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Cartridge questions


Steve111
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Hi,

 

This is my first year of wildfowling and I'm just about to buy the cartridges for the season, I am going to be using my Browning Phonix semi auto so can use any non toxic cartridges up to 3 1\2". I have been looking at the Lyalvale Express High Performance Steel 3" 36grm shot size 3 for ducks (would size 4 be better?). The best price I have found is £7.06 per box or £68.98 per slab, is this a good price? Also are these cartridges any good?

 

I was then thinking about a couple of boxes of larger shot size for the geese, the above cartridges only go up to size 1 would they be ok for geese or should I go up to BB? The same shop only sell Fiocchi and Remington carts in steel BB. The Fiocchi are 2 3\4" 35grm of BB for £6.40 per box, would this load be any good for geese? or would it be too light? are theFiocchi steel shells any good?

 

The Remingtons BB carts seem to be very exspensive, Sportsman Hi Speed Steel 3" 1 1\4OZ are £13.53 per box (over twice the price) and then the Nitro Steel 3 1\2" 1 9\16OZ carts are £25.88 per box (ouch).

 

I'm just trying to get some opinions so that I will buy the right carts the first time.

 

Thanks in advance for any help,

 

all the best,

 

Steve

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Guest cookoff013

2s for duck.

BB minimum for geese.

 

cook.

 

as for whats best, the yank stuff will be faster. as for value for money?

 

you dont really need 3.5" for duck.

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Ive used Lyalvale Express High Performance Steel 4s, 36grm for the last three seasons on duck, And found them to be very good. Just had a new batch for this coming season. Once you find a cartridge your that performs well through your gun, its very difficult to change. Good luck.

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In my experiance the best place for Lydale 3 inch steel in in the bottom of a creek. There are very slow ( 850 fps ) as aposed to Gamebore at 1300 fps and lack killing power over 30 yards. Though I have heard they are bringing out a new faster 2 3\4 inch load that i want to try when I can get hold of them. Gamebore are good and the main shell I use , but the American Remmington or Winchester even better. But at a price. As Cookoff says BB is the minimum size for geese and if you get a .700 afterchoke 3.5 inch BBB are even better and will kill well out to 50 yards. But do not use BBB through normal chokes as the pattern is too thin. You must get yourself into a different mind sett to use steel well. In the old lead shells pattern and penertration both faded away at the same range , 45-50 yards. But in steel penertration goes well before pattern so if you need to take longish shots ( 45 yard ) go up 2 or even 3 shot sizes to bring the load back into balance. Do not worry too much about the lowish pellet count of shells with big shot because the larger steel pellets tend to patern very tight.

 

I use a Browning gold S\A , the forunner of the phenox and using a after choke find they perform well with an averacge 3 geese out of every 4 shots on the foreshore ending up in the bag.

 

Do not close the door on the expensive Tungsten or hevi shot shells. They will out range steel every time even the lighter loads , but price is a problem if you shoot a lot. But they have their place on those mornings when the geese are just on the edge of shotgun range and a couple in your top pocket may save you from a blank flight. But these shells perform better with less choke than steel.

 

Rather than buying a case of one type of shell i would buy a few boxes and see what shoots best in your gun. For example i find my gun does not pattern well with hevi shot 3s , but is brilliant in 4s. You are lucky the Remmingtons are even more expensive my way but they do the busness and a 3.5 inch loads on sportsman no 2s through a full afterchoke on high mallard just as good as the old lead shells.

Edited by anser2
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As already stated the American loads Remington/Winchester are in my view the best there is. Although I do use Gamebore as well, purely when I`ve ran out of the other two!!!!!. My advice would be if you`re not going to do a massive amount of shooting go for the Wins and Remis, failing that, stick with the Gamebore.......

 

Anser......which I`d kept my Browning Gold!

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Thanks for all the replies, they are all very helpful. I think that I shoot a lot better with a faster cart on the pigeons, I recently swapped to kent velocity and seem to do a bit better. So I think that I will look in to the gamebore range (as they are faster) and see how I do and maybe splash out on a box of american carts as a treat. I would love to be able to justify Hevi shot carts but I don't think I would be able to pull the trigger knowing that they cost £3+ per shot.

 

Anser 2 - where do you get your carts? I'm struggling to find a supplier, the only shop I have found with Gamebore carts only stock them later in the season.

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

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I have just bought some gamebore mammoth 3 1/2 42g 3 shot for the duck on the marsh, hopefully this will stop them. Will let you know how I get on. For geese I use Remington sportsman bbb in 3 1/2.

The 3 1/2" 3 are plenty good enough for a fairly tall mallard. I used quite a few to good effect before i started loading my own.

Thanks for all the replies, they are all very helpful. I think that I shoot a lot better with a faster cart on the pigeons, I recently swapped to kent velocity and seem to do a bit better. So I think that I will look in to the gamebore range (as they are faster) and see how I do and maybe splash out on a box of american carts as a treat. I would love to be able to justify Hevi shot carts but I don't think I would be able to pull the trigger knowing that they cost £3+ per shot.

 

Anser 2 - where do you get your carts? I'm struggling to find a supplier, the only shop I have found with Gamebore carts only stock them later in the season.

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

I can find Hevi shot at £14 for 10 (31gm 4).

Woods at Swaffham sell a decent (ish) range of steel carts. They do the mammoths in 3" steel in sizes 1,3,4 and 5. He sells the 3 1/2" in sizes 1,3 or BB.

If you fancy the more expensive Remington offerings , he sells those,too. Worth a look if you're out that way.

Edited by motty
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