Federal flight control buckshot

[hometheaterman]

So I've read a few things about the Federal flight control version of shells all of which have been great. However, most reviews I've read have been with them fired from a short barrel as in 18" or 21" or something short like that.

Since I'm planning on using them for deer hunting not home defense and I have a 30" barrel most of those tests are irrelevant to me as I don't care how they pattern at 7 or 10 yards.

I was at Dicks today and saw some. First ones I've seen. Anyway, I picked up a box of the 3" 00 buckshot ones with the flight control. Are these decent? Are they something that patterns better than regular buckshot in most guns or are they something you just have to see how they do in your particular gun?

I'm planning on shooting them through a Remington 1100 with a 30" barrel that has a full choke. It patterns pretty decently with the Winchester 00 buckshot in the value packs from Wal-Mart. Will these flight control ones pattern better or is it something you just really have to test?


Not sure when I will get a chance to test it again.

What kind of pattern can I expect at 40-50 yards? Are these good enough to kill deer at that range?

 

[Snarlingiron]

Every shotgun is pretty much a rule unto itself. In my opinion the only way you will know what a particular load is going to do is to pattern it. With that said, barrel length isn't a big factor in the way a gun patterns.

 

[ants]

They spell it FliteControl

As you know, it's a plastic wad that doesn't open up as soon as it leaves the muzzle. Many shooters claim that it produces a pattern about 1/2 the size of regular plastic wads, but I've never tried it myself.

From the Federal web site FAQ on Flite Control wads:

Q) Explain the main differences between the FLITECONTROL wad and a conventional wad.
A) "In a conventional wad, as soon as the wad leaves the barrel, it has petals that open up in the front and dispense the shot into a cloud so that the shot isn't protected in any way. With the FLITECONTROL wad, as soon as it exits the barrel, the shot is kept inside the wad. There are no slits in the shot cup portion and the shot is contained in the wad for an extended period of time, say anywhere up to 10 yards, depending on the configuration of the wad. What happens is the slitting in the overpowder [rear] section opens up and starts slowing the wad down. Instead of releasing the shot in a cloud, it starts slowly backing away from the tight shot string sitting inside the wad, and releases the shot that way. The biggest difference is that the FC wad is a rear-braking wad that pulls itself off the shot and conventional wads kind of "throw" the shot out there. This is how we get such tight patterns."

 

[Fred Fuller]

I picked up a box of the 3" 00 buckshot

I'm planning on shooting them through a Remington 1100

Ummm... is your 1100 a Magnum version? There's not a lot of those out there, is why I'm asking. And if yours is a standard 1100, it might not be a good idea to cram 3" magnum shells into it....

lpl

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Many shooters claim that it produces a pattern about 1/2 the size of regular plastic wads...

I've patterned Federal 12 gauge 2-3/4" low recoil Tactical Buckshot in my Mossberg Mariner with 18.5" cylinder bore barrel, and my Remington 870 with 20" cylinder bore barrel. The patterns in both guns are about the same: fist-sized at ~12 yards, while at ~25 yards they will stay on a 10" pie plate. (Range figures approximate since I paced them off.) In comparison, Remington 00 buck from WalMart value packs indeed produces patterns about twice the size.

Of couse, every shotgun is a world unto itself, so pattern them in your gun before picking a load.