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boykinspaniel
PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 8:05 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 02 Sep 2017
Posts: 13
Location: Charlotte NC

I have seen on Federal Ammo website that a new Prairie Storm is hitting the market in 16 gauge. Has anyone else heard or seen this. If you have has anhyone heard any reviews on it. I am heading to North Dakota in late Oct. and looking forward to using it in my new Franchi SL.
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TripleH
PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 9:40 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 08 Dec 2016
Posts: 168
Location: Michigan

God I hate trying to list photos if anyone can fix this link feel free....

https://imgur.com/gallery/PUXcxvl


1 1/4 oz - 1425 FPS.
God bless your shoulder slinging those out of an Instinct....
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Soggy socks
PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 1:42 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Apr 2016
Posts: 369
Location: Vermont

I've used them in 12 ga on pheasants in North and South Dakota. Good load I don't think its any better than the regular Federal Premium pheasants Forever load. I've always felt Black Cloud and the spinoff Prairie Storm loads were gimmicks.

I have used Fiocchi's Golden pheasant loads in #5 shot in my 16's. Very happy with those. No need for me to look at others. Good luck
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hayseed
PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 9:48 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 14 Feb 2017
Posts: 401

Ouch!
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Swampy16
PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 4:53 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Oct 2019
Posts: 453
Location: New Jersey

X2 for the Golden Pheasants. They’re tuff to beat.
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TripleH
PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 10:08 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 08 Dec 2016
Posts: 168
Location: Michigan

Clarifying - might have got some info wrong....

Federal Premium Upland Magnum
1 1/4 oz, 1260fps, sizes 4, 6

Federal Premium Upland Pheasants Forever High Velocity (not sure how they will get all these words on a box...)
1 1/8 oz, 1425fps, sizes 4,5,6

Federal Premium Prairie Storm FS Lead
1 1/4 oz, 1425fps, sizes 4,5,6

Federal Game Load - High Brass
1 1/8 oz, 1295fps, sizes 4,6,7.5

Honestly seems that they should offer the Upland Magnum or High Brass game load in size 5 and be done with it. Middle two offerings seem like overkill.
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df
PostPosted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 8:19 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 01 Oct 2007
Posts: 962
Location: Minnesota

Swampy16 wrote:
X2 for the Golden Pheasants. They’re tuff to beat.


X3 for these shells
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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:59 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

Prairie Storm. Okay, I'm going to poke fun at this shell, because it deserves it. First, the flight control wad is great and is what keeps the load from being a total disaster.

That said, just how much sense does it make to claim that they use "extra hard" copper plated shot to improve patterns, then load 30% of the charge with pellets that are shaped like beer kegs? That's right, you pay extra for a shell with 30% of the shot already out of round.

So just why do they really put those in there? Probably never admit it, but they are needed to fill out the edges of the pattern so people actually have some margin for error since the flight control wad holds the shot inside for quite some distance after leaving the muzzle, creating super dense patterns (the very reason this wad is used in their best turkey ammo).

Speaking of the turkey ammo, notice that the flight stopper "kegs" aren't being loaded in those? That's because more turkey hunters actually pattern their guns and notice this stuff.

So Federal took a load that patterned too tight, added funky shot to open things up a bit at normal ranges and doubled the price. This begs the question, why not just use a regular load?

Now if they want to offer it without the flight stopper pellets (which also shed velocity at a higher rate down range due to increased drag) and market it as a true long rang specialty load, they would really have something, even if it would be more difficult to hit with.


Last edited by WyoChukar on Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:22 pm; edited 1 time in total

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case 1775
PostPosted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 4:39 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 159

x4 on golden pheasant

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robp
PostPosted: Wed Feb 19, 2020 5:28 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 370
Location: mpls mn

I've never used P storm but have watched others miss with it many times to the point I brought other ammo and suggested they try it.
WYchuckers post got me thinking. What if a guy carefully pried open these prairie storms and dumped out that goofy ass shot and replaced it with high quality super hard round lead or nice shot, them re-crimped it better that the factor ( federal factory crimps look like crap)
A guy could have something special, a high performing long range round
This is nothing new Bob Brister took shot out of trap loads and replaced it with over the counter lead and showed the difference in pattern densities. He also added the high quality factory lead to his hand loads and showed the difference
Winter is long in Minnesota I have time to fiddle with handloads


Last edited by robp on Thu Feb 20, 2020 5:02 am; edited 1 time in total
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df
PostPosted: Wed Feb 19, 2020 6:06 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 01 Oct 2007
Posts: 962
Location: Minnesota

robp wrote:
I've never used P storm but have watched other miss with it many times to the point I brought other ammo and suggested they try it.
WYchuckers post got me thinking. What if a guy carefully pried open these prairie storms and dumped out that goofy ass shot and replaced it with high quality super hard round lead or nice shot, them re-crimped it better that the factor ( federal factory crimps look like crap)
A guy could have something special a high performing long range round
This is nothing new Bob Brister took shot out of trap loads and replaced it with over the counter lead and showed the difference in pattern densities he also added the high quality factor lead to his hand loads and showed the difference
Winter is long in Minnesota I have time to fiddle with handloads


