shot to cripple a bird. I save patterning for my 20 gauge.
 
I save patterning for my 20 gauge.
I've done a good amount of that too since the majority of my pheasant and grouse shooting is done with my 20-gauge. I normally have a 2 3/4" 1-ounce #6 lead reload in my open-choked barrel and backed up by a 3" 1 1/8-ounce #5 lead reload in a tighter-choked barrel. They possess adequate pheasant killin' pattern density when the appropriate choke is used for the distance of shots.

Here are a few of my 20ga pattern numbers that I've posted before with the reloads I use. Patterns from a 20-gauge Browning Citori with 28" Invector-plus barrels and 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).

20 GA 2 ¾” RELOAD (BLUE DOT)
1 oz #6 lead (233 pellets) @ 1200 fps

30 YARDS – SK / pattern 147 (63%)
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 168 (72%)
40 YARDS – M / pattern 146 (63%)
40 YARDS – IM / pattern 163 (70%)

20 GA 3" RELOAD (BLUE DOT)
1 1/8 oz #5 lead (190 pellets) @ 1220 fps

30 YARDS – SK / pattern 140 (74%)
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 149 (78%)
40 YARDS – M / pattern 138 (73%)
40 YARDS – IM / pattern 147 (77%)

Good luck!
 
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