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Anyone shoot Federal?
Im looking to possibly try Federal ammunition this year for Turkeys. I want to try the Hevi-Shot, but dont think im gonna make the transition until next year. Anyways, has anyone tried shooting Federal turkey loads? I see they got those "Flight Control" ones, seem to look good.
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
i shoot the 3" #5 flight controls, and have been very impressed with their performance both on paper and in the field. they throw great patterns, and the flight control wadding does seem to help. just last week i nailed a gobbler at 40 yards with them, and his head was torn up really bad, it even tore the skin off the top of his head. of course every gun and choke combo will shoot differently with every load, so be sure to pattern it. other than that, i highly reccommend these shells
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
I shoot Federals and wont shoot anything else...
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
I had one federal shell misfire on me a long time ago, and I never bought a box since... I shoot remington loads, cheap effective and designed by the company that makes most of the best guns on earth.
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
Arrowmaster, do you use the shells with the "Flight Control"?
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
kdsberman, I shoot 3" 5 shot "flight control". I have a 'Nova with Carlson tube. It seems to be a nice set up for me. I know of some Toms that didn't like that set up much!
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
The flight control might be good for non-ported chokes. They were designed to be used in non-ported chokes. Ported chokes are designed to separate/strip the wad away from the shot so the pattern doesn't get distorted in flight. The flight control loads are designed for the wad to remain with the shot longer to keep the patterns tight. I tried them with my jelly head just for kicks and the results were less than impressive. Of course, every gun/choke is different, so you never know.
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
3" in a number 5 is what I use. I like em a lot.
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
kesberman - I thought you were ready topunch a ticket on the Nitro train. What happened????
As was previously stated, the Flight Controlshells have a wad-cup designed to stay with the shot columnlonger, preventing shot stringing, reducing flyers and shooting tighter patterns. The wad is pretty neat - it is a solid column of plastic up front with little "air brakes" in the back that pop-out when the wad exits the barrelto eventually slow the wad and seperate it from the shot. I shot some two years ago before I switched to Nitros and they performed the best out of the conventional lead shells I tried. It is generally true that they will likely pattern best from non-ported chokes becase a ported choke is designed to (1) reduce recoil and muzzle jump, and (2) seperate the shot from the wad, allowing the shot to leave the muzzlecleanly with no rotation or interference from the wad. Even though I was shooting them through a ported Star-Dot choke they still patterned well. I was sighting in a scope at the time and it was interesting to hear the wad hit the target at 20 yards. As I recall, I got around 75-95 hits in a 10 inch circle at 40 yards with these Federal flight control 3.5", 6 shot. Contrast that with the Nitro 2.25 oz. 4X5X7 which produced 246 hits and you see why I'm on the Nitro train baby. One more thing - for some reason Federal tends to have the longestopen hullsin the business and these3.5" 12 gauge loadscontinually hung up in my Mossberg 835. The spent hull was simply too long to be ejected, so make sure your gun can handle them before hunting with them or you will be shooting a single-shot gun. |
RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
I use the Fed flight control and feel they give me the best pattern in 3 1/2" #5's. I used to use the Winchester since they patterned better for me out of my SBE. The flight control is a bit better. What is the story with the nitro loads? I guess I never tried them but have seen them in the gun shop. I get pretty good performance but nothing like 75 to 95 hits in a 10" circle at 40 yards much less over 200. What am I missing here.
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
Champlain
I might suggest clicking on the "search the forum" button above, type in "Nitro" as the search term and limit the search to just the turkey hunting forum. or Back a page or two in this forum there is athread about hevishot. I posted a pic of one of my Nitro targets and also provided a lengthy explanation of the differences between hevishot loads including those manufactured by the Nitro Ammunition Company in Mountain Grove Missouri. Disclaimer: I am not an employee of the Nitro company nor do I stand to benefit in any way from the sale of Nitro ammo. I am simply a turkey hunter seeking the best possible combination of load, choke, and gun to cleanly and efficiently harvest gobblers at all reasonable rages. In Nitro ammunition I have found the holy grail. Pic of my nitro target at 40 yards http://www.hunting.net/forum/tm.aspx?m=2725325 Explaination of "heavier than lead" ammo http://www.hunting.net/forum/tm.aspx?m=2725325&mpage=4&key= Link to the Nitro Company website http://www.nitrocompany.com |
RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
Thanks MC I learned a lot just by following the forums you referred to. I guess I better do some checking with my gun dealer for some shells. Years ago when I bought my SBE I was kind of shocked at the recoil shooting a 3 1/2 mag. I got it ported and extended the forcing cone which might have been a mistake. True enough I got a gun that shoots much easier but wonder if I sacrificed pattern at the expense of recoil.I have 3 or 4 turkey chokes and have tried several loads some of which were improvements. Does the 4, 5, 7.5 load work well? Seems like it would be a perfect load for most conditions. I always use a 5 shot but would consider switching to a multi load after some pattern work. The nitros are pretty pricey but missing a mature tom is costly to the memory. Thanks for the info MC.
