Cartridge Velocity Test 24/09/14

[johnnytheboy]

I haven't thought about that but on Facebook one guy said he used victory cartridges as he believed the shot was softer and transfers the shock to the bird better! On the flip side I did notice EJ Churchill have their Hellfire cartridges loaded with copper shot, I think though they state for better patterns, I don't know if the copper makes it harder and less likely to clump, ie separates easier!

[seeker]

Harder and plated shot could also mean fewer deformed pellets, fewer flyers, denser patterns? Some wildfowl loads add buffering as well ... Im told that steel and other very hard shot do this.

Softer lead means less antimony, so each pellet slightly denser/heavier in a given size, and lower cost.

A bigger issue is probably the shot to shot variation in velocities and actual pattern, though consistency behind the butt nut is probably the major variable.

FWIW the BASC article on wads was in their Shooting and Conservation Mag July/August 2004 and had some data on the unpredictable nature of choke .

Edited September 27, 2014 by seeker

[johnnytheboy]

Your right the human element is the biggest variable factor!

[Continental Shooter]

More deformed shot tend to lose speed - therefore killing power- far quicker that rounded pellets.

 

They also tend to be the outer ones on the pattern as they hit against the barrel's walls and bounce around causing excessive dispersion which, although it might be good for shots at close range, are not good when the shot is at a longer range.

 

The quantity of antimony goes up (and so the price) in high performance shells (competition, etc) but too high a concentration can alter the weigh of the pellet, I think 5%-7% is the best.

 

For the principles above, a plated pellet is favoured in certain loads as its pellets deform less maintaining the pattern tighter and, most importantly, the killing power even at longer range.

[dougall]

Anyone ever pattern fibre wads vs plastic?

just cartridges did an article with their own CSPs in fibre and plastic..........the conclusion was they were to all intents & purposes identical.

[Continental Shooter]

Well, of course they are.... fibre is more expensive than plastic....

 

i wonder how can they say that when obviously with a plastic cup protecting the pellets there will be less of them hitting the barrel and get deformed and more lunched from the cap which are centred, intact and will maintain the line far better than those deformed.

 

This is not to say that fibre don't perform better but have you asked why competition shells as well as high performance and long range all use plastic cups and not fibre?

[figgy]

Have you seen shot that's been fired. It looks like a golf ball but bigger dents all round the shot off being squashed together on firing.

 

Was at a simulated game shoot where the shot from the driven targets was falling onto the cars, loads of the stuff was in the roof gutters and little crannies.

 

How any of it flies true is a mystery when you look at it.

 

As for softer shot gives up it's energy when hitting the bird not seen one piece of flat shot in a bird, they don't act like expanding bullets. Picked shot out of birds when it's gone through the leg bones and it still rolled round the plate.

It's only for less deformation on firing, better patterns.

 

Figgy

Edited October 5, 2014 by figgy

[rbrowning2]

Just cartridges would say their plastic and fibre wads perform the same they want to sell them to you.

 

 

Figgy is it not the fact that you find the pellets still within the bird showing that the pellet has given up all its energy within the bird

therefore quickly killing it where as hard shot can pass straight through the bird and therefore not all the pellets energy is within the bird this is one of the problems with steel shot. As you say the shot is unlikely to flatten within the bird as the energy is to low.

[wymberley]

How any of it flies true is a mystery when you look at it

 

 

Figgy

Isn't that the whole point of a shotgun? If the external ballistics were efficient then it would be akin to a rifle. The fact that they're a disaster is what makes the gun so effective on short range moving targets.

[dougall]

Just cartridges would say their plastic and fibre wads perform the same they want to sell them to you.

 

 

Figgy is it not the fact that you find the pellets still within the bird showing that the pellet has given up all its energy within the bird

therefore quickly killing it where as hard shot can pass straight through the bird and therefore not all the pellets energy is within the bird this is one of the problems with steel shot. As you say the shot is unlikely to flatten within the bird as the energy is to low.

It was an article,written by a magazine conducted by an experienced shot,with actual results/photos from a days comparisons...and blow me down with a feather they wanted to sell them to me.........I kinda guessed that an online retailer just selling cartridges might want to sell cartridges..thanks for your genius commercial imput.

[figgy]

 

For it to give up it's energy as you say it would have to deform to do it, and I've not seen one piece that has yet.

 

Plenty of steel shot is found in birds, only time shot will pass through a bird is if it has the energy to do so. At end of it's killing range a pellet will still have the energy to penetrate to the vital organs killing it. Any more distance and it don't hence pellets found under the skin or just into the meat. Close shots all pass through unless the shot hits enough bone to stop it.

 

Not seen that steel shot passes through more than lead,infact due to it being less dense physics would say it don't have the energy to pass through like lead, so would be much less likely to, use larger steel shot more surface area for it to have its energy removed when hitting and passing into the meat compared to lead.

 

Figgy

Edited October 6, 2014 by figgy

[rbrowning2]

It was an article,written by a magazine conducted by an experienced shot,with actual results/photos from a days comparisons...and blow me down with a feather they wanted to sell them to me.........I kinda guessed that an online retailer just selling cartridges might want to sell cartridges..thanks for your genius commercial imput.

However i'm with continental shooter on this ie plastic wad should give less pellet deformation on firing and therefore a better pattern.

 

What do they say "don't believe all your read in the news paper"

[longgun]

which choke used in this tests? Full?

[snow white]

My 20bore finer chrome with no problem that are doing 1200 with 28grams

[Kes]

Hi

Just to the viewers of this post the OP

Has fired 100 different types of cartridge her I don't know how many of each but to buy a box of each to do this sort of testing is over £500 so a big thank you for sharing a major investment with us

All the best

Of

Agreed - very useful asa guide to where to start looking for a faster or slower cartridge which patterns well. I was quite surprised that ELEY VIP are middle speed - I thought they were quick ?