Today I will present some of the lower cost yet high performance cartridges I have found out in the market. Unless you have been under a rock or even given up on shooting (which I hope you haven’t) I am sure you have noticed some of the outrageous prices being charged for premium shot shells around the country. With lead prices and the economy spinning out of control some manufacturers have seemingly left us shooters out in the cold, with $12.00 a box target loads not unheard of. The last year has been as much about looking for deals on shells as it has been about trying for that perfect clays straight. You hope and pray for both but sadly the odds are against you.
While in my search for cheaper target loads I have found many a good deal from the European suppliers. Like the U.S. manufacturers most Euro suppliers have had to raise prices, but they have done what they can to keep them reasonable. One well known European manufacturer has even made a significant investment to establish a permanent presence in the U.S. market. Here, in somewhat particular order, are the cartridges I have enjoyed shooting and have been able to find for less than $60.00 a case over the last year. By no means is it a complete list, feel free to leave a comment about the deals you have found.
RIO Ammunition: A fairly well known brand in the U.S. market and the house brand of U.E.E. a huge munitions company based in Spain. RIO has recently made a significant investment in the U.S. market opening a loading plant in Tennessee. According to company spokesman Patrick Thomas the new operation will load 12 gauge lead target and hunting cartridges. Cartridges from this plant will trickle into the market by spring. My favorite RIO load by far is the Top Sporting 1 oz. an excellent smooth shooting load at 1280fps that holds a nice tight pattern. It is my ‘go to’ competition load. Other good sporting loads are the Star Team, Top Trap and Target Load Trap. All of these cartridges are loaded with the excellent U.E.E. CSB powders and wads.
NOBEL: Nobel Sport Italia or NSI sporting loads are manufactured in San Giuliano Terme, Italy. NSI cartridges are loaded with a proprietary case and wad, powders are sourced from various vendors including Vectan. I really like the Speed Sporting Clays 1oz at 1300fps. I felt the load to be a little "kicky" compared to a Top Sporting but not unreasonable considering the speed. Anyway, you can be sure that this cartridge has crushing power well downrange. These shells are also offered in a 1 1/8oz load for your English sporting pleasure.
DIANA: Another cartridge loaded in Spain with U.E.E. components and sporting the same hull, wad and CSB powders of the RIO target loads. However this time they are being loaded by cartridge maker SAGA who is owned by…you guessed it, U.E.E. SAGA is not well known in the U.S. but will be familiar to European readers. They are available in 1 oz. and 1 1/8oz loadings of 7.5, 8 and 9 shot at 3 or 2.75 drams. I found the 1 oz. 3 dram load a fine performer and wouldn’t hesitate to shoot it on the toughest FITASC parcour.
Centurion: Perhaps the most surprising load of the group is the Centurion cartridge. According to distributor spokesman Bart Eaton, Centurions are manufactured at Cheddite Italia’s factory in Livonio, Italy. The eight point crimped hull contains a Cheddite wad and the powder looks an awful lot like granulated Vectan but could be of Cheddite manufacture. I have to tell you this is one great shooting load and I enjoyed it immensely. I shot the 1 oz at 1200fps and it was a nice surprise from an unfamiliar brand. They also offer 1200 and 1145fps 1-1/8oz loads.
Wolf: I have heard some people believe the Wolf brand is manufactured in Russia. In actuality it is yet another brand loaded in Spain at the SAGA factory. I have only shot the 2.75 dram 1-1/8oz load at 1145fps and I found it adequate for skeet and some English Sporting. It has a U.E.E. hull, CSB powder and a B&P wad. Wolf distributes a variety of target loads including some interesting 1oz. offerings. They produce one at a speedy 1290fps and one at a really speedy 1450fps.
Charles Daly: Finally we have the Charles Daly Hi-Velocity game cartridge in a 2.75 dram 1oz load. I have not seen this cartridge on shelves in a while but hopefully it is still available. It was found at big box sports retailers like Big 5 on the west coast. This cartridge is again made with U.E.E. components but loaded in Hungary. It has a U.E.E. hull loaded with CSB powder and a Gualandi wad. You’ll agree that sounds more like a target load than a game load! It has around a 1200fps velocity and light recoil. Of everything out there, these surely must be the sleeper of target loads. The company website lists a few other loads suitable for target shooting.
What about the shot, you say? While some of these cartridges are loaded with a high antimony hardened shot, I really find no way to gauge this. From experience I know the truth is you will find all kinds of variations in shot hardness. I look for the proof in the end result or how well it smashes the target down range. I found all of these loads to have uniform pellets and throw excellent patterns through my Inv+ Briley Spectrum chokes. Also I found none of these loads to be particularly ‘dirty.’ You do clean your gun on a regular basis anyway, right? Links of interest:
-EDIT- After posting, the RIO company pointed out that U.E.E. officially changed its name in 2006 to MAXAM.
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