Eley Grand Prix 32g 6's

[955i]

Usually buy Fiocchi cartridges, but last time I went they had run out so they gave me the above cartridges for the same price instead.

 

I have never come across a cartridge that makes such a noise, has a big kick, and consistantly fail to knock birds down clean.

 

I thought it was me at first, but I have had good clean hits with these (big puff of feathers, even birds hitting the ground) but on at least 50% of occasions they have run or even got up and flown off.

 

Has anyone else found this with these?

 

Certainly will never use them again, I am not into wounding my quarry and hoping I drive past it somewhere on my way home .

[utectok]

Bad batch ? I've had that ?

[smig4373]

Usually buy Fiocchi cartridges, but last time I went they had run out so they gave me the above cartridges for the same price instead.

 

I have never come across a cartridge that makes such a noise, has a big kick, and consistantly fail to knock birds down clean.

 

I thought it was me at first, but I have had good clean hits with these (big puff of feathers, even birds hitting the ground) but on at least 50% of occasions they have run or even got up and flown off.

 

Has anyone else found this with these?

 

Certainly will never use them again, I am not into wounding my quarry and hoping I drive past it somewhere on my way home .

 

There rubbish......Been saying it for years.....Never recommend them at work

[ollie]

I have tried the 7's and I have always found them to be quite a good shell. They are very clean and they have knocked down plenty of game in the past. The last time I went to the gun dealer I tried to get more and they were all sold out.

[Blunderbuss]

Bad batch ? I've had that ?

 

Nope I've always found them to be fine. Once you lose confidence in a brand it is difficult to shoot well with it, but its not usually the fault of the product. I bought a load of 21g Kent Velocity cartridges for my daughter to use, because of their light recoil. She went back to uni and I tried them and couldn't hit a thing with them. I convinced myself that there was so little shot in them, there were great big holes in the pattern, I totally lost faith with them and was going to sell a load on here cheap. A couple of months later I "accidentally" scooped a couple into the gun, which had been hiding in my cartridge bag, whilst practising on the clays. I got a left and right on a pair I had been struggling with. I realised what I'd used, got some more and shot brilliantly (by my mediocre standards) smoking targets I'd normally miss.

 

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that the difference in performance between one brand of cartridge and another is minute and mostly in our heads. Re the pigeons. I found that if you get a big cloud of feathers when you hit one, it usually means you've hit them in the rear end, so probably caught them with the trailing edge of the pattern (if they are going away) which is less likely to kill them cleanly. Again, this is more likely to be technique (lead) rather than the cartridge?

[joknob]

Nope I've always found them to be fine. Once you lose confidence in a brand it is difficult to shoot well with it, but its not usually the fault of the product. I bought a load of 21g Kent Velocity cartridges for my daughter to use, because of their light recoil. She went back to uni and I tried them and couldn't hit a thing with them. I convinced myself that there was so little shot in them, there were great big holes in the pattern, I totally lost faith with them and was going to sell a load on here cheap. A couple of months later I "accidentally" scooped a couple into the gun, which had been hiding in my cartridge bag, whilst practising on the clays. I got a left and right on a pair I had been struggling with. I realised what I'd used, got some more and shot brilliantly (by my mediocre standards) smoking targets I'd normally miss.

 

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that the difference in performance between one brand of cartridge and another is minute and mostly in our heads. Re the pigeons. I found that if you get a big cloud of feathers when you hit one, it usually means you've hit them in the rear end, so probably caught them with the trailing edge of the pattern (if they are going away) which is less likely to kill them cleanly. Again, this is more likely to be technique (lead) rather than the cartridge?

someone with a bit of sense craig

[Paul223]

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that the difference in performance between one brand of cartridge and another is minute and mostly in our heads. Re the pigeons. I found that if you get a big cloud of feathers when you hit one, it usually means you've hit them in the rear end, so probably caught them with the trailing edge of the pattern (if they are going away) which is less likely to kill them cleanly. Again, this is more likely to be technique (lead) rather than the cartridge?

i'd agree with that

[955i]

Re the pigeons. I found that if you get a big cloud of feathers when you hit one, it usually means you've hit them in the rear end, so probably caught them with the trailing edge of the pattern (if they are going away) which is less likely to kill them cleanly. Again, this is more likely to be technique (lead) rather than the cartridge?

 

Its definately not that I'm afraid, these are clean hit birds coming in to the decoys at <30yds. I have had them drop and appear dead only to get up and fly off again. I have also caught the deeks with these and the pellets haven't penetrated, just stuck in the plastic which suggests to me that they lack any real 'punch'.

