Curious what others view as the advantage to reloading higher velocity, lighter payloads, other than cost. Are they considered to be just as effective, ex... 12 ga 1 1/8 oz at 1200 vs 1 oz at 1280? What is the advantage of the higher velocity?What has been your experience? Thanks

While it seems simple.....more pellets are better...but for me, it is a not so simple answer. Everything is about balance and trade offs. I find that a quality 1 oz load of 7.5's works best for me....YMMV. Here is why.......

First and foremost, I can't just 'forget FITASC'. Its hands down my favorite game. I've said it before....if there was enough FITASC events, I probably personally wouldn't even enter anymore English Sporting events. So, if I have to get my head wrapped around the performance of 1 oz loads for the hard targets (FITASC), then I'm not going to shoot heavier loads for the easy targets (English Sporting). In addition, I have shot the hardest targets imaginable (1st year Dubai, World FITASC 2004,2005, World English 2005, etc) with good 1 oz loads, and not found my performance was hurt by the ammo. Now, here is the first segue.....if the shells are of lower quality, I would chose 32 gram( 1 1/8th oz) loads every time. The first thing that separates high quality target loads from lower end( and price) 'promo' target loads is shot quality. The lower quality shot does not provide as good of long range patterns as premium, harder/rounder/slicker shot. If I had to shoot lower quality shells, I would do my best to fill the pattern by throwing more crappy pellets down range.

( dirty little secret or segue #2- inside about 30 yards, crappy pellets work fine. If I were on a really tight budget, I would shoot cheap promo loads inside 30 yards, and save a box of high quality 28 gram( 1 oz) 7.5's for the few targets that you see over 30 yards at your typical English Sporting shoot here in the US.)

But, I have a choice, and I choose to shoot basically the same shell all the time. I do this for confidence. I have supreme confidence in my shell. The FIOCCHI Nickel Crusher 7.5's ( 1 oz/1300 fps) give me very good, very consistent long range patterns. I have proven this shell to myself over and over again. Since my gun is fixed choke, I do, use a few, and I mean very few, FIOCCHI Interceptor Spreaders. This load feels like shooting my Crushers, since they are both 1 oz/1300 fps. The do only make them in #8's, but at the ranges I use them, shot size doesn't matter. Out of my fixed Improved Modified, they through beautiful 30"(!) patterns at 20 yards. This gives me cylinder choke performance when the course has a silly window shot or a rabbit that must be shot between 2 hay bales, or some other really close, really fast shot.

Then, of course, I can't simply discount the cumulative effect of recoil over the course of my typical multi-day championship weekend. Sure, I can take a round or 2 of 32 gram handicap trap loads, but during a typical regional championship weekend, I would be feeling the effects pretty bad by Sunday morning. My pattern testing shows that with the type of choke selection I typically use ( current gun is fixed Improved Mod in both barrels), that a quality 1 oz 7.5's pattern looks basically identical to a comparable quality 32 gram 7.5 pattern. The 32 gram load will have a few more 'flyers' around the edge, but the consistent, dependable part of the pattern will be basically the same density and size.