Stacked loads

T

Tomahawker

Well-known member
Picked up Migra 12 gauge stacked loads 4’s over 6’s. Can’t wait to try em out. Realize this was tried in the past but I had to buy a box. They have dove, field, and waterfowl loads as well. Poor ole birds ain’t got a chance.
 
A couple years ago I carried the Kent 4x6s for quail. I liked what they did on pheasants. They killed a dead pheasant deader. I wouldn’t trust them at edge of range.
 
I get the idea of stacked loads, just never took the time to figure out if the pellet count or pattern was any better/worse than a standard load.
 
My wife had some 3/5 steel upland loads that worked well for her but I don't remember the brand, maybe Kent?
The last couple of years she's been using the Hevi-Shot Hevi Hammer Upland loads in 20 gauge. It's a 1 ounce load of bismuth over steel and she is deadly with them! This all she shoots anymore when we are in South Dakota, that way I don't have to worry about her having lead in her vest when she shouldn't.IMG_0356.png
 
airmedic1 said:
My wife had some 3/5 steel upland loads that worked well for her but I don't remember the brand, maybe Kent?
The last couple of years she's been using the Hevi-Shot Hevi Hammer Upland loads in 20 gauge. It's a 1 ounce load of bismuth over steel and she is deadly with them! This all she shoots anymore when we are in South Dakota, that way I don't have to worry about her having lead in her vest when she shouldn't.View attachment 11631
Click to expand...

Not sure I can wrap my head around these 1 oz hevi hammer loads. by my count, there's somewhere between 17 and 21 bismuth pellets is all, and the total pellet count would be lower than a straight 1 oz #3 steel load. Are those ~20 pellets enough to extend the range of the load?
 
SPUR60 said:
Not sure I can wrap my head around these 1 oz hevi hammer loads. by my count, there's somewhere between 17 and 21 bismuth pellets is all, and the total pellet count would be lower than a straight 1 oz #3 steel load. Are those ~20 pellets enough to extend the range of the load?
Click to expand...
I honestly can't tell you although my wife did make one spectacular shot on a high flying crossing shot.
When we went to South Dakota a few years ago I gave her two boxes of shells, one lead and one nontoxic. She ended up getting confused and had lead with her in a nontoxic area. Luckily she did not get caught!
I was looking for some nontox loads for her after we returned from South Dakota so that didn't happen again and I didn't want to buy her all bismuth. I found a couple of boxes of those Hevi Hammer loads for not much more that regular lead. I bought them and when we went back to SD latter that year she used them. That was the best she has EVER shot! I think she was 7/9 on wild roosters! We came home and it was the same thing, just didn't miss. I had a coupon and found where I could but 20 boxes for $13 a piece. That will be a lifetime or more for her unless I dip into them!🤪
And the best is those shells give her confidence! When she was struggling while dove hunting earlier this year she said "I wouldn't be missing if I was using my pheasant loads"
 
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Here is a previous post of mine concerning Hevi-Hammer.

12 GA 3” HEVI-Hammer Upland No. 3 Bismuth/Steel duplex load
I acquired some HEVI-Hammer Upland 12-gauge 1 3/8-ounce No. 3 Bismuth/Steel duplex loads from a hunter. I then cut open five shells from the same box as the shells to be patterned, and the components (powder and shot) were weighed, counted, and measured for consistency. Here are my findings from those dissections.

12 GA 3" Hevi-Hammer Upland Duplex (bismuth/steel) load
1 3/8 oz #3 Bi (55 pellets) + #3 Steel (126 pellets) = 181 total pellets @ 1350 fps
PELLET COUNT / WEIGHT (grains) (1 3/8 ounce = 601.6 gr)
183 / 568.9 gr
183 / 565.1 gr
181 / 557.3 gr
179 / 545.9 gr
178 / 549.9 gr
Aver. 180.8 / 557.42 gr + flax seeds 16.38gr
(Bi/55.4 + Steel/125.6 = 181 pellets) (Bi/30.6% of payload)

PELLET SIZE (25 pellets, 5 pellets/shell, #3 Bi pellet dia. = .140”)
.149”, .148”, .148”, .146”, .146”, .146”, .145”, .145”, .143”, .143”, .142”, .142”, .141”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .139”, .138”, .138”, .138”, .137”, .137”, .136”, .134”, .131”
Aver. .14128” dia.

