What ammo?

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ThePunisher'sArmory

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So I just joined a Skeet league at the SAFB Rod and Gun Club. Since this is my introduction to competition shooting I don't want to spend alot on shells. Due to my lower income and constantly raising cost of living I was looking at the two "value packs" at Wally World. Here in lies my question.....Should I go with the Federal or Winchester? I want to stick with one brand so I can get a somewhat constant consistency out of the ammo, While keeping the cost down. Let me know what you guys think is the better of the two options. Thanks!
 
I believe that you will get some different opinions, but the last time I read up, I think some people think the Winchester smells better, but the federal is cleaner. It's cheap enough buy one of each and see which patterns better out of your gun.
 
IF you have a Dick's in your area, get the Remington Gun Clubs - better than the wally world promo stuff and reloads great as well. You do NOT need 1-1/8 oz loads - that will just begin to hurt after a while. 1oz at 1200 fps or less is more than adequate

If your only choice is the the w.w. stuff, go with the Federal - the Winchester stuff is, IMO crap - dirty beats you up, unless you are going to upgrade and buy the AA target loads. - Even if you do not reload at this time, you can sell the once-fired empties for .03 to .05 each to a reloader. Take $1.25 off the $8.00 new price, and you're within about 1-2 bucks of the cheaper promo stuff. The target loads should be cleaner and pattern better as they use better components.

Now, if you get a MEC Jr. used reloader for about 50-75 bucks, it will pay for itself in a very short time
 
Find an inexpensive loader such as the MEC Jr. or a Lee. They won't load 1,000 rounds in a sitting but they'll really cut down on your ammo expense.

In the mean time stick with what ever works best for your particular gun.
 
I have not shot skeet in competition. My understanding of it is for most of the shots its about wide even patterns. I have had the best luck with the really cheap shells. cheap components, cheap soft shot has equaled the widest patterns for me. Its what I use for close shots in sporting clays. It seems like your premium domestic shells are more geared toward Trap performance, tight uniform patterns, hard shot. Pattern your gun at the distance for each station. Federal Estates my pick.
 
The longest shot in skeet is 21 yards, so the SK choke will handle everything, but heavy loads can result in a flinch after shooting a lot of rounds. Skeet shooting typically involves anywhere from 100-400 per shoot; light loads break targets and help the shoulder
 
Ya I have noticed the shoulder pain in the last 2 days. Tues We shot 2 rounds and Wed we shot 3. I used some remington (can't remeber the type), and Winchester value pack. Note this is the first time I have ever shot this game.....ever. My average is 14.5 out of 2 "official" rounds (15 and 14). After shooting 125 rounds (shells) of those mainly Winchesters out of my Winchester 1400, my shoulder felt it. I think I will try the Federal Value pack next and see how they do. Furthermore i'm using an Imp. choke. Should I switch to a skeet choke to make my near misses, hits? Lastly I really like this game.....almost addicted. Don't know why I diddn't find it sooner. Well......Its beacause I've had my head mainly on rifle combs and hands on pistols. But I do wingshoot. Oh well I digress let me know about the chokes too!
 
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Sounds like you may want to take up reloading for the 12 gauge. That is the way I would go if I were shooting as much as you are!
 
I shoot a lot of targets - typically 3 times per week - I reload a light 3/4 or 7/8 oz 12 gauge loading that is easy on the shoulder and allows me to shoot 200 or more per day.

The heaviest gun that FITS, coupled with the lightest load will mean the least recoil. Skeet constrictions are .005 - nothing tighter is necessary.

What skeet allows you to do is get your leads down as the targets never vary, whereas trap targets oscillate and sporting targets change every station and are different at every course (think golf courses)
 
Well got my skeet choke and have went through alot of Winchester and Federal "value packs" in the past few weeks. I have found that both SUCK! Both are incosistent, dirty, and the Federal downright stinks (foul odor)!! After talking with my dad he insists that I reload. He is also insisting on, handing me down early, His MEC 600Jr.....No complaints here!!!! He also has several loads worked up for skeet and clays that we will taylor for my gun. I can't wait for him to finally teach me the art of reloading. Only took about 20 years of shooting :D.
 
got it, 21 yards, I reasoned there must be some change, as I've had O/Us marked as Skeet in, and Skeet out, with a difference of . 005, if there is a subtle difference, why?
 
Some guns will be marked SK1 and SK2....Winchester also used Quail 1 and Quail2

A look at Briley's chart says Cylinder is .000, SK1 is .003, Sk is .005 (standard for all gauges), Sk2 is .008 (many think SK2 is LM), so your Skeet in and Skeet out would seem to agree with Brileys SK1 and SK2.. Have never seen enough difference to matter, but then I am not an Olympic skeeter................
 
