frayluisfan Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Hi, and thanks for all the good advice I've picked up by reading here as I get to know this sport. I'm getting ready for my 1st 3-gun match and have questions about shotgun ammo: 1. Unless specifically noted in the round count or something like that, you use birdshot in the shotgun portion of the match, right? 2. If I'm correct on #1, then is there any disadvantage to shooting the lighter and cheaper 12 gauge target loads? I will be using a Browning A5 for the 1st match, until I get some experience and have time to look at other options--as some of you may know, the A5 recoil system can be configured either for light loads or heavy, so I'd like to get everything set up and squared away in advance. Thanks for your help. frayluisfan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 All of the matches I've shot will list slug count separately from bird. I've never shot a match that allowed buck, but I'm sure they're out there. Shoot the cheapest ammo your gun will run. Just make sure your gun will run it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtecrx Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I would shoot the cheapest Birdshot that your gun will run. I think it is hard to beat walmarts 100rd value packs. Sent from my Inspire 4G using tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Ask someone from that club, they'll give you a better idea what you might need. I think you should always carry some bigger loads in your ammo bag. 7 1/2s are fine 95% of the time.. but have something like 3 3/4 dram #6s just in case. When steel is put out farther than normal. I also always bring some 00 buck and #4 buck, MGM spinners seem to be getting more popular.. depending on the distance and chokes.. you'll need something with more power for those Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillD Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I carry a box of premium pheasant loads for more power at distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Yeah, I shoot the cheap birdshot since my M2 will run it 100%. I also carry some #6 in my bag along with a few extra chokes in case there are long distance steel plates or a Texas Star...good luck and have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTKlaus Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 (edited) I run a SLP and shoot Federal Target Load (main) and shoots phenomenally and also use Winchester Super-Target as secondary depending on availablity. I also noticed that it hates certain Winchester (lighter) target loads (FTF & FTE primarily), loves their AA loads (tad bit pricy however). Used Estate and Remington target loads and quite doesnt give me the perfered performance I'm looking for (I do use Remignton slugs and buckshot though). I use what I can find that will run well 100% (in a perfect world) of the time in my shotgun with price being second (usually online the price only varies less than a dollar per box). Chokes, to me, play a big factor as well with what I shoot due to distances vary with different stages and with different styles of targets. You may also require to shoot slugs same stage. IMO buy a box each of what you can get available and test it out in your gun. Select what fits your shooting style, what you like to pattern with varying distance, what you like to feel for recoil and base your decision on those things (if not more criteria). IMHO most important other than what you like, chose something your shotgun likes and functions well. No point going with something cheap if price is only concern if it cant run well. Edited January 18, 2012 by KTKlaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I have found the 100rd packs of Federal 3dram 1 1/8 oz loads from Walmart work best for bird shot. I like the Win AA heavy target & super handicap loads but they are $ 8-9 a box vs $ 5.50 box for the Feds. Most clubs have a couple of slug targets or even slug stages. You can sometimes buy slugs at the range but I would not count on it unless they specifically say so. Try and find some reduced recoil slugs such as B&P or Winchester Ranger. I know Dillon sells the B&P and most have found them to perform very well. Know where they will hit at various distances such as 20, 30 & 40 yds. Good luck. Have fun & be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zukeep Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I run a SLP and shoot Federal Target Load (main) and shoots phenomenally and also use Winchester Super-Target as secondary depending on availablity. I also noticed that it hates certain Winchester (lighter) target loads (FTF & FTE primarily), loves their AA loads (tad bit pricy however). Used Estate and Remington target loads and quite doesnt give me the perfered performance I'm looking for (I do use Remignton slugs and buckshot though). I use what I can find that will run well 100% (in a perfect world) of the time in my shotgun with price being second (usually online the price only varies less than a dollar per box). Chokes, to me, play a big factor as well with what I shoot due to distances vary with different stages and with different styles of targets. You may also require to shoot slugs same stage. IMO buy a box each of what you can get available and test it out in your gun. Select what fits your shooting style, what you like to pattern with varying distance, what you like to feel for recoil and base your decision on those things (if not more criteria). IMHO most important other than what you like, chose something your shotgun likes and functions well. No point going with something cheap if price is only concern if it cant run well. What choke do you typically run the majority of the time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browtine Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Light mod 95% of the time for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTKlaus Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) What choke do you typically run the majority of the time? All depends really on where I shoot and what I see on the stages. I have Briley extended chokes that make changing them REALLY easy right before a stage. I primary use modified (middle of the road idea) but I have improved cylinder on stages where its mainly stationary close targets (the local ranges I go to don't have too much distance), and also have improved modified for more distant steel targets. Only issue with the IM choke... the slugs I shoot hate the thing and I get inconstant slug shots at far distance. POI drops compared to IC which the Remington Managed-Recoil seems to like well. I guess I