Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Rio shotgun shells???

good evening fellas. Where would Rio game load shot shells fall in the general scheme of things as far as quality of shot,i.e. hardness/magnum, cleanliness of powders used, etc? It shoots good in my Franchi affinity 20ga as it appears to be pretty hot stuff with a mv of 1,250 fps and 1oz of shot. I shot winchester aa's and remington heavy dove and did well but always looking for an edge i guess. i liked how i didn't have many winged dove using the winchester aa's as folks have told me that win uses hard/magnum shot which should pattern more cosistent and hit harder on game. Just wondering if the Rio game loads will be comparable is all.
thanks,
Big Ed

I bought some on a whim several years ago and was pleased. Using it out of an SKB 500 I had zero issues nor did I notice any unusual residue.


I would rate it the equal of other well known brands but I don't know that it will give you the edge you seek.

the Rio's i bought are traveling at 1,250 fps and the Winchester AA's i used last year are moving along at 1,165 fps i believe. both carry a 1oz 8 shot payload but the Rio's are apparently hotter thus reducing lead on screaming doves hopefully.
thanks,
BIg Ed

Rio's had a problem with their primers burning firing pin tips, but you would have had to shoot a lot of them. Could guess how many Rio target loads I've shot, but most wouldn't believe it anyway. That being said, they make a good shell. Will it significantly reduce your lead on "screaming" Doves? No.

thanks battue. just wanted to up my chances of a surprise fly by when the lil screamers roll into the field on a tailwind. i love shooting the gray rockets but like any advantage i can get within reason.
thanks again,
Big Ed

Not much harder shotgunning than a mature bull Dove with the wind at his back and on a mission to get someplace. Make it a cold windy late season day, with full grown Birds just passing thru on their way South and it gets even better.

Most are shooting 7.5 and 8's for that work. I prefer 6's.

early season doves nothing beats number eight or nine shot that is if you wait until they are within range and if you don't wait, then bigger shot really does nothing. Late season doves number 7 or 7.5 is hard to beat.

Depends on what ones within range is. It's not the same for all.

Tight chokes also interest me more than open.

Pigeons, but the message is the same at distance.
Number 5's


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9iURozEEtk&sns=em

Love me some Rio's! Shot thousands, probly tens of thousands, with zero issues