Which shells do you use and where do you get them?

R

rhinonewshooter

New member
I'll be shooting skeet mostly, with a bit of trap and sporting clays. No hunting, so I'm just looking for lead

I would like to shoot shells that run pretty clean, as I am using a Beretta 390.

Last weekend I ran through 125 rounds of Remmington STS. They fired well ASAIK. I was a bit surprised by the amount of carbon left in the gun, but I also don't yet have a point of comaprison.

My gun was able to cycle a box of the light load pretty easily.

If given the choice, i woudl prefer to stay with a lighter load - eithe a 1oz or eve a 7/8 load - I have an "issue" with my neck and shoulder and have super tight muscles right now and want to keep them from getting punished on top of that if I shoot a lot in a day.

I picked up the STS at Dicks, with the current rebate they cost the same as the Rem Gun clubs. I'm not in a hurry for the shells, and could buy larger quantity or by mail order.

I'm not ready to start reloading quite yet, so let's limit the discussion to loads ready to go.

So, what to you use, and where do you get 'em?

Thanks
 
I typically reload my own 3/4 and 7/8 oz loads for 12 gauge....(3/4 is nice and gentle), but I also use the Gun Clubs in 1oz (Dick's runs a sale about every three weeks),or Kemen. Kemen has a 7/8oz load @ 1200 (as opposed to the International loading @ 1350) that is also gentle and works gas guns. Kemens I get at my local gun club from the distributor who comes to shoot; but if you go to Kemen's US site, they have a listing of distributors.

BTW, I can get the Kemen's cheaper than the promo stuff from wally world. Another good brand to try is RIO. (RIO and Kemen are owned by the same company).

If you do not mind paying STS prices, I would also look at Winchester AA, Federal Gold, B&P from Italy, and Gamebore from England
 
You are shooting a semi auto. The best thing for them is a clean action. A semi or any gun for that matter should be cleaned after every use.
 
cleaning

I plan to continue to clean after each use. I was frankly a bit surprised how much carbon was left after shooting 125 of the STS shells on Saturday, which is why I'm thinking I want to stay with cleaner shooting shells if possible.
 
For my first hour long lesson, I thought it was pretty good to get through 125 shells:D. My shoulder still seems to be reminding me about that.
 
It seems like most commercial loads, even the high end ones (Rem STS, Win AA, etc.) are dirtier than the stuff you can make yourself.

IMO, the cheaper stuff is no dirtier; I never noticed any difference in the amount of gunk from the cheap Federal value packs, the midlevel Federal Top Gun, and the Rem STS/Win AA.

If you reload, you can go with cleaner powders that tend not to leave much mess. I've been shooting a very light load (7/8 oz. shot, 16.3 gr. Clay Dot) in my O/U and it's FAR cleaner than the superlight Win AA loads from the factory. IIRC, the 1 1/8 loads I made with Universal was cleaner than the commercial stuff too. Nowhere near as clean as the light Clay Dot, but cleaner than commercial.
 
If you intend to reload, buy AA Win and save your empties. STS are also good for reloads, IIRC.
 
Remington makes a light recoil shell in their STS lineup of products ...and some 1 oz and 1 1/8 oz loads in the STS as well...so it kind of depends on what you bought.

Personally, I find new STS hulls are pretty clean in my guns .../ but another brand that is readily available around the US is Rio - and they're pretty clean as well. I find Federal pretty dirty - especially their promotional shells - Estate.

A clean shooting shell in a gas gun ...is kind of an oxy moron type thing ..since the gun recycles the gas to operate the mechanism / so nothing is going to be "real clean" in a gas gun - and most everything is pretty clean in an Inertia gun or an O/U ...( its just part of owning a gas gun ...) - in my opinion.

But like many here - 99% of the time, I shoot my own reloads - using Hodgdon Clays powder in a 12ga ...which comparatively, is real clean - but nothing is going to be so clean that you don't have to clean that gun after every 150 or 200 shells, in my view.

By far the cheapest shells around in my area --are at local gun clubs. My club buys in 1,000 case lots - and they pass the savings on to shooters and members.
 
Gun Clubs come in 1 oz as well as 1 1/8. An oz of 8s will work for what you're doing. And give about 12% LESS kick.

They burn jive clean, but ALL loads leave some ash. Clean as needed.

Save those STS hulls. If you do not get into reloading, they go for $0.04 here.

I use a 7/8 oz reload using 8s or 8.5s and Clays powder. Burns as clean as any.

And work on your form and fit. For some of us, 125 hulls/day is just an appetizer...
 
Recoil's effects are cumulative, so even after 125, you can feel it. There's nothing macho about recoil either. If you are getting bruises and "cheek slap", you have a gun fit issue. That is short term damage. The long-term damage shows up after years of heavy loads and bad fit when you need a shoulder rebuilt.

After FIT, shooting the heaviest gun you can with the lightest loads will give you the softest recoil and the least damage and pain.

http://www.10xshooters.com/calculators/Shotgun_Recoil_Calculator.htm

That is a recoil calculator - for ease of comparing various loadings, make two assumptions - the wad is always 40 grains and the powder charge is about 18. Those will be close enough. Then put in the velocity, charge weight, and the weight of your gun. MY Browning target gun weighs in right at 8.25#

On another thread the calculator was able to show someone that their light 7# gun with a 1-1/4oz 1350 pheasant load had the recoil of a 30-06 - not something most folks would like to shoot 100+ times in an afternoon

Good luck with your lessons and welcome to a fun game that is highly addictive
 
Physical issues ...are always a factor - shoulders, feet, back - whatever ... ( I've had a complete shoulder and bicep muscle rebuild on my shooting shoulder ) ...dealt with a fractured shoulder blade on the same shoulder...and part of this stuff is just learning how to deal with the "errors of our youth" as we get older and still want to shoot ...

and you have to figure out what a happy medium is for you ...

Some days I'm better with a light gun ...( I just can't swing an 8 1/2 lb gun ) so I go to my Benelli Super Sport in a 12ga or 20g ( 7.2 lbs and 6.2 lbs respectively ) ...and I hardly ever shoot a shell over 1 oz and at 1200 - 1225 fps ...and in a 12ga or 20ga almost all I shoot is a load of 8's ....for Skeet, Trap and Sporting Clays.

If I'm having a real bad day ( arthritis or whatever ) ...I'll drop down to a 28ga O/U that weighs about 7 1/2 lbs and shoot 3/4 oz at 1200 fps ...or I could go with the same load in a 20ga ....

All of this is another reason to reload ...or try and get your local club to order 20 flats of shells ( 200 boxes ) for you or whatever you'll shoot in 2 or 3 months. But another reason to buy the STS shells - like Dave said / in my area most guys will give you a nickel per one fired hull ( if you keep them clean and dry ) - so that's a savings of $ 1.25 a box to you as well over the cheaper gun clubs or Rio or whatever else you decide to try.
 
Hmmm, after 100 rounds I am usually ready to call it a day. Not because my shoulder hurts, but because I start getting bored.
 
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