You're a big-time beneficiary of a nifty
new trend . . . the explosive growth of the 28 gauge in shooting
sporting clays has led ammunition makers to offer great new 28
gauge loads.
Sporting clays shooters are writing the book on hitting small,
fast-moving targets - so here's your chance to go to school on
their dime. And the first lesson is that clay's shooters use
the smallest pellet they can get away with. It's a judgment call
of course, with wind and target distance factored in, but they
get to choose from No. 9, No. 8-1/2, No. 8 and, rarely, No. 7-1/2
shot sizes. Generally, No. 9 shot gives "the biggest bang
for the buck." There are 439 pellets in a 3/4 oz. load that
works well on close targets - 18 to 25 yards. The compact shot
string of the 28 gauge load offers bird hunters chances for multiple
hits on soft |
targets like grouse and quail, as well
as dead-in-the-air head/neck shots on close range dove and pheasant.
No. 8-1/2 shot (368 pellets to the 3/4 oz. load) thins out the
pattern some but the heavier pellets are effective at 25 to 30
yards. Mike Jordan, a championship shooter, longtime spokesman
for Winchester, says that Winchester's new SUPER SPORT™
Sporting Clays load with a 1300 FPS velocity extends the effective
distance of No. 8-1/2 shot to 35 yards! By way of comparison,
competition Skeet loads are limited to 1200 FPS and designed
for maximum performance at 21 yards, usually with No. 9 shot.
Here's another instance where the technology that goes into sporting
clays shooting directly benefits the bird hunter. Winchester
acknowledges this debt by making the bottom flap of their ammunition
box into a mem |
bership application form for NSCA - the National Sporting
Clays Association.
Winchester packages their 28 gauge ammunition in a new, high
strength HS Hull with special new HS wads and a new HS powder
that assures a higher performance level - and far better reloadability
- than their old AA hull.
Grist for our mill - Target loads are where ammunition makers
put their best foot forward. And nowhere is this more important
than in the 28 gauge where, because of its relatively small 3/4
ounce load, each pellet is precious. Target shooters are big-volume
users of 28 gauge ammunition, so ammunition makers really go
all out to persuade them of the merits of their products. This
is grist for our mill. What's good for target shooters is great
for bird hunters.
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