Federal Premium Turkey Loads with Flight Control Wads

Talking to somebody about the ammunition they like is kind of like talking to a couple of guys about Chevy or ford trucks. One has a brand they love and that’s that. When I bought my benelli super black eagle II, I also bought Remington nitro turkey loads, Winchester supreme and the Federal Premium w/ flight control wads. All shell being 3 ½ in #5’s. I shot each load at 30 and 50 yards. The Remington shells were average, the pattern was good one shot and bad the next. The Winchester shells were pretty consistent but I want getting the amount of shot in the head I would’ve liked. Then I shot the Federal Premium shells. At thirty yards I was putting 25 to 30 pellets in the head and even the wading was hitting the head. Then for the moment of truth, I tested it at fifty yards. I was consistently putting 10 to 12 pellets in the head.

I would like to shoot the heavy shot or the tungsten shot but that stuff is way too expensive. I’d shoot it if they would give it to me. Remington has some heavy shot that is $65.00 per 10 shells. I couldn’t even pattern my gun without getting sick. That is $6.50 a shell. My federal premiums cost 15.99 per 10 shells. Plus why change something that works well. If it’s not broke don’t fix it.

The federal premium flight controls at a 3 ½ in #5 shot 2 oz of lead at 1300 fps muzzle velocity. The lead is copper plated for maximum density which means tighter patterns. The wad offers a 30% tighter pattern. Be careful on what choke tube you choose because the manufacturer claims that shooting these shells through a ported choke tube could hinder its performance. Just remember that every shell shoots different out of every gun and out of every choke tube. So buy a variety of shells and see what works for you.

Jason Untersinger