16ga.com ~ View topic - Federal Wing Shok

Member Joined: 01 Dec 2006 Posts: 524

The wingshoks are puny compared to the premiums at 1500fps.
16GG the 55 yard shot was a mid AM shot that was almost a snap shot.
I caught the rooster that had flushed to my left at about 40 yards out of my peripheral vision. This aint south Dakota, and when an opportunity arises well...... maybe I was a little wound up.....maybe even mildly angry, whatever the case, I let that rooster have it. He didnt fall far either as he wasnt more than 3-5 feet off the ground. Thinkhe had come in low because he had actually flushed from somewhere a bit more distant than where my line of vision spotted him, possible coming in for a landing. Whatever the case, he was not my typical shot for sure. I was shooting my old 12GA superposed Lightning Mod/Full and was loaded up with 1 1/4 of #5 copper (Premiums) which I actually took a photo of the box and posted it on another site because someone contested the 1500fps. But it showed it clearly on the box. That was the red box - not the blue box stuff. Usually, out there I like to go #6 in the mod bbl and #5 in the full for the follow up. That rooster I dropped had 2 #5 pellets in his head - nowhere else. Prolly why dropped so fast.

Thanks Greg. I kinda thought the velocity was mid-1200's for the Fed load. I've found out that velocity is more than sufficient for #4 and even #5 pellets. It's more a question of range between the two. #5 pellets are the classic pheasant pellet in any area with a lot of native birds. However, they seem to lose some effectiveness past 45 yards. Not so the big #4's. However, I've never seen any pheasant fly out of a well placed pattern of 5's inside that range.

I've heard Federal has a rather steamy 16 ga. game load, but I thought it was built around a reduced shot load at or under 1 ounce. perhaps that is where the confusion lies on this one. I'll bet a load of hard #6 shot will do the trick inside 40 yards with these screamers. However, so will my own 1 ounce handload at nearly 1300 FPS.

Sometimes, velocity alone won't do the job. Most folks back in the '30's came to realize that 1325 FPS seems to be about the top end for round pellets, even nice hard copper plated ones. Hence, the old 12 gauge 3/3/4 dram 1-1/4 ounce express shell became the serious waterfowlers' staple load. In #5 shot, it has probably killed more ducks than bird flu. It's also one hell of a pheasant load and has been used as such for over 70 years.

Before I went to the 16 as my all around upland gun, I shot more than my share of birds with a Citori 12 ga Superlight using that same express load in the top barrel. It worked for me every time the 1 ounce load of 6's failed if I put the pattern on the bird inside the 45 yard mark. They'd be dead in the air just like I want them to.