 

Not had this with any other cartridges I have used

[Blunderbuss]

From their website 12 bore 32g GP has a muzzle velocity of 1450 fps, which isn't hanging about - I doubt Fiocchi are any quicker. I don't get the punch thing? "you cannae change the laws of physics cap'n", The muzzle energy of a no6 pellet travelling at 1400 fps, or thereabouts, will have same punch whatever name is stamped on the cartridge.

Edited April 2, 2010 by Blunderbuss

[sitsinhedges]

You need a chrono

[MK38]

Really odd that you should find them so bad, as for years these were the cartridges i swore by... them and eley impax. Never a problem with them ...... in fact i have never had a cartridge that didn't work...... i've tried plenty i didn't like though.

Might be a duff batch, or maybe your gun just doesn't pattern well with them.... have you tried a pattern test with them ?

As i've had problems getting them at the right price i've been using Gamebore High game or Clear pigeon and these do OK for me.

But i really struggle to imagine that Grand prix won't even penetrate your decoys..... could well be a bad batch.....

 

Dave

[955i]

could well be a bad batch

 

Could be I suppose.

 

There have been a couple that seem to have extra pellets in and the casings have been swollen enough to not fit in the barrel. Just demolished these and as I have not used them before had no general build quality to base anything on so assumed this may be a regular thing.

[GW80]

Must be a bad batch as i never had a complaint of any Eley cartridge, probably my favourite cartridge has been the grand prix high pheasant in 30g 6 or 7, through a 12g and 25g through a 20g!! Lovely cartridge to shoot and with good stopping power!

Edited April 2, 2010 by GW80

[shakin stevens]

Ive used eley for years do all me pigeon shooting with them 30g no 6 in felt wad and use the same for game.

i wont even use the same cartridge in any other size! its what you get on with, had a load of kent velocity given

me nothing wrong with em but cant wait to get through em!!!

[davecooper1]

I also use Eley HV 32gram 6 for years, find them to be one of the best carts going, for pigeons and game.

Its what you feel comfortble with I supose.

[verminator69]

Maybe just a bad batch Shoot them in the head the **** dies Shoot them in the **** the head lives

[utectok]

I find I can just get my timing wrong and it takes a few shots to get back into the swing. Dare I say it could be a problem with the pointing in the right direction thing? With me it usualy is!!

Edited April 2, 2010 by utectok

[GW80]

Lovely shell

[jimmer2]

Used them 20 yrs ago and have just gone back to them. First shot at a pigeon with the wind up it's **** and it was dead in the air. Great. Have had a few with the bulge problem but they are ok and eject no probs. Have had the same on "Firsts" aswell. Give a box to a mate and see what they think.

[MC]

I do firmly believe that there is no such thing as a bad cartridge these days, you just get used to a brand and anything else messes with your head.

 

I used to shoot nothing but Express for game and clays, I then tried some Eley HB pigeon and found the same as you. One big puff of feathers but no dead pigeon.

 

I tightened up a choke to 1/2 and then someone said if you get a puff of feathers you are normally behind them. Once I got this in my head pigeons started dropping all over the place.

 

Eley Grand Prix are the original and probably the best game cartridge around, you won't find a finer one.

[Guest cookoff013]

if it was very cold and you have cold cartridges, that can effect the performance.

i`ve had cartridges from the same box, fired on a hot summers day, and they really punchy.

then i`d fired them in one of the coldest days ever (the carts were in the car.)

 

the shot just about crawled out the end.

 

keep em warm or dont buy twitchy cartridges, fibre loads are the worst. plastic doesnt perform as it should in really low temperatures, but does ok.

[955i]

if it was very cold and you have cold cartridges, that can effect the performance.

i`ve had cartridges from the same box, fired on a hot summers day, and they really punchy.

then i`d fired them in one of the coldest days ever (the carts were in the car.)

 

the shot just about crawled out the end.

 

keep em warm or dont buy twitchy cartridges, fibre loads are the worst. plastic doesnt perform as it should in really low temperatures, but does ok.

 

That is interesting, I would never have considered temperature as being a potential effect on cartridge performance.

[Blunderbuss]

It doesn't, or at least not as noticeable a one as has been suggested. Ask anyone who shoots in Scandinavia, Canada, Alaska or even or even the Scottish foreshore in January. Winter wild fowling wouldn't be possible if the shot just "crawled out of the end".

[clayslayer]

As stated before most eley game cartridges are loaded to be reaching a 60ft target at about 1090 ft per second be it 4 shot or 7 shot which is as fast if not faster than many other brands, So they should drop birds as good as any other brand used there will always be people who feel more confident with a certain gun / cartridge combination.

The fact remains all modern cartridges will give good clean kills if placed in the right spot.

I test fire many thousands of cartridges a year so can only think as stated earlier that you may have had a bad batch but with modern production and large scale testing this should not be a problem.