Winchester Low recoil AA shells

[Shell Shucker]

Two other shooters and I each shot a box of AA low recoil/noise 12ga shells on the skeet range today. They advertise half the recoil and noise. They aren't lying! Recoil is like a 28ga and they are very quiet. They broke skeet targets as well as standard loads. Two of us thought that they are not a handicap at all. If I had to buy $6 a box factory 12ga ammo to shoot skeet this would be it! I can't think of a better load for kids and new shooters.
The specs are: 12ga, 15/16oz (26 gram) #8 shot, 980 fps. Probably won't cycle auto-loaders.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Another testimonial to light loads.

More of us should try them.

 

[Oldnamvet]

And the only adjustment (going from 1250 fps to 980 fps) would be a roughly extra foot of lead for station 4 on skeet which is already around 4 feet anyway. I wonder about the patterns since, in very general terms, lower velocity leads to tighter/better patterns? I'll have to try some.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm using Remington STS and Winchester AA Light Target 12 ga shotshells for breaking clays. Both have 1 1/8 oz of lead shot but have a Dram Eq. of 2 3/4 instead of 3 or more. They are very easy on the shoulder especially when you want to shoot more than 1 day in a row. They aren't as light as the "low noise/recoil" shells but they aren't as expensive either. Since I've used the light Target loads I won't go back to shells with a Dram Eq. over 2 3/4 for breaking clays.

 

[Regolith]

I tried them in my 870 12 gauge with a 28" barrel. I didn't really notice a difference between them and the regular Remington STS light target loads, and neither did my brother.

 

[cpileri]

Actually...

and maybe this was a fluke and not the norm, but I shot a box through a friends 26" barrel Rem 1100 and it cycled the action. FWIW.
C-

 

[ZeSpectre]

I use the AA Featherlights out of a SxS for Cowboy Action Shooting. They are GREAT!

 

[atblis]

Hmm

I don't know why they made them so slow. That same load at 1145 wouldn't be that much worse.

 

[Shell Shucker]

I'm guessing that making them that slow really cuts down on the noise/blast. They claim 50% reduction in recoil and noise.
Remingtons low recoil 12 ga load is 7/8 oz at 1100 fps. They claim a 40% reduction in recoil only. I'll bet it's a great skeet round!

 

[atblis]

Yeah

That's getting too slow. 1100fps is acceptable. 980 starts to affect lead a bit too much for my taste.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Re slow speeds......

New shooters do not start out on the 27 yard line. A lighter, slower shell is not a disadvantage on the skeet field or even for 16 yard trap.

These are for new shooters and for those missions that occur at closer ranges.

The right tool for the job....

 

[wdlsguy]

980 feet per second is subsonic. A subsonic load is going to be quieter than a supersonic load.

 

[atblis]

Yep

Yeah, I just don't see 980 fps having that much less recoil than something in the low 1100s. I had some accidental reloads that were going 850 ish. That was way too slow. Didn't really notice them sounding that much different.

 

[Shell Shucker]

I agree, I don't know how much the velocity plays a part in recoil between 980 vs 1100 fps; given the low velocity and light payload. Maybe it allows Winchester to claim a 50% reduction vs Remington's 40% reduction. I do KNOW that as little as 55 fps makes a difference in 1 1/8 oz loads (2 3/4 dram 1145 fps vs 3 dram 1200 fps). 100 fps Makes a BIG difference in recoil on 1 1/8 oz loads; 1200 fps vs 1300 fps super sports! 1 oz 1290 fps loads are pretty snappy.
As far as noise/report, reloads are all over the place! One guy's 1200 fps load sounds mild, the next guy's 1200 fps reload sounds like a cannon! I bet Winchester did a lot of component swapping to get the noise/recoil "just right"!

 

[mswestfall]

All else being the same a 980 fps shell would have 89.09% of the recoil of an 1,100 fps shell. So I agree with Shell Shucker about the tinkering with other components idea.

 

[TX1911fan]

I love em. And for the 20 gauge, I bought some Fiochi Trainer rounds for my wife. They recoil like a .22 rifle (ok maybe a little harder, but not much).

 

[bigalexe]

Sorry to dig up a zombie thread but does anyone know where these can be bought for under $10 a box / $100 a case?

I was at A large box store over the weekend and picked up a box of this stuff on a whim to try it out, its my now favorite load. However I'm not sure if that place has any left at the price of $7.57 a box.

 

[atblis]

Walmart maybe? IIRC, my local Walmart had them

 

[DaleCooper51]

Just priced some out last week. They were all around $10 a box and up. I would see if you could pick up a used sizemaster and make some light loads up yourself. I shoot some light recoiling 3/4 or 7/8 oz 12ga loads and I can make them for just over $3 a box. A used press will quickly pay for itself and you will have the ability to tailor a load to your liking.

 

[sfc_mark]

I was at A large box store over the weekend and picked up a box of this stuff on a whim to try it out, its my now favorite load. However I'm not sure if that place has any left at the price of $7.57 a box.

I don't know about MI, but here both Wal-Mart and Academy always have at least small amounts in stock, both AA Light Target and Low Recoil/Low noise within 2 cents of that price. Since they're never out of stock here, I've never even felt a need to buy more than two outings worth at a time.

 

[bigalexe]

The "Large Box Store" I referred to was in fact Walmart and remained nameless because i know some people hate the mention of it.

Its good to know that other stores still stock the stuff regularly, I had assumed after some research it was just some old stock they were clearing out but now I know I can expect to find it there. Also I don't expect the employees there to know their stock so I don't bother asking them.

 

[Daniel]

I like them for their low noise (which I don't attribute to a lack of supersonic crack; that's only 130 decibels or so, and that's not loud at all. It's due to less gunpowder, which means less of a controlled explosion).

I keep some handy if I see a rabbit up near the house. Touching off full power 2-3/4 inch shells isn't needed against a rabbit at close range.

 

[GigaBuist]

Already sent a PM but if you're looking for low recoiling loads on a budget then loading them yourself is the way to go. Factory loads gets expensive when you back off the powder charge and shot weight. Reloads just get cheaper and cheaper when you do that.

And, unlike the metallic reloading world, you can get a functional press like the Lee Load-All II for only $45. It doesn't take long to recoup your costs.