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
I love 'em.
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
i shot a red fox this year at 20-25yds with the federal flight control copper plated #4s....put a hurtin on him thats for sure! i normally shoot hevi shot out of the gun(rem 870 express mag turkey gun..21" barrel and Undertaker hevishot choke tube..) but had a bunch of random turkey loads laying around...they all patterened great from the gun...but the hevi shot had the edge and hits harder..so i figured id use the random lead loads for fox...
you wouldnt believe the pellets that were in that things head...i clobered him HARD. he never twitched. impressed me thats for sure...alot of time 4's are hard to get a good pattern from... i love the flight control wads too!! i always said if the BBs miss the bird the wad might kill it! i had it going through paper at 25 or 30yds!! best thing to do is get some different loads and see what your gun patterns best...the aftermarket choke tube made a world of difference in my gun as well... |
RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
Well guys, I did buy some Federals with Flight Control, but also bought myself a Jellyhead, WHICH IS PORTED. Dont believe i can return the ammo, and even if i could, its about a 100 mile drive there and back to the store i bought them from. Will I be alright shooting these out of my ported Jellyhead? I thought I got a darn good combination getting this choke with these shells, then i read that they dont pattern well because of the choke being ported. Will i still be alright??
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
3.5 fed fc's for me out of my 535! Kick some major arse even with the factory choke!!
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
ORIGINAL: Champlain Islander What is the story with the nitro loads? I guess I never tried them but have seen them in the gun shop. I get pretty good performance but nothing like 75 to 95 hits in a 10" circle at 40 yards much less over 200. What am I missing here. |
RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
It's a shame that you can't shoot some Hevishot this year. You'll love it when you do. When you decide to shoot it, go tohttp://www.nitrocompany.com/and do yourself a favor and get whatever choke they recommend for your gun along with whatever shell they recommend for it. You'll be finished guessing what shell/choke combinationwill shoot the best for your gun. I guarantee it.;) I wish I had stumbled onto their site when I was getting started.[:@]
Edit: Ah! I see you bought a Jelly Head choke! Heck, you're halfway home! Just get what Nitro recommends for whatever gun you shoot and your golden! |
RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
ORIGINAL: kdsberman Well guys, I did buy some Federals with Flight Control, but also bought myself a Jellyhead, WHICH IS PORTED. Dont believe i can return the ammo, and even if i could, its about a 100 mile drive there and back to the store i bought them from. Will I be alright shooting these out of my ported Jellyhead? I thought I got a darn good combination getting this choke with these shells, then i read that they dont pattern well because of the choke being ported. Will i still be alright?? |
RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
Federal #6 in 3 or 3 1/2 inch depending on the gun I'm using. The most important thing is to pattern your gun to see if the load is going to work in your gun. Each gun is different. Some shoot Federal better, some Remmington or Winchester. Shot size can also effect the pattern. Had a gun once that shot a much better pattern with #4 shot than it did with #6. Go practice and see how the load patterns out of your gun.
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
Well I cant take the ammo back, so I hope it works. I've been ripped on before about not spending the extra money on shells. Well, i dont have a ton of money to spend on shipping and insurance you gotta buy (Nitros). I've been able to buy regular turkey loads in the past and have good success with them, so im not worried about not having the Cadillac in shells. Im just wondering if this choke/Flight Control will be alright. I havent patterned yet, plan on doing it this weekend. Just getting some thought before i do.
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RE: Anyone shoot Federal?
ORIGINAL: mouthcaller kesberman - I thought you were ready topunch a ticket on the Nitro train. What happened???? As was previously stated, the Flight Controlshells have a wad-cup designed to stay with the shot columnlonger, preventing shot stringing, reducing flyers and shooting tighter patterns. The wad is pretty neat - it is a solid column of plastic up front with little "air brakes" in the back that pop-out when the wad exits the barrelto eventually slow the wad and seperate it from the shot. I shot some two years ago before I switched to Nitros and they performed the best out of the conventional lead shells I tried. It is generally true that they will likely pattern best from non-ported chokes becase a ported choke is designed to (1) reduce recoil and muzzle jump, and (2) seperate the shot from the wad, allowing the shot to leave the muzzlecleanly with no rotation or interference from the wad. Even though I was shooting them through a ported Star-Dot choke they still patterned well. I was sighting in a scope at the time and it was interesting to hear the wad hit the target at 20 yards. As I recall, I got around 75-95 hits in a 10 inch circle at 40 yards with these Federal flight control 3.5", 6 shot. Contrast that with the Nitro 2.25 oz. 4X5X7 which produced 246 hits and you see why I'm on the Nitro train baby. One more thing - for some reason Federal tends to have the longestopen hullsin the business and these3.5" 12 gauge loadscontinually hung up in my Mossberg 835. The spent hull was simply too long to be ejected, so make sure your gun can handle them before hunting with them or you will be shooting a single-shot gun. |
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