Or get some hulls, and load them up using Longshot powder, and the appropriate amount of hard shot, wad, and primer.
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John Singer
PostPosted: Wed Feb 19, 2020 6:16 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 03 Sep 2014
Posts: 398
Location: Rochester, MN

About 10 to 15 years ago, I was in Salt Lake City. I made it to Gallenson's Gun Shop. They were selling off several bags of the "flight control" wads used in the Federal Black Cloud and Prairie Storm shells. I purchased a couple hundred.

I loaded and tested several with various sizes of round steel shot. I tried to use them to develop a long range steel shot goose load and a lead shot turkey load.

I also tried plated and non plated lead shot.

I did some extensive pattern testing and observed the following.

1. The patterns seemed unaffected by choke.
2. The wads often struck the pattern board at 40 yards and beyond.
3. The patterns seemed more affected by cross winds than ordinary wads.
4. I saw no reason to continue to use the wads for either as I could achieve the patterns that I desired with proper loads and chokes.

I saw no advantage to using these wads for turkey loads and no significant advantage for steel goose loads. I ended up loading up a box of B and BB goose loads, saved 25 wads for posterity and traded the rest off to a guy in Texas who wanted to develop a lead shot sandhill crane load.

I killed several giant Canada geese with those shells.

I still have some of the wads and the literature that came with them.

They were called Choke Shot Wad C4. They were made in Layton, Utah.

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Bill K
PostPosted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 8:04 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2014
Posts: 253
Location: North Shore of Boston

Several of the commenters to this forum have made a point to criticize Federal Ammunition’s new 16 GA offerings, and I think that they are missing the big picture.

The undeniable reality is 16 GA is a razor thin market niche, and as for factory loaded ammunition offerings we’ve been loosing ground - many gun stores I shop don’t even carry 16 GA ammo, and I’m talking a lot of Bass Pro Shops and cabela’s.

I probably own 17 shotguns, of which two are 16 GA - both Brownings, one a Citori Upland and a new Sweet 16, so I’m looking at this situation as I’ve invested over $3K in guns that I really don’t need, but dam sure want to be relevant.

I’ve had a lot of good luck with Federal Black Cloud and Prairie Storm in 12 and 20 GA and I am thrilled to see them offered now in 16.

I saw and bought my first box of Federal 16 GA Premium Upland ammo at a Bass Pro in MA yesterday, if the other loads were available I would have bought a box of them too.

I thank Federal for taking the bold step to invest so heavily in rejuvenating 16 GA ammo offerings.

A lot of you are living in 16 GA nostalgia, I live in the here and now.

No one starting out in the shotgun shooting sports readily opts for a 16 GA, only people like me who have disposable income and am on a quest to find the optimum Upland gun that can handle itself in a duck marsh too.

Widespread 16 GA preference was pre World War II - about 90 years ago.

In today’s shotgun shooting sport market place 16 GA is an odd ball, it’s not a 12 GA, and the only thing it does better than a 20 is offer a shorter shot string with the same loads.

If you don’t like the new ammo - then don’t buy it, don’t come across like some pain the neck snob, let the buyer come their own conclusion. And let’s be thankful the ammo manufacturers are willing to invest big bucks in a GA that died out with our great grandfathers.

I personally am hoping for a 16 GA Renaissance, that it comes back strong, and on its own merits. I want to see 16 GA turkey loads, turkey chokes, be a waterfowling contender, who knows maybe even find a niche in the games of skeet and trap.
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Savage16
PostPosted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 8:25 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 30 Nov 2011
Posts: 1693
Location: Minnesota

Billk- concur totally with the overall point of your post. We should all be happy everytime a new gun or ammo comes out in 16 ga. It can only help build attention to the gauge. Now if we can get them to go the opposite direction and offer some 7/8 oz target and hunting loads.............. Wink

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Bill K
PostPosted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 9:39 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2014
Posts: 253
Location: North Shore of Boston

Savage16 wrote:
Billk- concur totally with the overall point of your post. We should all be happy everytime a new gun or ammo comes out in 16 ga. It can only help build attention to the gauge. Now if we can get them to go the opposite direction and offer some 7/8 oz target and hunting loads.............. Wink


.... add to that a steel shot target load (akin to the ones offered by Winchester in 12 & 20 GA) - as 2 of the ranges I shoot are ‘steel shot only.’
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