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pigeon select cartridges ?


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Used my first box of them roost shooting a couple of weeks ago. Hit 5 birds, all 5 were runners. Switched back to the Eley 32g 6.5 pigeon variety and they all start dropping down dead again.

 

Haven't really favoured using them again since but obviously from just one session I can't give a cast iron opinion. The writing is on the wall however...

 

Beginning to understand why Eley have upped the price of the existing "pigeon" shells in 30 and 32 gram 6.5s, and introduced these "pigeon select" at roughly the former price of the originals. They must be saving money on something which is making them perform differently. Or am I being too cynical?

Edited by Jim Neal
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Or possibly other folk expressing their opinion

The only reasons for possible poor results can be either inadequate speed (meaning poor striking energy) or poor patterns. I would imagine that the velocity of these shells would be ok (between 1200 and 1300 fps), so choke should sort out sparse patterns.

It would be interesting to see what kind of patterns people are getting on paper.

I have used these cartridges, and for me, they did the job ok.

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Bad workmen blaming the tools?

 

It's simple science. When experimenting scientifically, you change one thing at a time and compare results. If one thing being changed leads to a different result, you can fairly assume that the thing you changed is responsible. I know that my shooting is very consistent (consistently average maybe) but when I change to new cartridges and the shot birds all drop as runners, then I change back to the cartridge I was using before and they drop dead again, that's a very good indication that the cartridges are responsible.

 

Of course it's not simply so black and white. As indicated it could just require a choke change to get the best out of these cartridges if they pattern differently. There could have been something else specific to that one session such as the way the birds were flying over me due to the wind direction, or location I was shooting in. Which is why I am reluctant to say 100% those cartridges are "worse" than what I've been using. Got plenty more to form an opinion with over the next few months...

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  • 1 month later...

Getting low on my stock of the others, so I took a box of Pigeon Select out for a little walkabout session at the weekend, when it was still quite windy from the storm that passed over. I missed a few due to poor technique and/or lack of discipline, but everything I shot dropped stone dead. Exactly the same gun and choke combination as before (28" barrel O/U choked 1/4 and 1/2).

 

I was putting just a little less lead on the birds, that's all. Maybe these cartridges actually pattern tighter in my gun than the other Eley Pigeon?

 

I shot one sitter at about 50yds. It was on the far side of the tree with a thick branch shielding it from me, so I could only see its head momentarily as it looked cautiously around after landing! Selected 1/2 choke barrel, had to time my shot very well but got it bang on luckily! Flapped its wings a few times on the way down but didn't move during the following 30 seconds it took for one of the dogs to get on it.

 

I had a very satisfying snap-shot as I walked between two dense rows of 30ft high conifers. A pigeon came sailing over from my left, arcing around to its right, probably about a 30yd shot, just got on it in time and pulled as it was crossing the tree-tops on my right. Dropped like a stone with the 1/4 choke barrel.

 

I stopped at a favourite roost shooting spot to finish up, where I took a pretty straighforward overhead bird very cleanly (no more than 20yds range I'd guess). Then had my best shot of the day which was a jackdaw, screaming down the wind extremely fast above treetop height, I'm guessing it must have been a good 40-yarder. Shooting through the 1/4 choke barrel I thought I'd only clipped it initially, but it folded up, went into a helicopter spin and kept going on the wind. I heard it land; if it wasn't dead before it hit the ground it certainly was afterwards! Quite a long retrieve that one, it took both dogs and about 2 minutes but nothing escapes my two lunatics when they know there's a bird down!

 

So there we go. Just a simple adjustment of technique seemed to make a difference. Pigeon Select are stated as being the same muzzle velocity as the other Pigeon range (1400fps) so what's different? I know I do have a tendency to swing through a bit enthusiastically, so maybe with the 32g 6.5s I'm not hitting with the centre of the pattern, but there's still enough lead in the air to knock them down? Perhaps Pigeon Select require a slightly more accurate skill level to get the best out of them?

 

I'll have to wait until the next blue moon when I'm shooting well to find out :lol:


so it could be...

 

Bad workmen blaming the tools?

 

 

:lol::lol::lol:

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  • 1 month later...

Having just used my first box of the Pigeon select cartridges (normally use Hull super fast Pigeon) I cannot find much difference except I had to go up on the choke.

Normally shoot 1/4 but on the pigeon select had to go up to 1/2 to get a good pattern.

Normally use a Over & under but got a semi auto so might just be the semi auto casing me to go up a choke but brings the pigeons down without an issue.

 

Anyone else tried these out & found the same in the last few months since the first comments about them?

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God knows why Eley decided to introduce a "new" pigeon load. Change for the sake of change.

 

For me these are better:

 

pigeoneley32.jpg

I agree , I tried some of the pigeon select and was not impressed , where as the old hawk best pigeon ( now eley pigeon) were very good.

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God knows why Eley decided to introduce a "new" pigeon load. Change for the sake of change.

 

For me these are better:

 

pigeoneley32.jpg

Couldn't agree more, my favourite pigeon load. Used thousands of them and rate them very highly!

Do use cheaper loads sometimes but never feel they offer the same punch on those longer birds.

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I agree , I tried some of the pigeon select and was not impressed , where as the old hawk best pigeon ( now eley pigeon) were very good.

 

I'm glad i'm not alone Ade.

 

Couldn't agree more, my favourite pigeon load. Used thousands of them and rate them very highly!

Do use cheaper loads sometimes but never feel they offer the same punch on those longer birds.

 

At one point I had 5000 of the 32g 6.5 shot Eley HB's .The last slab is now open :unhappy:

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