Gamebore Velocity 26g

[Aris]

I see Gamebore have a 26g cartridge.  I usually use the standard 28g cartridge - has anyone tried the 26g?  Is there any marked difference? 

Sure, it'll have less shot   But other than that - are the characteristics such as felt recoil the same?

https://gamebore.com/uk/cartridge/clay/12g-velocity-plus

 

[Will Hewland]

I have some fibre ones and they work as expected. I believe it’s a limited edition, so I haven’t paid much attention as no point if they won’t be around long. For me it’s about finding something I can rely on going forward..

 

[Aris]

I agree - which is why I use the 28g velocities - but the 26g seem to be a little bit cheaper. 

I despair at how cartridge prices just seem to go up and up - and not necessarily following commodity prices which go up and down.  If anything - it has gone down over the past 12 months.

 

[TheColliniteKid]

I despair at how cartridge prices just seem to go up and up - and not necessarily following commodity prices which go up and down.  If anything - it has gone down over the past 12 months.

Commodity prices may go up and down but inflation is always present. That's without factoring in the commodity price itself and exchange rates. Some real rough numbers: say 1000 shells 9 to 10 years ago were £150 per thousand and we assume a 2.5% rate of inflation this gives a price today of about £190-195 per thousand. I haven't tracked it in detail but those numbers seem to roughly match the prices I've been paying.

 

[Will Hewland]

Commodity prices may go up and down but inflation is always present. That's without factoring in the commodity price itself and exchange rates. Some real rough numbers: say 1000 shells 9 to 10 years ago were £150 per thousand and we assume a 2.5% rate of inflation this gives a price today of about £190-195 per thousand. I haven't tracked it in detail but those numbers seem to roughly match the prices I've been paying.

Inflation is roughly as you say. However, in 2008 I recall paying more like £105-110 for the sort of shells that are £190-£195 today.

I definitely recall in 2006 Eley Olympic trap were a popular basic shell and they were about £95/1000. I bought Eley Superbs for £108 for about two years until around 2008. I then used Clever T3 before going to T2, (their medium price shell) which were about £110 until they went up in about 2010. All these £260 cartridges prices still make me wince when I see them.

 

[Hamster]

I'd love to know what was going through the managements mind when they decided to load those 26g shells. 

 

[Will Hewland]

I'd love to know what was going through the managements mind when they decided to load those 26g shells. 

Same as Hull with 27g I suppose. Small enough reduction in lead to not worry users, but offers them an excuse to offer a lower priced product. Like when Blaser realised an F3 was a touch pricey, they brought out the F16. Must cost them almost the same to make as an F3 but is sold at 60% of the price. 

 

[Hamster]

Same as Hull with 27g I suppose. Small enough reduction in lead to not worry users, but offers them an excuse to offer a lower priced product. Like when Blaser realised an F3 was a touch pricey, they brought out the F16. Must cost them almost the same to make as an F3 but is sold at 60% of the price. 

Still doesn't make sense though because the 28g version of the Velocity+ is already pretty much the best of the "budget" loads and besides I don't think there's that much difference between them price wise. 

 

[chippy]

I'd love to know what was going through the managements mind when they decided to load those 26g shells. 

Probably. "Let's remove 7% of the lead add fast to the name and charge the same for them"

 

[Aris]

Just two years ago I bought Gamebore Kent (velocity under a different label) for £150/1000.   Granted, this was under a special offer - I suspect Gamebore had some stock to shift, and rather than damaging the pricing structure for Velocity, stuck a different name on the cartridge to shift some stock.   The margins are small for the retailer - but I suspect much larger for the manufacturer.

Inflation doesn't affect everything and when the price of the main ingredient - lead goes down by 5% - this would negate inflation - and then some.   Of course these are all businesses trying to make a profit - but I do wonder if there is somewhat of a cartel going on too.

There was an independent manufacturer - propercartridges.com - but his website seems to be offline.

 

[Hamster]

Just two years ago I bought Gamebore Kent (velocity under a different label) for £150/1000.   Granted, this was under a special offer - I suspect Gamebore had some stock to shift, and rather than damaging the pricing structure for Velocity, stuck a different name on the cartridge to shift some stock.   The margins are small for the retailer - but I suspect much larger for the manufacturer.

Inflation doesn't affect everything and when the price of the main ingredient - lead goes down by 5% - this would negate inflation - and then some.   Of course these are all businesses trying to make a profit - but I do wonder if there is somewhat of a cartel going on too.

There was an independent manufacturer - propercartridges.com - but his website seems to be offline.

He's still around and active but rather "niche" in how he handles his marketing, doesn't need the money basically which is great for him but not so great for us because I reckon with a bit of thought (on the shell itself) and sorting out a half decent network of suppliers in each county he'd quickly gain market share in the clay market. 

 

[Guest]

I was under the impression to gain the speeds they are claiming its a case of not upping the powder(flake) content but reducing the ballist weight to be moved, hence less lead faster load, a marketing ploy in one sence as they due to weight saved get on the market cheaper than other brands with a added value of marketing a "fast" load, so it should be for any cartridge company a win win.

 

[DavidJ]

When the 26g HV's came out the market was looking for a cheaper cartridge, Jockers were selling like hot cakes.

By dropping 2g and increasing the speed they had a cartridge that was cheaper and also competed with Superfasts.

I found them a little punchy and went back to the usual Velocities.

For the last year I've been shooting the green Kents. 

Once they are done I'll go back to Velocities although not as easy to get as Hull cartridges at the grounds I tend to shoot at. 

 

[FESkent]

May be another way to look at it is the cartridge at 20p a bang is a modern marvel of mass production considering the technology and resources required to make it, each part engineering perfection be that case, primer, powder, wad and shot then the machines to assemble them  to ensure safe functioning every time we pull the trigger but then  we moan about the cartridge price but are happy to pay say 30p for the clay to be presented to shoot at.

A clay that cost the ground around 8p and then a trap costing a fraction of the price of the technology required to make a cartridge we then put the trap in a field and are happy to pay around 30p which gives the ground a very much bigger profit then either the manufacture or retailer of cartridges get,

so prehaps we are looking at it the wrong way round and rather than moaning about the price of the cartridge we should moan to the ground about the price of the clay.

 

[DavidJ]

The 30p per clay has a lot more overheads built in to it than just those.

 

[FESkent]

More overheads than the manufactures of all the component parts and assembly of them and testing of the final cartridge I think not search on YouTube at the resources required to manufacture each component it is massive all those overheads are paid and then the components themselves and we end up with a 20p cartridge that is fantastic value.

I know one ground that call clays "black gold"