Any luck with Federal 3.5" 2 1/4oz lead loads???

[TheSportsman]

It sure seems like Winchester lead seems to win over Federal for the most part... I was thinking of trying some of the Federal 3.5" 2 1/4oz 5s(copper plated lead) loads in my Benelli SBE I.  I know they have the flite control wad.  Ive got a Factory Benelli Xtended tube(.670) and a Factory Flush Xtra Full(.680)... Thought about giving them a run with the flite control stuff??? Ive heard over and over again the flite control wad stuff doesnt like a ported choke. Ive never had a gun that really like the Federal stuff, except for a 20ga. Yall think it would be worth trying? A friend of mine has a benelli sbe and he said his gun likes the federals more than anything... Any thoughts?

[dawei]

It sure seems like Winchester lead seems to win over Federal for the most part... I was thinking of trying some of the Federal 3.5" 2 1/4oz 5s(copper plated lead) loads in my Benelli SBE I.  I know they have the flite control wad.  Ive got a Factory Benelli Xtended tube(.670) and a Factory Flush Xtra Full(.680)... Thought about giving them a run with the flite control stuff??? Ive heard over and over again the flite control wad stuff doesnt like a ported choke. Ive never had a gun that really like the Federal stuff, except for a 20ga. Yall think it would be worth trying? A friend of mine has a benelli sbe and he said his gun likes the federals more than anything... Any thoughts?

Are the shells your friend is shooting in his SBE the FC shells, or older Federal®s w/TriplePlus ® wad? What choke is he using, ported or non-ported? Does his/your chokes have wad catchers?

[TheSportsman]

The older federals, with a kicks 660

[surehuntsalot]

here are a couple of targets with the Federal 3.5" 2-1/4oz #5's being used in my 835

.676 Stardot choke   "old"pre FC load       


.679 GS choke       Flitecontrol  load       

[R AJ]

If memory serves me correctly that shell does well in the Hastings .665 in a Remington SM. I know that the older pre FCW shell did OK with that choke.

[Kylongspur88]

I've tried the 3.5 #6's in my 870 through several chokes including just the factory full. Never got a satisfactory pattern at 40. The best pattern I got was through my Rem SF choke 120ish, but not very even with big holes. The old lead shells pre FC were great. I killed all of my birds in high school and college with 3in #5 and 6's through a hastings choke. Great patterns and thumped every bird I shot with them. Right now I think Winchester is the way to go with lead loads.

[mcgruff1533]

Depending on the gun and choke I've witnessed Flite Control equipped Federal shells actually pattern better with tight, ported chokes.

For example, I was getting 120-130 hits in a 10" circle at 30 yard with my 20 inch barreled Mossy 535 using Federal 3.5"-2oz-#6 lead with .670" and .660" Carlson's chokes.

I switched to my Tru Glo SSX .643" choke and the pattern tightened to 245 pellets in a 10" circle with the same load. 

Through testing multiple loads and chokes with my gun, I've found that it's short barrel tends to pattern better with tighter than normal chokes... even with Flite Control wads.

[snapper1982]

if you are having problems with the 2 1/4 oz loads try goin to the flight control 2 oz load.i had the same problems. they wouldnt pattern very well. but just by switching to the 2 oz i got awesome patterns. i am not sure y but i think it has to do with less pellets squeezing together and thus less deformation.

i tryed the #6's and the #5's and both patterned better in 2 oz than they did in 2 1/4 oz

[jarbo03]

I really liked the 3.5" when they were Federal Classic, after they switched I went to 3" loads, patterned better for me.  The old 3.5" #6 knocked down a lot of birds for me with a mossberg 835 and factory choke tube.

[snapper1982]

i shot my new gun today...

remington 870 23 inch barrel tru glo choke 665
federal fcw 3.5 inch 2 oz #5's... at a meassured 30 yds i got 180 in a 10 inch circle....
i have been using the fcw since they came out with ported shokes and i have never had problems... 3 different 870 and a mossberg 535 and my buddy's 835..... and every one of them had ported chokes.. with that being said i know several guys whos gun hated the federals... the borttom line is every gun is different and what one likes does not mean the same type gun will too. i think i have just been LUCKY

[coyotetrpr]

good results with old mad max choke out of mossberg 835(3.5in 2.25oz #5)

[Jason]

I set my Dad up with an HS Strutt Undertaker choke tube in his SBE 1 with the Federal 2 1/4oz of #5's and he decimated the target at 40 yards (so many pellets we didn't bother counting).  The cool part was the FC wad bounced off the target at that range!  He flatten a jake at 45 yards with this load/choke last spring and did significant damage to the head.  I would definitely recommend that load/choke for the SBE

[DKA]

The Fed still work great for me.

[WildTigerTrout]

I like them both. I have had good luck with Federals and Winchesters. I do like the Pre FC wad Federal 3.5" 2.25 oz of #4's and the Win HV 3.5" 2 oz. of #6's.

[chatterbox]

Gonna run some Federal 3.5-2.25-6 FCW through my 835 and a SumToy .675 in a few weeks when the weather gets above 50.
I'll post up some results when I get them.