The truth about Prairie Storm

[KEOutdoors]

A5, all of your loads stated would be considered high velocity (or handicap in target). Its 1300+ in most cases for lead shot, 1300-1400 for steel. You cant hardly find standard velocities anymore, all field loads except turkey are HV these days, because speed is important.

In lead 12ga, standard velocity and high velocity are typically
1 1/8 1200 1290
1 1/4 1150 1330
1 3/8 1050 1250

 

[gim]

But there's a reason the 3.5" 12 gauge was developed.

Have you tried shooting a 3.5 inch load? Its like shooting a cannon. Its awful. And the lighter the shotgun, the worse it is. Most upland hunters use a light weight shotgun too.

I use a 3.5 load for turkeys but its just one shot/season (if I'm lucky), with a heavier gun that has a specialized recoil system. I can't even imagine shooting loads like that over and over at upland birds with a lighter weight shotgun. My cheek and shoulder would be sore for days on end.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

A5, all of your loads stated would be considered high velocity (or handicap in target). Its 1300+ in most cases for lead shot, 1300-1400 for steel. You cant hardly find standard velocities anymore, all field loads except turkey are HV these days, because speed is important.

In lead 12ga, standard velocity and high velocity are typically
1 1/8 1200 1290
1 1/4 1150 1330
1 3/8 1050 1250

You're exactly right. Obviously we're not dealing with trap here, so I didn't use the word "standard" or velocities in the 1050-1200 range. My point was that in the realm of today's actual hunting loads, velocity of, say, 1450-1600 increases downrange pellet energy very little. The 1-1/4 oz 12 gauge lead load at 1330 has been around a LONG time, many decades, and COULD be called a standard 12 ga field load. 1300 is pretty well in the middle of 1290, 1330, & 1250, & is a common velocity in 16 ga hunting loads, so I chose that as the bottom end. I'd go so far as to say that from 1250 to 1330, there's no difference in downrange pellet energy for any given "pheasant shot size" & metal type. When I said "hyper fast", I was talking mostly about 1550-1700 steel, although for lead & other dense shot, I'd almost call 1400-1450 hyper fast. (I'm old school like that.) I just don't see the benefit, but if that type of speed kills for you & you're confident shooting it, by all means, shoot the speedy stuff.

It's my opinion most pheasant hunters, especially the average hunter (who spends zero minutes at the patterning board & tends to take longer shots), would be best served to shoot something ballistically very close to lead 5 (or even lead 4), rather than something ballistically "smaller" & think that 1400-1600 fps is going to make up for it. It won't. In many cases, it's a marketing gimmick that leads to over-confidence, worse patterns, & ultimately more lost, crippled roosters.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

Have you tried shooting a 3.5 inch load? Its like shooting a cannon. Its awful.

Never a 12 ga. 10 ga, yes, but those guns had a little heft to them, so they weren't terribly unruly.

 

[SPUR60]

Have you tried shooting a 3.5 inch load? Its like shooting a cannon. Its awful. And the lighter the shotgun, the worse it is. Most upland hunters use a light weight shotgun too.

I use a 3.5 load for turkeys but its just one shot/season (if I'm lucky), with a heavier gun that has a specialized recoil system. I can't even imagine shooting loads like that over and over at upland birds with a lighter weight shotgun. My cheek and shoulder would be sore for days on end.

My stevens 20 gauge with 3" prairie storm 5's has more felt recoil to me vs. shooting 3.5" 1 1/2 oz steel 2's or BBs out of my SX2 12 gauge. I'll shoot 3.5" on snow geese all day with a gas auto. But not with a pump. Significantly more recoil then and I can definitely understand why 3.5" pump shooters develop flinching.

 

[gim]

Significantly more recoil then and I can definitely understand why 3.5" pump shooters develop flinching.

I haven't used a lot of shotguns in my hunting days. Mostly, because I haven't had to. What I have I like, and they do their job effectively.

