What type of 12 gauge ammo is this?

Haven't seen any of those in a long time. I think the 3-1-5 means, Three Dram Powder, 1 Ounce Shot Weight, No. 5 Shot. Would not be my choice for Home Defense. I would think 5s might be a little light for Turkey, though I am not a huner.

Bob

No idea, but very cool. I remember coming across some old sure shot rounds that had paper hulls.

They are old Remington game loads from the 60's or 70's. 3-1-5 means 3 dram eq. of powder, 1 oz of #5 birdshot. Would be a good load for squirrel or similar animals, but I wouldn't personally use them for turkey or home defense.

I love 5 shot. Big enough for turkey (in a pinch) and perfect imo for rabbit/ squirrel/ grouse. Not so many tiny shot like the guys who use 8-9 shot.

I wouldn't choose that old box, unless it's just all I had, for either though. Id display it above my pool table and buy some 50 years newer to use.

rkittine said:

Haven't seen any of those in a long time. I think the 3-1-5 means, Three Dram Powder, 1 Ounce Shot Weight, No. 5 Shot. Would not be my choice for Home Defense. I would think 5s might be a little light for Turkey, though I am not a huner.

Bob

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That's exactly what it means - 3 dram equivalent, 1oz of #5 lead - nice pheasant/duck/chukar load for back in the day

I believe everyone is right that the 3-1-5 is 3-dram equivalent pushing 1 oz of #5 shot.

#5 is IMHO perfect for Turkey. Everything Remington, Winchester and Federal currently offers in lead Turkey loads are either #4, #5, or #6. I always found #5 struck the right balance between range and penetration vs pattern density. That said I am typically throwing 2.25oz of that #5 at a turkey so 1-oz might be a touch light for turkey by modern standards but perfect for most other game and certainly doable for Turkey. We did nearly wipe out the turkey in much of this country before the 3-inch 12 gauge even existed and long before the 3.5 inch 12 gauge. A lot of turkey were killed with 2-3/4 12 gauge pushing 1 to 1-1/4 oz of lead.

#5 lead shot is fine for turkeys. However, I'd prefer more of them. My lead turkey load uses TWO ounces of shot. Help keep up the pattern density.

You guys should try the TSS #9s for turkeys; 1oz or so and DRT at 40-50 yards - expensive though.

Very cool, IMO you should put that box up on a shelf or I would gladly trade you a box of new shells.

George P said:

You guys should try the TSS #9s for turkeys; 1oz or so and DRT at 40-50 yards - expensive though.

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My state unfortunately only allows #4, #5, or #6 for turkey (7.5 shot can be used in duplex loads), and no .410 allowed either. I have no doubt 1 oz of #9 shot would be great for turkeys, would be like a wall of lead

Would be dandy for rabbit or squirrel, personally I'd wipe the box off and put it up on a shelf as a neat display of an old time cartridge.

George P said:

You guys should try the TSS #9s for turkeys; 1oz or so and DRT at 40-50 yards - expensive though.

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Wow! So I just looked and Browning offer the TSS shot in 3.5 inch 12 gauge pushing 2.25 oz of either #7 or a mix of #7 & #9. That would be devastating on the Turkey and my wallet. Midway (if they had it in stock) would want Hamilton for each pull of the trigger! I love the performance of Tungsten I just wish I could afford to use it more.

Wild phezzies. Wascally wabbits.

SixteenGauge said:

My state unfortunately only allows #4, #5, or #6 for turkey (7.5 shot can be used in duplex loads), and no .410 allowed either. I have no doubt 1 oz of #9 shot would be great for turkeys, would be like a wall of lead

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There are two factors that limit range in shotguns - pattern density AND pellet energy. #9 shot would look great on paper, but at range the pellets wouldn't retain enough energy to penetrate bone and make a quick kill. TSS pellets are heavier than lead so you can use a smaller pellet and get both pattern density and penetration. Your state requires 4,5 or 6 lead shot for turkeys for good reason.

The “New Plastic” label must date it during the early transition from paper to plastic. The mid 60’s according to one Google source.

I read 3-1-5 as "3 dram powder equivalent, 1 ounce of #5 birdshot"

Pheasant load of choice "back in the day"

They were light field loads, pheasant, grouse, etc.
My dad used to shoot lots of them in 7-1/2s for quail, but that was way before plastic hulls. We used mostly 3-3/4 dram, 1-1/4 oz, #5 shot loads for pheasants and #4s for ducks.

I shot a lot of pheasant with that load some 30 years ago when I was gifted a few boxes by a retired hunter. Worked great on closer birds. It was a card wad load with naked shot column and soft shot. Opened up well with a modified choke and put a good hurt on tight flushed roosters. Shoot the shells save the box and empties for display. Old packaging and empties are nostalgic. Old ammo is a liability and a waste of perfectly good ammo.

Edit, just read the new plastic part. Those will have a plastic wad and a brittle plastic case. Fine to shoot, but expect poor performance below freezing. The ones I had were older paper case.

That was/is a light game load. 1-1/8 ounces would have been more standard and 1-1/4 ounces was a heavy load.

@Burge2 nice find with cool history. That would be a great all around light load. I like #5s for pheasant and turkeys. With that load you would need to think 20 gauge not 12.

Have fun!