Best Promotional Shotshells?????

[Lawyerman]

Locally there are sales on bulk "promo" type shells right now, dove season is only two weeks away. I have seen ads for Estate-$4.50 a box, Two types of Winchester- white box $3.50 and Silver box (heavier loads?) $4.00 and two types of Remington- Shurshots at $4 and a tan and green box about the same. The only Federals I'm seeing are the Walmart value packs-not on sale and some Champions at $5 a box.

Of these loads which are the best quality? The Federal bulk packs apparently have steel heads vs. brass. I have seen the lower velocity Winchester choke several autos, the Remingtons too....

I have too many shotguns to select a load that only works well in one gun. I need something that will work in any of them and produce decent patterns.

Thoughts?

 

[esheato]

I've had good luck with the Federal bulk packs. When I go to assist farmers with their pest extermination, I nary have a failure.

Any of the big name manufacturers should be more than adequate.

Personally, I'd buy whoever produced the load I required. Nines for skeet, 7 1/2 or eights for dove, trap or plinking.

Ed

 

[ArmedBear]

Federals if you want the best bang for your buck and plan to toss the hulls anyway. Great shells, for cheap.

Remington Sport Loads, if you want to re-use the hulls. They're good for a lot of reloads, but they're more expensive now than they were last year, at least here. Definitely more than Federals, and I like the loads Federal offers.

I won't buy any more Winchester bulk packs, after having trouble getting them to feed in an 870, and watching others experience the same thing. Super-X and better feed fine, but not the real cheap ones.

 

[RancidSumo]

My brothers Nova had no problems with 100 rounds of the cheap Winchester ammo.

 

[ArmedBear]

The cheap Winchesters work in my Browning, too.

However:

I have too many shotguns to select a load that only works well in one gun. I need something that will work in any of them and produce decent patterns.

There are definitely shotguns that don't like them. Some boxes might be fine, but some seem to have the bases sized wrong. Guns with oversized chambers won't mind, but if the gun's to-spec, you will get some stuck shells. Seen it in Mossberg 500's, also, as I recall.

 

[evbutler462]

Federal, Estate, or Remington. Whichever is cheaper. I stay away from Winchesters. Extracting problems with their metal heads. Some guns digest them okay.

I use #7 1/2 shot so as to decrease cripples when bird hunting. #8s are not the best for me. Too many I have to chase down. #7 1/2 seems to kill better.

 

[ArmedBear]

Ditto ev on the 7.5's

6's sometimes, even, depending on the circumstances. High desert quail are tough birds.

 

[Lawyerman]

I am thinking about buying some Winchester Super X's-silver box. They are $4 a box at Academy right now for 7.5's. I figure to lay in 3-4 cases.

I still have several cases of PMC's from 4-5 years ago. They are great shells-work in all my guns but I sure haven't seen anything from them recently in the stores.

 

[foghornl]

I seem to very vaguely recall that the PMC Ammo company (out yonder in Utah, IIRC) is closed right now.


Hmmm.....can't find their website (pmcammo.com) Must be closed


oops. PMC was in Nevada.

 

[Lawyerman]

I got it wrong. The local Academy has Winchester Super x's and Federal Range and Fields 7.5's or 8's in either one for $35 a case. Think I'll get two cases of each and call it good.

 

[ArmedBear]

PMC went out of business.

Equipment was bought by Jamison, formerly of my hometown Huntington Beach CA, now in Sturgis, SD.

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2006/10/25/news/business/news674.txt

 

[Lawyerman]

Boy that's great! Maybe when they get that machinery back up and producing we'll start to see some more ammo available. I don't think it will be any cheaper but at least there will be more around.

It's funny to me that the article repeats something I've been saying all year- you don't just throw up an ammo factory over nite because there is alot of consumer demand. As it says most of the highly specialized machines aren't even made anymore and companies all around the world are competing for the ones that do exist. Notice in the picture how the guy is HAND FEEDING the cartridge blanks into the machine......that should tell you something about manufacturing ammo! It isn't like Chinese widget making!