I tried even just 3 inchers with my Montrefelto and it was nasty. Like bone jarring recoil lol. It felt like someone punched me in the face. Never again.

 

[Bob Peters]

Back in the day 1220fps seemed like the most common speed of 12ga. lead game loads. That being said they've been shooting 1330fps for over 100 years. I think it's a case of "the goal posts have changed." With SOME of the newer shells pushing speed as a marketing gimmick, 1330 doesn't seem very high velocity compared to 1500fps.

The speed of trap shells has zero to do with a game load, so whatever they call handicap, max dram equivalent, or high velocity is moot. Save that for discussions about standing on a concrete pad, pre mounting the gun, and calling for the clay when everything feels right.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

With SOME of the newer shells pushing speed as a marketing gimmick, 1330 doesn't seem very high velocity compared to 1500fps.

No, but what starts as a 170 fps difference at the muzzle, with #5 lead, is only a 49 fps difference at 40 yds, where it counts. 720 fps vs 769. Nearly insignificant.

 

[BUL2023]

To each there own on shooting the HV shells I’m not a fan, it didn’t pattern well in my 1100 for one plus I was shooting it out of a 8+ pound gun, so recoil wasn’t a issue, move forward a year, I’m going to do this pheasant hunting thing for as long as I can, so I treat myself to a brand new Benelli Ultralight with a 26 inch barrel, this gun on my scale weights in at 6lbs 3oz empty, the box of shells I had was either 1500 or 1550 fps on the box, I loaded one into that Benelli thru it up and slapped the trigger let’s just say recoil was pretty dam harsh and it cycled that gun so hard it was crazy, I honestly don’t think that the ultra light can handle a diet of that recoil with the factory recoil spring. And I think federal might a had a few complaint about it also because the prairie storm is now also offered with 1330 fps in 12ga.

 

[KEOutdoors]

You're exactly right. Obviously we're not dealing with trap here, so I didn't use the word "standard" or velocities in the 1050-1200 range. My point was that in the realm of today's actual hunting loads, velocity of, say, 1450-1600 increases downrange pellet energy very little. The 1-1/4 oz 12 gauge lead load at 1330 has been around a LONG time, many decades, and COULD be called a standard 12 ga field load. 1300 is pretty well in the middle of 1290, 1330, & 1250, & is a common velocity in 16 ga hunting loads, so I chose that as the bottom end. I'd go so far as to say that from 1250 to 1330, there's no difference in downrange pellet energy for any given "pheasant shot size" & metal type. When I said "hyper fast", I was talking mostly about 1550-1700 steel, although for lead & other dense shot, I'd almost call 1400-1450 hyper fast. (I'm old school like that.) I just don't see the benefit, but if that type of speed kills for you & you're confident shooting it, by all means, shoot the speedy stuff.

It's my opinion most pheasant hunters, especially the average hunter (who spends zero minutes at the patterning board & tends to take longer shots), would be best served to shoot something ballistically very close to lead 5 (or even lead 4), rather than something ballistically "smaller" & think that 1400-1600 fps is going to make up for it. It won't. In many cases, it's a marketing gimmick that leads to over-confidence, worse patterns, & ultimately more lost, crippled roosters.

Yeah there's nothing besides hw15 and tss that will stay together as a good pattern at 1600+. Maybe the new round hw13 shot, I havent played with that any. So yeah besides having minimal effect on increased penetration, they wont pattern worth a hoot at the extreme end of their range anyways. But 1330 lead is worth it over 1100fps lead IMO.

I run my 1oz 20ga lead at 1300fps and i notice a difference in the field between that and standard 1150 lead, even though the slow loads almost always pattern better. Mostly talking small shot and doves/pigeons.

 

[gim]

I treat myself to a brand new Benelli Ultralight with a 26 inch barrel

That's a nice shotgun. Might be one of the lightest ones on the market in a 12 gauge/26 inch barrel. You definitely do not want to be shooting 3 inchers through that thing.