(My report - reposted from another board)
I've been intrigued with this load since it's introduction last year.
Since I have nothing better to do I dropped the coins and thought I'd give it a whirl.
Federal Premium VShok 1 1/2 oz BB Heavyweight (Tungsten) @ 1350 fps
The key component here is Federal's FlightControl wad.
Now this stuff ain't cheap. At $4.80 a round, I was thinking there is no way in [beeep] this could be worth it.
One of the problems we face here in Oklahoma is that we are limited by shot size restrictions for hunting. The regulations state that nothing larger than BB can be used to hunt. That rules out "T" shot (Dead Coyote) and #4 buck.
I have had success in the past with Remington HD BB, and limited success with lead BB and HD #2. I have also had the experience of having to shoot a coyote multiple times to keep em down, although the HD BB put them down and kept them down the best.
HD BB runs over $2.00 a round. Emptying your magazine at the limits of your patterns range can cost money.
On to the tests.
I contacted Fedral Ammunition and they recommended a full choke for this load. In the past I had used various turkey chokes and a Carlson's Dead Coyote choke to pattern with various results. Because of the nature of the FlightControl wad, a tighter choke "strips" the wad away from the shot, so the more "open" chokes are recommended.
45 yds Federal Heavyweight Coyote 8.5 inch paper plate Remington FULL choke
At first I was impressed with the pellets on target. This was for sure a dead coyote. But after further review I asked myself "Where the [beeep] did the rest of the pellets go?"
It was obvious that the pattern was not optimal.
So I switched to a modified.
45 yds Federal Heavyweight Coyote 8.5 inch paper plate Remington MOD choke
These results were much better with a more uniform pattern. Actually, it was exactly what I was looking for.
It was similar to 40 yards patterns that I had tested last year with Rem HD BB and tight turkey chokes. At 45 yds, my patterns with the Rem HD were really starting to fall apart. (Sorry, no pics.)
You can compare that to this pattern though.
45 yds Winchester SuperX 1 5/8 ounce lead BB Remington MOD choke
At this point I was out of ammo. I had to adjust my point of aim on previous shots to center the patterns. My shotgun was obviously shooting to the right, although the above pics were taken with an adjusted POA.
Here's what the patterns were like without an adjusted point of aim.
45 yards Federal VShok Heavyweight Coyote Rem MOD choke (Non adjusted point of aim)
As you can see above, the pattern is excellent, but the bead sight is off a little. This is the other reason why you must pattern your shot. Each shotgun is different. It is in your best interests to know what your gun does regarding patterns and POA/POI.
Out of ammo and the shotgun is shooting to the right.
The first problem was easy- order more ammo.
The second problem involved combing the internets for advice.
While I awaited more ammo, I hit various forums for advice.
My thanks to Ulysses at ShotgunWorld for the simple solution.
With the POI being slightly right, the simple solution was to get my cheekweld slightly left. I accomplished this by wrapping my stock with some nylon paracord.
This fix corrected the POI to the left where I wanted it, but also moved the POI up as you will see below. I can adjust bead placement on the target to remedy this.
The ammo came in and I was wondering about different distances to the target.
All of my longer range shots were taken sitting in my coyote hunting position, with my knees up and weakside forearm resting on my knee.
I decided to spend $4.80 on a standing 25 yard shot at a 6 inch coffee can lid.
This picture shows the lid, my shotgun's stock wrap, and a FlightControl wad from previous testing.
That is one very messed up 25 yard coyote!!!
I did three more rounds from a distance of 55 yards. This was beyond my comfortable range with Remington HD.
Here's a picture of the pattern.
52 yards Federal Premium VShok Heavyweight Coyote Remington MOD choke 6 inch coffee can lid
As you can see, it's an excellent pattern, although the POI is slightly high. I can adjust for that.
The shotgun is a Remington 870 Express Tactical with the 18 inch RemChoke barrel.
My final thought is that this ammo is phenomenal. It carrys tungsten alloy BB down range faster and harder than Remington HD BB, and patterns much better at range also.
I will be using this ammo this fall in areas where "Shotgun Only" restricts me from using a rifle. I will also be carrying lead BB for finishing shots if necessary.
Remember, YMMV. You won't know what your shotgun's capabilities are until you test it. It can mean the difference between success and failure in the field.
Good luck all and thanks for reading.
