16ga.com ~ View topic - Federal Wing Shok

Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 863 Location: NoDak

Hi all, I know this subject was been brought up before (even on one of the posts I made) so please bare with me. The question I have is specifically about this brand of shell. I was wondering that experiences that any of you have had with them. The load I'm talking about is 1 1/4oz #4.

I may want to pick up a box for later in the season, when the birds are a bit more spooky and tougher. I used to use 1 1/4 oz loads years ago for ducks, but have not used them since lead was banned.

So what are your thoughts?

Thanks as always!!!!!!!!!!

Greg

Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Posts: 107 Location: N.W. Iowa

I've used the Federal Premiums I imagine it's the same load,1 1/4 oz.buffered
They are stout and I don't think you'lle gain much.I bought them in the early 90's and out of 2 boxes I still have more than a box left.For me it's hard to beat Remington Long Range Expresses in 1 1/8 all year all wild birds.
The Federals will devastate roosters if your'e on them and to close.Flying hamburger Confused

Guest

I've shot those Federals in No. 6, but not 4, and like 'em. Also like the Rem Express 1 1/8 oz loads in 6.

If you don't reload, Federal's 1-1/4 ounce, #4 load is the only late season cock pheasant crusher around. It's a good one. One box should last several seasons too. You probably won't need them that often, but when you do, there ain't no substitute. One of these loads well placed in a departing pheasasnt's straight going away posterior will bring him to hand every time, especially after a load of 6's just seems to give him more speed. It's happened to me too many times over the years to argue about the load's effectiveness. It' the added penetration that does the job.

However, the 1-1/4 ounce #6 load is overkill. A good, fast 1 ounces load of hard #6 shot is all you really need most times. If you need more shot, you probably need bigger shot instead. Try a quick moving 1-1/8 ounce load of hard #5 shot for the tougher stuff and save the #4 shot for the worst situations. My late season combo is the #5 shot in the first barrel and the #4 shot in the second. Most times, the #5 shot does the job. But when it don't, the #4 shot does.

Guest

Just wondering, what's the approximate pellet county in 1 1/4 of No. 4?

I think its around 150 or so. Could even be a bit lower if my memory serves. The pattern would be a bit thin if the #4 pellets weren't so darned effective by themselves. A couple or 3 #4 pellets does more good than a handful of #6 shot when things get tough.

It's like whacking big geese with shot bigger than #2's when the ranges get longish. The 12 ga patterns are a bit thin, but those birds fold up like they were struck by lightning. It's really something to see. Nobody seems to worry about thin patterns when those big Canadians start falling out of the sky stone dead from way up.

Again, its the added penetration, plus the added energy each individual #4 pellet totes, and the bigger wound canal too. They just plain hit hard, and will penetrate the biggest pheasant end to end right out to 50 yards. No #6 pellet can do this, even inside 40 yards, except perhaps at the clsest ranges. The #4 pellets also seem to disrupt a bird's nervous system better than any other shot size you can reasonably push through a 16 bore and still get decent patterns. They also just crush the biggest bones of any pheasant.

#6 pellets are still small enough that we must rely on a goodly number of hits out of the pattern to do the work cleanly unless the head and neck are centered. I've seen pheasant fly off with 3 or 4 well placed # 6 pellets in them. Not with #4 shot though. the birds don't go anywhere if any kind of a decent body hit is scored.

Again, I don't advocate these walluping loads for every day use. They are best used as a last, best choice. In most cases, they won't be needed. But having a few tucked into a pocket for the worst case scenarios is a wise idea. Better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them.

MGF,

There are 168 #4's in a 1 1/4oz load.

Dennis

Grab a box of Fiocchi GP's in #5 and you'll never look back at the 1 1/4oz load.
TMO, Charlie Cool

Guest

I'll try the Golden Pheasant in 5. Personally, I only take about 4 or 5 hells of No. 5 into the field, and I only go to them in the top tube if we're getting long, wild flushes. I don't know if we're getting good dog work, we shoot relatively quickly or what, but I've never needed a combo bigger than 6 followed by 5. If I'm taking shots longer than that combo will handle, I'm probably shooting at the edge of my ability, anyway.