can see the idea why, just really cant grasp the idea of a 6in+ change of POI @100yds just due to a choke change. Edited January 19, 2012 by KTKlaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOA Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 It always amazes me when people say to use cheap shells. There is a reason they are cheap, they are crap. You spend thousands on equipment and your concerned about spending a few extra dollars on quality ammo (AA or similar). How many rounds in a typical 3 Gun match 40 or 50? So we're talking $5 or $6. No trap, skeet or sporting clay shooter would ever shoot cheap ammo at a shoot. That's my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthMuffin Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) Well, can you educate me on "good" ammo? Seriously, I've always used the "cheap sh*t" and don't know what to look for or what to expect in better shotgun ammo. I just play for fun and am not in any danger of winning, so I have always stuck with the Walmart bulk pack Federal 7 1/2 and a light modified choke for everything. It works. Edited January 20, 2012 by DarthMuffin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Light mod 95% of the time for me. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 It always amazes me when people say to use cheap shells. There is a reason they are cheap, they are crap. You spend thousands on equipment and your concerned about spending a few extra dollars on quality ammo (AA or similar). How many rounds in a typical 3 Gun match 40 or 50? So we're talking $5 or $6. No trap, skeet or sporting clay shooter would ever shoot cheap ammo at a shoot. That's my opinion. I have run 100 straight with the cheap shells more than once. They are fine for what we do. Pattern your gun just like you sight in your rifle or pistol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59Bassman Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 It always amazes me when people say to use cheap shells. There is a reason they are cheap, they are crap. You spend thousands on equipment and your concerned about spending a few extra dollars on quality ammo (AA or similar). How many rounds in a typical 3 Gun match 40 or 50? So we're talking $5 or $6. No trap, skeet or sporting clay shooter would ever shoot cheap ammo at a shoot. That's my opinion. Plenty of high-volume trap shooters using "mined" recycled shot with inconsistent sizes, mis-shapen pellets, etc. I agree, the Wallyworld shells are most likely made with lower-quality components, but there are times when those components don't matter much. With a AA or STS hull, part of the shell cost is in the hull itself - higher quality compression formed hull (at least, the old style AA's were higher quality...). Those hulls are more expensive to make than the cardboard basewad hulls that are often used in the cheaper hulls. If you're not reloading, you'll never notice a difference in the hulls - the problem comes when you reload them a couple of times and the basewad comes loose. The only potential benefit to using the more expensive shells due to the hulls that I can see is in the plastic quality. A hull like the Remington STS is sooooo slick compared with the ribbed Top Guns or Gun Clubs. That my help feeding. Also, the lower cost hulls may use a softer plastic that could deform on the mouth of the chamber (seen that once or twice) The other major place where the lower price shells cut costs is in shot quality. Lead prices have gone up, but still one of the major costs in shot is the antimony added for hardness. Quality "magnum" shot will have about 6% - 7% antimony in the lead. "Chilled" shot may run about 3%, resulting in pellets that deform more easily. Most cheaper shells use something like the Chilled shot to cut costs, but there were some loads (the OLD Wal-mart Federals) that were rumored to use a Magnum shot - top quality stuff. What the cheaper chilled shot will do is potentially open your pattern. In clay target shooting, where you're trying to hit a very small clay at sometimes 50 or 60 yards, it's a big deal. When you're shooting poppers at 15 yards, not so much. The important thing is to find the ammo your gun likes. If it runs fine on Wal-mart shells and has never had an issue - shoot the Wal-marts. But if you feel like you're not getting the hits you should be with cheaper shells, or if you've had feeding issues, try a couple boxes of premium shells. HOA is correct that the incremental cost is very small. It may be that the premium shells are cheap insurance to keep your smoothbore running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuke8401 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I have used 100 round REM, WIN, FED bulk packs in my 930 without any failures. I did some testing on a 4" square steel plate and I can get about 5 more yard effective range with REM Nitro 27s with the same choke. So since I don't reload the difference is in knockdown power. For our local matches ranges are really close so Wally bulk is what I use. If going to any significant match or match with longer distances I step up to Nitro 27s or AAs. David E. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmdCtzn Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I used the Federal bulk pack shells from Wal-Mart for a few years, but after reading several posts on here about cheaping out on shells, similar to the above post, I decided to switch to Winchester AA shells. The only failure I've ever had in a match from a shotgun shell was from one of those AA shells. The hull had a big wrinkle in it is the best way I can describe it. So, for me, all the posts about using more expensive shells are complete bullshit. I switched back to the Federal bulk packs, and I had no problems all of last year with them. I went through about six bulk packs last year. Maybe I'm the odd story, but for me the Wally World shells are actually better than the AA shells. For the OP, get some Federal bulk packs from Wal-Mart, but also have some heavier shells in your bag for those damn Texas starts set too far out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landshark45 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I stopped using cheap wally world shells after I had the aluminum heads swell up in my chamber at a hot match over the summer. I use remington shure shot or AA's now. Of course thats just my gun that didn't like them and I see lots of guys use them with no problems. I say use the cheapest shells that are 100% reliable in your gun. Those may be AA's or the cheapies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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