Eley Impax Traditional

[matone]

Having often criticised Eley for the excessive recoil of their more recent Impax loadings in 67mm cases ,I finally got round to buying a slab of their Impax Traditional which they introduced to address the issue ! Took a couple of boxes out this afternoon for a session decoying pigeons on newly emerging rape and have been impressed by the new loads,crisp shooting but perfectly matched to a lightweight side by side. Very effective too,pulling down a handfull of rangey,fast flying cushats .Well done Eley .

[Minky]

You mean that your not using 42 gm #4s though super full choke fitted in a 32 in multichoke single trigger 10lb o/u.  You do realize that if your not using the aforementioned  weapon that you have absolutely no chance of hitting anything AND there is a high chance that the recoil will cause you to be set on your rear. 😁😆

Edited September 13, 2022 by Minky

[matone]

Nope,amazing isn`t it !

[wymberley]

Did use the Impax a while back but could hear the pellets strike pigeon at sub 40 yards with very little effect so gave them a miss. Would give these another go except that Lyalvale in a very similar cartridge (albeit a tad more pricey)  load has - for my money and which of course it is - had the good sense to also load 6&1/2s.

[matone]

Managed 20 for 28 shots including a few real testers ,so I think the pellets are ok....

[wymberley]

2 minutes ago, matone said:

Managed 20 for 28 shots including a few real testers ,so I think the pellets are ok....

Nice one, superb shooting, well done. I've always figured that 2 for 3 was a red-letter day irrespective of the total number of shots.

[matone]

One of the better days!lol. I really enjoyed being out for a couple of hours on a fine ,breezy Sept afternoon ! It was a purely speculative trip and would have been good if little had happened tbh.

[Walker570]

It has been a long long time since I used Impax but back then they were the go to game cartridge along with and most of us shot SBSs and shot #7s which if I remember was the only shot size available in Impax back then, but stand corrected.  I'm probably talking back when most of you hadn't popped out or where in short trousers.  I didn't realise that they still made them.   Back then they where also pretty sharp but not uncomfortably so.

[enfieldspares]

50 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

It has been a long long time since I used Impax but back then they were the go to game cartridge along with and most of us shot SBSs and shot #7s which if I remember was the only shot size available in Impax back then, but stand corrected.  I'm probably talking back when most of you hadn't popped out or where in short trousers.  I didn't realise that they still made them.   Back then they where also pretty sharp but not uncomfortably so.

I shot alongside a guy that used paper Hull Cartridge one ounce English #7 in a Purdey bore TRUE and IMP. He was one of the best shots I have ever seen and that gun killed dead in the air.

[London Best]

16 minutes ago, enfieldspares said:

I shot alongside a guy that used paper Hull Cartridge one ounce English #7 in a Purdey bore TRUE and IMP. He was one of the best shots I have ever seen and that gun killed dead in the air.

More experienced game shots realise this. 
Less experienced people often have a tendency to use a bigger load and shot size, perhaps because they think the lighter loads are inadequate, not realising they are missing.

[wymberley]

1 hour ago, London Best said:

More experienced game shots realise this. 
Less experienced people often have a tendency to use a bigger load and shot size, perhaps because they think the lighter loads are inadequate, not realising they are missing.

Yep, but in the main this applies to incoming birds at about 25 to 35 yards. Does it also apply to a bird having less than half the vulnerable area which is going to do whatever it damned well pleases? As ever, horses for courses.

[enfieldspares]

2 hours ago, wymberley said:

Yep, but in the main this applies to incoming birds at about 25 to 35 yards. Does it also apply to a bird having less than half the vulnerable area which is going to do whatever it damned well pleases? As ever, horses for courses.

I'd never countenance one ounce of English #7 for walked up pheasant. I agree if "bumming them" it's not IMHO got the penetration. I'd feel happier with the old 1 1/16 of good quality properly round English #6.

My late father used to shoot at Woburn and at Kedleston and used in his later years a G E Lewis "Light Magnum" 20 bore. Essentailly twenty-six inch barrels and 2 3/4" chambers. His chosen cartridge were Eley 20 Bore with 13/16 ounces of English #5 or, later, the waterproof ones of Eley 20 Bore Alphamax with one ounce of English #5.

I think some of the old boys had a resistance to smaller shot because "back in the day" the quality, grading, roundness and hardness of shot wasn't as good as it is (well I hope is) today despite the writings in "On High Pheasants".

[matone]

5 hours ago, Walker570 said:

It has been a long long time since I used Impax but back then they were the go to game cartridge along with and most of us shot SBSs and shot #7s which if I remember was the only shot size available in Impax back then, but stand corrected.  I'm probably talking back when most of you hadn't popped out or where in short trousers.  I didn't realise that they still made them.   Back then they where also pretty sharp but not uncomfortably so.

Yes,they`ve always loaded them but for a spell they became too sharp fpr most people`s taste.Thankfully Eley took note of this and the latest version is in a proper 21/2" case with ( good grief!) ,low brass head !!! I`d say they`re back to classic Impax now.

[wymberley]

50 minutes ago, enfieldspares said:

I'd never countenance one ounce of English #7 for walked up pheasant. I agree if "bumming them" it's not IMHO got the penetration. I'd feel happier with the old 1 1/16 of good quality properly round English #6.