Can I make longer pokes at clays? Yes. It's fun and feels good and sometimes gets you an "attaboy" from the squad, but it's a good ways off from putting a rooster down hard. So I pretty much choke IC/Mod, load the tubes 6/6, then switch to 6/5 if conditions and flushes indicate it's going to be a tough day.

I'm a big fan of off-season practice, carrying the best shells you can afford for hunting, and discouraging the dogs from "bumping" the birds. Seems to work out for us.

Good hunting, all.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

I agree with birddog--as far as the clays question---the larger pellets will retain their energy at a longer range but remember there are fewer pellets in the air.It would be possible to hit a clays at an extended range with a stray pellet but it would be more a matter of luck than skill beyond normal ranges.For the long shots use a tight as possible choke that will still toss a uniform pattern.It is possible to overchoke a shotgun and ruin the pattern Evil or Very Mad

Guest

Member Joined: 01 Dec 2006 Posts: 524

As 16GA guy hinted (I will just come right out widdit) those Fed Premium's at 1500FPS are nothing short of majestic. They flat out devastate roosters. I've had shots that left both me and my patrners stunned. SHot a quartering away giant rooster that was flying fast and low hit him at about 55 yards and he went down like he was struck by lightning. I have hunted roosters all over and seen none any wilder than the roosters of the Palouse. They are tough customers that just 2 weeks ago flew out of my pattern of much lesser fodder with just a slight sidestep-shimmy. They wrent fringed either they were dead on shots that made me re-think my feeding of the artillery. Nope, I'm going back to the Feds and gonna try some fiochi GPs too. Nothing like a handfull of copper zipping along at 1500FPS. Funny, on that shot I described above, my jaw dropped a bit in disbelief because I didnt expect that rooster to drop cuz I knew I was short on the lead. Or, so I thought, and would have been with any other load in my experience. The feds were forgiving though in that case. Lead? what lead. Just aim approximately for the head and your cool.

55 yards is one long shot. I've been forced to try a follow up shot at that range only a few times over the years. (I've never knowingly initiated a first shot past 40 yards.) Not all have dumped the bird. Those that did were done with a 1-1/4 ounce hand load of #4 magnum shot over Blue Dot. The load can still be found in the Alliant reloading guide.

I've since developed a better one with a discontinued Herter' 16 ga. magnum wad loaded into a Fiocchi case over Blue Dot again. The obsolete Herter's wad holds more shot than a Remington SP-16 wad, all of it in fact. The patterns are better and the velocity is slightly higher.

However, I won't post the full recipe. It's right up there pressure wise. The Herter's wads are extremely hard to find since they haven't been made in nearly 30 years. I lucked into a 500 count lot several years ago at the used reloading supply table at KTP. Substituting a Remington Sp-16 in my recipe would invite disaster. Besides, I would not dare use one in anything but a stoutly built modern 16 like a Citori. These big loads are not for classic doubles or any lightly built gun. So this is one recipe that I will keep to myself.

The velocity of my latest load has to be around 1250 to 1260 FPS. However, those big pellets do not lose velocity nor energy near as fast a #6 or even #5 pellets. They can and do fully penetrate a big bird way out there. They also make a bigger hole and disrupt a bird's nervous system. That shock effect helps more than a lot of folks know. So if the bird flies squarely through the pattern, its going down like it was poleaxed.

If the Federal loads are hitting 1500 FPS, I've no doubt they are truely awesome when they hit. However, I'd not care to have to use only my own handload all the time. I don't really notice the recoil during an occasional hunting shot, but I'm certain a steady diet of them would not be pleasant. A 1-1/4 ounce load of #4's fired at 1500 fps out of a 6 to 7 pound gun must really get one's attention, even in the field. WoW!!! Very Happy

Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 863 Location: NoDak

Hi, just a bit of info. The Federal Wing Shok 1 1/4, #4 goes out at 1260fps. The GP 1 1/8 #5 that I use are going out at 1310 fps.

Not that much difference, but the bigger 4's will hold better down range.

All the best!!!

Greg