Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters “Good” Shotgun shells

Aside from the obvious such as the horrendous galvanized bases and cheap hulls used in promo type cheap shotshells. How much better are the “good” shells than the cheapies?

I don’t do a lot of shotgunning by some people’s standards, rarely shoot clays since I live a long ways from the nearest club but I do hunt quite a bit. I’d imagine that I get in 20-30 outings a year for doves, pheasants, and quail. But I’d swear that my average goes up and the number of cripples goes down when I switch from the $5.50 a box junk to the $10 a box stuff. For comparison sake I’m speaking mainly to 1 1/8oz 12ga loads. I’m assuming you get a better wad and maybe harder shot?

Pattern your gun . Might find some less expensive shells that pattern better .

I have no proof to support this so please read this as opinion only.

The (so called) cheap junk at $5.50 per box is actually often times very good stuff. I say this because I can use those hulls to make excellent hunting loads that would cost far past the $10.00/box.....and further the cheapies break targets very well when I point the gun in the right place. I shoot federal ammo mostly as my experience with those hulls is far greater than anything else. A 2 3/4" federal hull purchased for $5.50/box for target loads can be made into a 1 3/8 Oz baby magnum load for pheasant hunting and it's easily a very powerful load. Years ago I used Winchester AA hulls for this but for some reason the hull was changed and the price increased for the target shells so I said "goodbye"

I'm firmly convinced that for 12 ga and 20 ga ammo (the two highest quantity loads made) the price is set by some factor of marketing and not by cost. The difference between a 12 ga target load of 1 1/8 Oz and a much more powerful hunting load of 1 1/4 Oz shot is mainly that.....an extra 1/8 Oz of shot and a different powder of a slower burn rate but more of it. These differences do not begin to double the cost (and often times a lot more than double) of manufacturing. My guess is that it's set to offset the extremely completive cost of target shells. The quality of components are not different at all.

I'm fortunate to have a bit of #5 and #6 shot left over from yesteryear to make hunting loads......so when I look at the federal target loads that I buy for $5.25 per box and then look to their very powerful Prairie Storm and Pheasants forever loads at $21 per box, I have to smile as I can reproduce that same performance by using hulls from the target loads and the same wads used elsewhere and yes.....the same primers and the cost to me is near the same as reproducing the target loads. So I buy my target loads and reload them to make my hunting loads.

When the discussion turns to steel shot, I buy them all because it's not really worth my time to make my own. I find that to be an entirely diffent ball game.

My point: I find no difference in price of ammo based on quality of components.....but on marketing schemes. However the higher price of 16 Ga, 28 Ga, and .410 shells may be based on quantity of production.....again not quality of components.

Vapodog, I'd say that is a pretty good assessment although the more expensive target loads AA , Fed Goldmetal, Rem STS stuff usually has high antimony shot where promo loads don't. The weak link is still the shooter on targets. The harder shot of premium hunting loads will hold pattern better at extended ranges. The guy with the dog who gets mostly 25-35 yard shots doesn't really benefit with hard shot as well as they dogless hunter who is shooting 30+ yards most of the time. Allways having just the right choke in when you need it can t be overplayed either , lot of variables in shotgunning. MB

What Bob said. Used promo 12, 16, 20 ga shells for grouse/woodcock and the close targets (like all 8 skeet stations). Want to break 50 yd crossers, swat rangy phez? Use good stuff. Tom Roster has written about this extensively. And no, you cannot compensate by using tighter constrictions with soft shot (eg. Eagle).

The difference is even more stark with the .410 and 28.

The biggest difference is the shot. Premium shells use magnum shot which is a harder alloy rather than pure lead. Pure lead is too soft and flattens out, often not penetrating into the vitals. Magnum shot often exits after passing through. In order of hardness with softest first are: pure lead, then chilled lead, then magnum, and then plated. Above that are the various heavier than lead shots.

