Which is “best”

[PeeJay]

I’m just wondering which of these cartridges is “best” for relative newcomers, who mostly shoot sporting, so everything from a really close rabbit to a long distance tower? Or will they make no difference whatsoever at our level so we may as well choose the cheapest?

12gauge Beretta 686 silver pigeon sporter 1

 

[Daz W]

Personally I'd be shooting the Fiocchi Fblack 8's for most things. Not just on price, they are an excellent cartridge. I'd also buy them somewhere else. My local gun shop sells Fblacks for £275. The only other one on that list I'd even consider are the Hull Pro One, and they're more £££.

I'd want some 7-1/2s if the longer stuff is edge on, but there's not much on that list that jumps out "Buy me!!!"

The Coniston cartridges will be manufactured by one of the big producers, from their current supplier bias, I'm (really) guessing at Hull. Maybe rebranded Hull Sporting 100s? Have a word in the gunroom to see who makes them, and what spec. I'd still end up with the Fiocchi's though.

 

[vmax1010]

As you seem to be at the start of your shooting journey, most cartridges will shoot better than you, so find one that is easy on your shoulder

 

[PeeJay]

Personally I'd be shooting the Fiocchi Fblack 8's for most things. Not just on price, they are an excellent cartridge. I'd also buy them somewhere else. My local gun shop sells Fblacks for £275. The only other one on that list I'd even consider are the Hull Pro One, and they're more £££.

I'd want some 7-1/2s if the longer stuff is edge on, but there's not much on that list that jumps out "Buy me!!!"

The Coniston cartridges will be manufactured by one of the big producers, from their current supplier bias, I'm (really) guessing at Hull. Maybe rebranded Hull Sporting 100s? Have a word in the gunroom to see who makes them, and what spec. I'd still end up with the Fiocchi's though.

I asked for CompX once, they gave me Coniston, and when I questioned it she insisted they were exactly the same. So I assume they are manufactured by CompX and rebranded.

I did think about having a go with the Fblacks.

 

[PeeJay]

As you seem to be at the start of your shooting journey, most cartridges will shoot better than you, so find one that is easy on your shoulder

Yep, I’ve been shooting about a year, so I know that the misses (and there’s plenty of them) are me, not the cartridge or choke.

I do like to try different things though, just out of interest.

 

[mpmilo]

Personally , I shoot Power blue 71/2s plastic for 98% of targets, and have done for ages. I do carry a few Rossas for anything at longer range.

I did try Power Golds for a while but found the Blues had exactly the same performance and pattern very well through .18 chokes.

 

[Smithyithy]

Also worth bearing in mind... Fiocchi (Italian) 8 shot is equal to Hull (British) 7.5 shot... 2.3mm pellets.

Bit of a PITA when swapping between brands because you might not realise you're actually changing shot size ever so slightly when trying different ones.

Not that .1mm will make much if any noticeable difference at this stage, I don't think.

I'd personally just go for the cheapest 28g plastic wad 7.5 / 8 you can get per slab and focus on practice - any money saved not buying 'premium' cartridges is better spent on lessons when you're starting out.

 

[Daz W]

Also worth bearing in mind... Fiocchi (Italian) 8 shot is equal to Hull (British) 7.5 shot... 2.3mm pellets.

Bit of a PITA when swapping between brands because you might not realise you're actually changing shot size ever so slightly when trying different ones.

Fiocchi Fblack 8.5 plaswads are continental 8.5. Fblack fibres are UK 8. Both are 2.2mm. Fiocchi Litespeed are UK 8 in both Fibre and plastic. I'm assuming FBlack fibres, F3 fibres and Litespeeds are for the UK market only, hence UK sizing.

Gamebore use both continental and UK sizing too. Their higher end Diamond Shot is continental, while their standard shot is UK.

@PeeJay For a relative newbie, given the option I'd say 28g 7.5s. Continental or UK sizing, not really going matter. They'll break most targets on a ground. Don't bother with 21 or 24 g. More lead, more dead. Plenty of decent cartridges out there at (cough) reasonable prices. Depending upon availability, Fiocchi Fblu, Fblack or Gamebore Velocity would probably be my choice for a beginner

 

[Charliedog]

I would go for a 7.5 plastic that you find comfortable to shoot, comfort is personal so a bit of trial and error required. Buy a box at a time initially until you find a comfortable cartridge at a sensible price.

 

[Bavarian]

I’m just wondering which of these cartridges is “best” for relative newcomers, who mostly shoot sporting, so everything from a really close rabbit to a long distance tower? Or will they make no difference whatsoever at our level so we may as well choose the cheapest?

12gauge Beretta 686 silver pigeon sporter 1

I would go for the Fiocchi TT1. As a Beginner you should not waste money for expensive cartridges. The differences are not huge.
And perhaps you should concentrate on the standard targets first and hit them constantly before going for the high towers and long distance targets.
You can hit any target with any 24/28g cartridge if you do your part well.

 

[Freddypip]

Whilst i would agree with the recommendation of the TT1 on cost and performance grounds, the small ferrel can sometimes override ejectors and the spent cartridges needs rodding out with a risk of damage to the gun. I had 1,000 (early 2024) and they stuck in a 682 Gold (mid 90s) and my daughters 525 (2022) but were fine in a Blaser F3. I would pay the extra for Fblu or Fblack to avoid that risk alone. In the 525 it was one every 20 and the gun had/has no issues with other cartridges at all. I had the 682 Gold ejectors fettled but with no change albeit they are not perfect and occasionally other cartridges need picking out.

 

[jonz]

The Hull Intercomp HV 24grm, is one of the smoothest cartridges I have ever used. And the kill well, even tried them on UT and the breaks were as good as anyone else’s. If I could get them regularly they would be my first choice.