My late father used to shoot at Woburn and at Kedleston and used in his later years a G E Lewis "Light Magnum" 20 bore. Essentailly twenty-six inch barrels and 2 3/4" chambers. His chosen cartridge were Eley 20 Bore with 13/16 ounces of English #5 or, later, the waterproof ones of Eley 20 Bore Alphamax with one ounce of English #5.

I think some of the old boys had a resistance to smaller shot because "back in the day" the quality, grading, roundness and hardness of shot wasn't as good as it is (well I hope is) today despite the writings in "On High Pheasants".

Yep, but just not quite sure about the last bit. My father loaded nothing else but Eley shot which was always well formed and to size. Back then it was Hobson's choice. I find now - I always check a couple from any new factory batch - if there is going to be a discrepancy it will be pellets/ounce. 

At the time, circumstances were such that it was the correct decision, but if we call it a mistake then I made the same one three times. At the time supply and demand kept the price up whereas now the actual cost of materials has added to it and  keeps them OTT. I sold a Linsley, then a Hellis and then a Patstone all for which Father was loading true 2" cases with a crimp closure. With one 12 bore exception when I can manage it I, too, now shoot 20 bore. I now half wish that I'd kept at least one of the 2"s as they have all the ballistic advantages of a 20 bore plus some.

[BrowningDJC]

My father learned to shoot with a 2 inch Charles Hellis, wish we still had it. 

I now shoot a 20 mostly, but when I used a 12 previously one of my favourite game loads was an ounce of 7’s. 

[dipper]

On 14/09/2022 at 08:17, Walker570 said:

It has been a long long time since I used Impax but back then they were the go to game cartridge along with and most of us shot SBSs and shot #7s which if I remember was the only shot size available in Impax back then, but stand corrected.  I'm probably talking back when most of you hadn't popped out or where in short trousers.  I didn't realise that they still made them.   Back then they where also pretty sharp but not uncomfortably so.

 

Lord Monkbretton  used impax 6 in his puffy 1959 .

 

[dipper]

On 14/09/2022 at 08:17, Walker570 said:

It has been a long long time since I used Impax but back then they were the go to game cartridge along with and most of us shot SBSs and shot #7s which if I remember was the only shot size available in Impax back then, but stand corrected.  I'm probably talking back when most of you hadn't popped out or where in short trousers.  I didn't realise that they still made them.   Back then they where also pretty sharp but not uncomfortably so.

Should have said Purdey

[Walker570]

28 minutes ago, dipper said:

Should have said Purdey

No, mine...well my Grandfathers at the time, was a good old BSA non ejector which I still have.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Walker570

[matone]

4 hours ago, Walker570 said:

No, mine...well my Grandfathers at the time, was a good old BSA non ejector which I still have.

An iconic gun in it`s own right!

[ditchman]

On 14/09/2022 at 08:17, Walker570 said:

It has been a long long time since I used Impax but back then they were the go to game cartridge along with and most of us shot SBSs and shot #7s which if I remember was the only shot size available in Impax back then, but stand corrected.  I'm probably talking back when most of you hadn't popped out or where in short trousers.  I didn't realise that they still made them.   Back then they where also pretty sharp but not uncomfortably so.

liked the specs for the Impax.........never liked using them tho....sharp bang sharp kick........

the finest cartridge that i have ever used in my sxs....was a 24g 7's winchester........they were fantasic ..super fast very smooth broke clays evenly and killed birds very well.........then winchester stopped making them as part of their "rationalisation".....they dropped i think 14 lines of cartridges

i was gutted

[matone]

8 hours ago, ditchman said:

liked the specs for the Impax.........never liked using them tho....sharp bang sharp kick........

the finest cartridge that i have ever used in my sxs....was a 24g 7's winchester........they were fantasic ..super fast very smooth broke clays evenly and killed birds very well.........then winchester stopped making them as part of their "rationalisation".....they dropped i think 14 lines of cartridges

i was gutted

....along with many others!!!! If it said Winchester on a case,it was good! Loved their GB 1oz .

[Walker570]

9 hours ago, ditchman said:

liked the specs for the Impax.........never liked using them tho....sharp bang sharp kick........

the finest cartridge that i have ever used in my sxs....was a 24g 7's winchester........they were fantasic ..super fast very smooth broke clays evenly and killed birds very well.........then winchester stopped making them as part of their "rationalisation".....they dropped i think 14 lines of cartridges

i was gutted

My Grandfathers 12 gauge weighs in at 7 1/2lbs and I have never noticed recoil.   Yes the Winchesters where a very good cartridge too as where straight forwad Eley Grand Prix if you put it in the pattern. If I had a fiver for everyhting I have shot with Grand Prix cartridges I would be off to Argentina first class flight to shoot doves for a week.

[ditchman]

1 hour ago, Walker570 said:

My Grandfathers 12 gauge weighs in at 7 1/2lbs and I have never noticed recoil.   Yes the Winchesters where a very good cartridge too as where straight forwad Eley Grand Prix if you put it in the pattern. If I had a fiver for everyhting I have shot with Grand Prix cartridges I would be off to Argentina first class flight to shoot doves for a week.

Eley grand prix were a go to cartridge for me ......that was either Eley or Gallyons Hi-shot..........always thought Impax was sharp even then and was marketed as a partridge cartridge............

loved opening a new box of paper cased grand prix.........Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.............the smell......the crac cocaine of the shooting world

[Fargo]

On 28/09/2022 at 06:48, matone said:

....along with many others!!!! If it said Winchester on a case,it was good! Loved their GB 1oz .

Used these a lot years ago