Usually the other components are better also, but shot is the biggie.

oh there is a difference better ammo cost more,here is an example : my team always does well in league trap shooting and now here is the But > 2 of us switch to a cheaper brand from over seas one of us had a average of 24 and higher for the last 20 years his average was 23.7 this year with very few 25 `s ,myself my average is always around 23.5 -23.8 every year for 20 some years my average this year was 22.9 with these cheap trap shotgun shells we each saved $20.00 for the year with a poorer average it was not worth it. our best shooter this year refused to use cheap shells he used Winchester AA for trap league his average was 24.8 he missed 2 birds only. this fall i went back to Winchester AA and my average went right back up to almost 24 so no more cheap ammo for us ! we also patterned our trap shotguns the cheap trap shells did have holes in pattern but the Winchester AA did not have any holes in pattern. if you buy Winchester AA in summer they have a rebate on trap ammo of $2.00 a box that`s $20.00 for a case so that brings a box of 25 shells down to less than $7.00 which is a fare price. i use AA 7 1/2 - 3 Dram for trap and mourning doves works great for both.

I don't worry about the hull unless I plan on reloading it...just shot (if waterfowl), shot size, payload, and fps. If those numbers are right then I worry about price and go for the lowest on the shelf. Oops, I'm not a gunwriter....just throwing that out there.

Superior wad construction helps. But hard shot vs. soft is the big thing.

Hard shot is usually rounder to begin with & resist being deformed when fired & passed through the barrel & choke. Nice round shot flies, patterns, holds velocity better & penetrates deeper than soft smashed up shot does.

I had figured the hard shot was going to be the biggie. I notice when using the higher priced stuff that I see pellets exit. Which of course would be the hard shot doing it’s thing.

Completely unscientific I know but I noticed when shooting at flushed birds in cut milo stalks that the pattern with the more expensive shells seemed to be a good bit tighter at about the same ranges. I attributed this to the wads that most of the higher end shells tout in the back of the box.

As far as cheap loads go I have had my best luck with the Federal Top Gun line of target shells.

These burn so much cleaner than any AA round I have shot and break clays just as handily.

As long as you do not need shot larger than 7 1/2 these would be hard to beat.

Well said. I handload all my hunting ammo. I like nickel plated or magnum shot. Bismuth for waterfowl.

I will use whatever type of shot in the medium cost range for shorter range use. Then I also carry AA's or reloads with magnum shot in them for longer range or more difficult conditions. Some of the cheap stuff has so many fliers it has a bigger less dense or more strung out pattern and may be an advantage at closer ranges so you don't shoot the birds up so much. On water fowl there was an obvious difference in the magnum and plated loads (when we could still use lead). I think the same holds true for late season Pheasants as I got fewer runners when they were flushing at longer ranges.

Dove hunting can be fairly high volume shooting so I mostly go to the lower end, but not the cheapest shells, but for more of a pass shooting situation I will use the better loads.

In my limited experiences patterning, the good ammo, with harder shot, patterns far more evenly, as well as putting more shot in the pattern. For early season sharptails I like an open choke, IC or even Skeet, and good shells. The patterns from the good shells seem far less patchy, and a little tighter, than from promotional "pheasant" loads. I seem to get fewer cripples with the good ammo. I use a lot of Fiochi Golden Pheasant. But for practice with a hand thrower, the cheap stuff is fine. Doesn't bother me to only wound a clay pigeon.

Best shells I ever patterned were B&P 7/8oz. 12ga.

Best cheap shells I have found are Remington Gun Clubs and Federal Top Guns. Both pattern very good in my guns

Shorter shot columns usually pattern better than long.

I’ve had good luck with Rio on dove and quail.

I’m a Sporting Clays shooter. Whenever the bird doesn’t break it’s because I shot in the wrong place, stopped the swing, or lifted my head. Within reason shot size, shot weight, shell cost, and choke make little difference.

I disagree that plated is harder that magnum or high antimony shot not so most plated is chilled with plating. Some of the high end nickle plated is indeed harder and some isn't. MB