Well Campers the test is complete and a very unlikely winner has one my vote of confidence for the shoots ahead in 2012 here in Steel Shot Country!!!! The cartridges selected were as follows:-Gamebore, White Gold, 28g, 6 - 210€ per 1000Gamebore, Super Steel, 28g, 7 - 205€ per 1000Clever Mirage, T2 Steel, 28g, 7 - 210€ per 1000Winchester X2 Acier, 28g, 7 - 195€ per 1000Eley VIP Steel, 24g, 7 - 200€ per 1000Clever Mirage, 24g, 7 - 200€ per 1000 We made in total 3 tests on all cartridges but by the 4th test we decided to drop 2 brands and by the 5th and final extreme test I was down to what I considered the best overall performing cartridges- Only 2!Each cartridge was rated from 1-5 1 being poor and 5 being excellent for each testThis test was designed to what I wanted. To find a shell I think can perform at a consistent level for the season ahead and that was reasonable in price and one of the key factors LOW RECOIL! I can tell you now the different brands varied an unbelievable amount. I do not know the speeds of each shell but when you switched from one brand to the other it was so much more noticeable that this must have affected the recoilConditions were very good bright and dry with a light breeze.Each test was performed with half choke and only one shot was fired per target.I chose half choke as with my current experience with steel I found this choke in the Browning 525 I have been using to be the best all-rounder, I have been shooting half and half with good results previously. RECOILRecoil was a main factor in the overall choice at the end of the tests and by the 4th test I made a decision to drop 2 of the brands even though they performed relatively well.The best to last in terms of low recoil based on the shooting completed are below:-1st Place - Winchester X2 Acier 28gram2nd Place - Clever Mirage 24gram3rd Place - Clever Mirage T2 28gram4th Place – Eley VIP Steel 24gram and Gamebore Super Steel 28gram5th Place – Gamebore White Gold 28gramI couldn’t believe that the Winchester was so soft and the Mirage T2 was not too far behind!Even better than one of the other 24gram brands! Test 1 High House Skeet Peg 5Clever T2 28gram, Winchester 28gram and Eley VIP 24gramm all scored 4ex5 points these shells actually smoked the clay in some instances. No less than 15 shots were fired at this target and you could easily see the best performing in the kills.Gamebore White Gold 28gram and Super Steel 28 gram scored 3ex5points the kills were good but they were not as good as the previous!The Clever 24 gram were very poor in some cases 4 bits was a good kill don’t know why but they were evidently the worst.Test 2 Going Away DTL Fixed Central 40 Meters (43.7yds)This test threw up a clear winner the Winchester Acier 28gram was very consistent in the breaks and you would not complain at its killing capability one bit, very good kills with this shell and with its extremely low recoil was already becoming an unlikely leader at this stage. I rated this 5ex5 on this test I was very impressed! Closely following behind was the Mirage T2 28 gram on 4ex5 then followed by all 4 remaining brands on 3ex5 points. Test 3 Standard Crosser 40 Meters (43.7yds)By Test 3 I had decided it was the end of the road for two of the brands. The Eley VIP Steel 24gram and the Clever Mirage Steel 24gram had to go. The main reason being I really wanted a 28gram shell for 2012 but I threw some 24gram in the mix just to help measure the recoil with the 28grams as well. The problem I had was that the Clever Mirage T2 28 gram and the Winchester 28gram were performing just as well in the recoil department and the killing department as the 24gram brands therefore it made sense to drop them in the end.The Winchester and the T2 were just as good on the crosser and I never missed a clay with 12 shots with the Winchester. Ok maybe I hit a purple patch but the main objective was to find a shell that hit all the right spots and build confidence in it and the Winchester was definitely doing just that! The T2 was also of a good standard ok no smoking of the clays with either but the kills were good and showed that I was really on the clay. The Gamebore brands were not bad but the recoil and the quality of the kills I was getting were evidently not to the same standard it made sense that there were only two shells really which I could see me shooting competitions and practicing with regularly.I rated the Winchester and Mirage T2 with 4ex5 and the Gamebore brands 3ex5Test 4 Rabbit 25Mtrs (27.34Yds)This test was pointless and all killed the rabbit well at this range it was a ball of dust every time with the remaining 4 cartridges brands we were testing.After this I had a quick review with Robin who was supporting and taking part in some tests, we both agreed that the Clever Mirage T2 28gram 7 and the Winchester Acier 28gram 7 were by far the best choice and we wanted to go a step further and push the boat out. For the next test was a bit of fun and to see what we could do with these shells. For the last test we needed the help of one of the ground staff!!!!!Test 5 Extreme Range Standard Looper 76.59ydsOk this was a lot of fun! So I shot 10 shots with each of the last two remaining brands before at 50yds and then we moved back and the range finder was on 76.59yards which is about 70mtrs.This was eye opening ok I admit consistency was hard mainly because it was a looper but this was the furthest target on the shoot that we could set up. This target was actually meant for another layout.So I shot 15 single shots with the Winchester and hit 7 ex 15 and the delay was evident straight away! When I put it in the right place though the maximum kill I had was 4-6 bits. I was impressed. I had a little crowd gathered including a Belgian International who was laughing away at me! I don’t think he fancied his luck!ConclusionThe most expensive shells out there might not necessarily be the best for you.Robin gave me the price list for these shells tonight when I got back, I honestly had no idea what the cost per 1000 and I was shocked the Winchester was actually the cheapest. For me the Winchester Acier 28 gram 7 is perfect in terms of performance and recoil for my shooting in 2012. Great price as well. I still cannot believe how soft it is! I know some may laugh at my tests but at the end of the day I found a steel cartridge that will kill anything that is thrown next year here if I put the steel in the right place; my shoulder will not have a giant bruise on it when I get home at night either! In the end we shot 250 targets between us with the different brands so I think we did a good enough job.Was a great day and a great laugh as well. Hopefully we can do some more tests here in the future.Thanks to Robin Visch in organizing the various Steel Cartridges for the testing and also to the Staff at De Wildenburg Shooting Ground you have a great set up and the staff are always willing to change and help to your customers needs! Glen
I see your point matey but also that is the level of depth most of us get into it ( I know I do). I'm much more interested in real world performance than tables of data. Both sides have their place.