PELLET SIZE (25 pellets, 5 pellets/shell, #3 Steel pellet dia. = .140”)
.141”, .141”, .141”, .141”, .141”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .140”, .139”, .139”, .139”, .139”, .139”, .139”, .139”, .139”, .137”
Aver. .13976” dia.

POWDER / SHELL (grains)
40.0 gr
40.0 gr
39.9 gr
39.4 gr
39.4 gr
Aver. 39.74 gr

PATTERNING RESULTS
The patterns were shot at 40 yards with a Remington 870 Special Purpose 12-gauge using a 28-inch Rem-choke barrel and factory flush Modified Rem-choke, .018-inch constriction from a bore gauge. The 40-yard (muzzle to target) pattern data is the result of pellet hits registered in a 30-inch post-shot inscribed circle from five separate pattern shots.

Hevi-Hammer Upland Bismuth/Steel Duplex load
12ga 3” 1 3/8 oz (Bi/55 + Steel/126 = 181 total pellets)
40 yards / Modified Rem-choke
107
102
102
100
94
Aver. 101.0 (55.86%)

So, how did this Hevi-Hammer Upland Bismuth/Steel duplex load perform? Well, here are a few more of my pattern numbers from some other bismuth, bismuth duplex, and steel loads using the same gun/choke as above for comparison.

PATTERNS / 40 YARDS / Modified Rem-Choke (.018” constriction)
Boss Unmuzzled Bismuth 2 ¾” 1 ¼ oz #4 Bi (192 pellets) / pattern 126 (66%)
Boss Unmuzzled Bismuth 3” 1 3/8 oz #5 Bi (267 pellets) / pattern 143 (54%)
Boss Unmuzzled Bismuth 3” 1 ½ oz #3/#5 Bi duplex (226 pellets) / pattern 121 (54%)

Kent Upland Bismuth 2 ¾” 1 ¼ oz #5 Bi (197 pellets) / pattern 119 (60%)
Kent Waterfowl Bismuth 2 ¾” 1 ¼ oz #4 Bi (212 pellets) / pattern 126 (59%)

HEVI-Bismuth 2 ¾” 1 ¼ oz #5 Bi (228 pellets) / pattern 85 (37%)
HEVI-Hammer Upland 3” 1 3/8 oz #3 Bi/#3 Steel duplex (181 pellets) / pattern 101 (56%)

Fed. Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (186 pellets) / pattern 128 (69%)
Rem. Sportsman 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (193 pellets) / pattern 146 (76%)
Win. Xpert 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (195 pellets) / pattern 131 (67%)
 
SPUR60 said:
Not sure I can wrap my head around these 1 oz hevi hammer loads. by my count, there's somewhere between 17 and 21 bismuth pellets is all, and the total pellet count would be lower than a straight 1 oz #3 steel load. Are those ~20 pellets enough to extend the range of the load?
Click to expand...
I honestly can't tell you although she did make one spectacular shot on a high flying crossing shot.
When we went to South Dakota a few years ago I gave her two boxes of shells, one lead and one nontoxic. She ended up getting confused and had lead with her in a nontoxic area. Luckily she did get caught!
 
Duplex/stacked loads make absolutely no sense to me. The only thing that seems conceivable is that in some cases, one of these gimmick loads might pattern real nicely through a particular gun/choke combination. But even so, they'll never be consistently effective at any greater range than the least ballistically lethal pellet allows. I think a person is better off deciding what your max shooting range is (based on your ability & type of hunting you do) & choosing a load whose pellets will ALL penetrate sufficiently at that range if you make a good shot. One shot size. One shot material. Why would I want some pellets that will penetrate & some that won't? There's no benefit in that.
 
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