Always wondered about that, thought it might be a high house/low house thing.
 
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Punisher,

Have you noticed the horrible grammer on the rifle threads, sure be a shame if they just kept going through life like that, I mean unchecked.......Yes sir, awful shame....Why, if someone doesn't stop them.....
There's just not enough English teachers to go around......(is he goin for it?)
 
The value pack shells use a paper base wad which tends to transmit more recoil to the shoulder than the better shells which use a plastic base wad. The bulk hulls don'r reload well either and shooting loads that heavy just makes it less pleasant.

You can buy RIO 7/8 oz or 1 oz online for 5.35 a box of 25. If you do plan on reloading in the future...which if you are going to make a habit of shooting skeet you should do...spend a little more and buy Remington STS or Winchester AA and save your hulls. A Lee Load-All 2 is about the cost of a case of shells and you can recoup that money fairly quickly.
 
Each and every maker has their own idea of what "Skeet" works out to. Remington's recent skeet chokes have NEGATIVE choke, ID is greater than bore diameter. Older skeet Remchokes are 3-5 POC,usually.

Older fixed choke Remington barrels marked Skeet seem to run between 0 and 5 POC.

Obviously, over the 90 years or so there's been skeet guns, there's been lots of opinions over the best choke for Skeet, and often it's not a Skeet choke.

I've run into a fair amount of what had been 28" Full or Mod barrels that had been cut right behind the choke taper and made thusly into Skeet barrels,but really were Cylinder bore. The results were indistinguishable from Skeet chokes mostly.

Use what you have,hit the center of the target with the center of the pattern and call it Skeet choke.....

And as for ammo, I'd load up an oz of 9s using a wad without petals and bump the powder up a bushing to open the pattern(assuming published data OK'd this) and go shooting.....
 
Have you noticed the horrible grammer on the rifle threads, sure be a shame if they just kept going through life like that, I mean unchecked.......Yes sir, awful shame....Why, if someone doesn't stop them.....
There's just not enough English teachers to go around......(is he goin for it?)
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Thats funny.....But do you know what's even more funny. English and Geometry were my major fields studied in all of my schooling. Yet some things slip through the cracks over the years.

You can buy RIO 7/8 oz or 1 oz online for 5.35 a box of 25. If you do plan on reloading in the future...which if you are going to make a habit of shooting skeet you should do...spend a little more and buy Remington STS or Winchester AA and save your hulls. A Lee Load-All 2 is about the cost of a case of shells and you can recoup that money fairly quickly.
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Well talked with my father in great detail last night and here's what I'm going to go with. Winchester AA hulls (new or once fired to start), Hodgdon International clays powder, Winchester Wads 12ga White, Winchester primers #209, and Winchester "soft" #9 lead shot. He has 3 loads already worked up with different velocities. All 1oz loads at 1050, 1200, and 1300 fps. I'm going to shoot a few boxes of each and see what my Winchester 1400, and I like.
 
I use Ballistic Products 7/8 ounce wads in Remington hulls with Red Dot...busts the clays just fine and feels like a light 20 gauge. I also drop my own shot, really helps keep the reloading costs down.
 
Good plan all Winchester components, I'm betting the 1200fps. The soft shot will mash just a little and make the patterns a little wider.

You wouldn't know it, English is my 1st language, but brain damage from a couple of near drownings have left their mark, still I can only try.
 
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I use Ballistic Products 7/8 ounce wads in Remington hulls with Red Dot...busts the clays just fine and feels like a light 20 gauge
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Mine is similar, except I now switched from Clays to ClayDot - MUCH cheaper, same recipes and US-made. I have even made a lot of 3/4 oza loads using a 7/8 oz recipe, but they don't always work the wife's semi - they do just fine in my O/U though
 
I think the min. for my 1400 is 1oz. Thats what I've seen here on the errornet. I've also read alot of trash talked about the 1400. Mine works just fine. I've shot around 2000 rounds trough it and have only had 1 fail to feed while shooting skeet. It was given to me by my stepdad about 2 years ago and he rarely shot it. Since then its taken plenty of clay and dove! I also take good care of it though. Who know what condition some of these bashers guns are in.
 
The big prob with the 1400 was it followed the X1, a superb but expensive to make autoloader. I know of many happy 1400 owners,they tend to be more hunters than hard core clays fanatics. I like the 1400, but I'm SO easy....

Ruger, Q-1 will work just fine. And I've taken many a bird in the brush with cylinder bore.
 
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