Hello all,
So recently I've begun to get back into shooting shotguns. One of the reasons that I originally fell out of touch with the shotgun community, was the cost of ammunition. If I wanted to shoot at my local range, I had to shoot buckshot or slugs(birdshot was only allowed at the clay shooting area). So naturally my HD shotgun at the time rarely got fed, because at a dollar a round, buckshot wasn't high on my list of cost effective training loads.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, as I mulled over the same issue, I came across this Gem at a local Walmart.
distributed by tula ammo, we have Suprema 12 gauge 00 buckshot.
At just about 12 dollars a box of 25 rounds, this seemed to be the best way for me to practice with my HD shotgun at realistic ranges (7,10,and 15yds) at my local range.
So I bought a few boxes, and took them home to test them out. Upon inspection, the round looks pretty average. It's got a red plastic shell, with a low brass wall. The Crimp is pretty consistent, as far as I've seen. The brass Is marked with four "12's" and four stars, which I've seen on quite a bit of Rio ammo(manufactured by Maxam). Which makes me think that it's a contract ammo that is not directly made by tula ammo.
This picture is showing the shell, brass, and headstamp
This picture shows the headstamp similarity to Rio made by Maxam and the Suprema ammo.
After inspecting the ammo, I made my way to the range.
Now this is where the rubber hits the road, at roughly 50 cents per round, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this load. Boy was I wrong, after patterning this round(I'll show a few pics in a moment) I would say that within 15 yards; the absolute maximum I would consider likely inside a home environment, I would have no issue using Suprema buckshot in my HD shotgun. Also worth noting, judging by the recoil of this load, I would say it's full power. I'd bet that if It was run over a chrono you'll find Suprema 00 to clock somewhere around 1350 FPS.
5 yd pattern 1 shot at target(please note, in these patterning shots, I've was trying to work my way back into using the shotgun so the POA is off because of me)
10 yd pattern, 2 shots at target (Edit: I may re-shoot this target to better represent what this load is capable of doing)
10 yd target, 10 shots. this picture was taken on 08/01/2016, and I've gotten back into the groove with my shotgun(mossberg mav 88). as you can see, the shot is centered and a tad high. my gun seems to like to pattern high in the first place, YMMV.
Summary: Would I call this the best Buckshot to ever have touched my hands, no. Though to be fair, at 12 dollars a box of 25 from wally world, I would say that this is a pretty good budget ammo and would not hesitate to use it to defend myself or my family. So far I've put 100 rounds down range, and I like the stuff.
If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know.
Edit:
I decided to disassemble a shell to show what the internals look like.
as you can see, there is a wad, but not an actual shot cup between the shot and powder and there is no buffer to speak of.
So recently I've begun to get back into shooting shotguns. One of the reasons that I originally fell out of touch with the shotgun community, was the cost of ammunition. If I wanted to shoot at my local range, I had to shoot buckshot or slugs(birdshot was only allowed at the clay shooting area). So naturally my HD shotgun at the time rarely got fed, because at a dollar a round, buckshot wasn't high on my list of cost effective training loads.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, as I mulled over the same issue, I came across this Gem at a local Walmart.
distributed by tula ammo, we have Suprema 12 gauge 00 buckshot.
At just about 12 dollars a box of 25 rounds, this seemed to be the best way for me to practice with my HD shotgun at realistic ranges (7,10,and 15yds) at my local range.
So I bought a few boxes, and took them home to test them out. Upon inspection, the round looks pretty average. It's got a red plastic shell, with a low brass wall. The Crimp is pretty consistent, as far as I've seen. The brass Is marked with four "12's" and four stars, which I've seen on quite a bit of Rio ammo(manufactured by Maxam). Which makes me think that it's a contract ammo that is not directly made by tula ammo.
This picture is showing the shell, brass, and headstamp
This picture shows the headstamp similarity to Rio made by Maxam and the Suprema ammo.
After inspecting the ammo, I made my way to the range.
Now this is where the rubber hits the road, at roughly 50 cents per round, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this load. Boy was I wrong, after patterning this round(I'll show a few pics in a moment) I would say that within 15 yards; the absolute maximum I would consider likely inside a home environment, I would have no issue using Suprema buckshot in my HD shotgun. Also worth noting, judging by the recoil of this load, I would say it's full power. I'd bet that if It was run over a chrono you'll find Suprema 00 to clock somewhere around 1350 FPS.
5 yd pattern 1 shot at target(please note, in these patterning shots, I've was trying to work my way back into using the shotgun so the POA is off because of me)
10 yd pattern, 2 shots at target (Edit: I may re-shoot this target to better represent what this load is capable of doing)
10 yd target, 10 shots. this picture was taken on 08/01/2016, and I've gotten back into the groove with my shotgun(mossberg mav 88). as you can see, the shot is centered and a tad high. my gun seems to like to pattern high in the first place, YMMV.
Summary: Would I call this the best Buckshot to ever have touched my hands, no. Though to be fair, at 12 dollars a box of 25 from wally world, I would say that this is a pretty good budget ammo and would not hesitate to use it to defend myself or my family. So far I've put 100 rounds down range, and I like the stuff.
If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know.
Edit:
I decided to disassemble a shell to show what the internals look like.
as you can see, there is a wad, but not an actual shot cup between the shot and powder and there is no buffer to speak of.
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