Win 1300 Fed HW 7 SSX choke (12 & 20 gauge)

[cljohnson24]

Guys. Recently bought SSX's for my 12 & 20 ga Win 1300's to try with the Fed HW 7's.
At lasered 40 yds:
The 20ga (3" 1.1/2oz)numbers were - 140/10" & 290/24"
The 12ga 3 ' 1 5/8oz)numbers were -165/10 & 308/24"

The 20 ga improved from 114/10" & 278/24"@ 40yds with Undertaker Lead Only (.575)
Last year,the 12 ga and an Undertaker HD(.675) with 3/2 Hevi Mag Blends gave me 198/10"@ 35yds (on clean bore)but this year when I tested at 40 yds it only gave me 134/10" on dirty bore(2nd shot fired).

Is it the dirty bore or the 5 yd difference that most likely account for such a dramatic difference?

I honestly like the recoil of the Fed 7's much better but are they putting up good enough numbers to switch ?

[Izzyjoe]

Personally I would not bother with the HW in 12g. You can get better patterns with LB's, but for 20ga they are the hottest thing going, as far as factory ammo goes. Sounds like you have an awesome setup in the 20ga.

[cljohnson24]

Are those good numbers for the 20? I know the HW has the energy for longer shots, but is 140/10" good enough beyond 40 by a 10 yard fudge factor?
I guess I'm asking what's your guess at yardage I'd drop below 100/10" with it?


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[allaboutshooting]

Guys. Recently bought SSX's for my 12 & 20 ga Win 1300's to try with the Fed HW 7's.
At lasered 40 yds:
The 20ga (3" 1.1/2oz)numbers were - 140/10" & 290/24"
The 12ga 3 ' 1 5/8oz)numbers were -165/10 & 308/24"

The 20 ga improved from 114/10" & 278/24"@ 40yds with Undertaker Lead Only (.575)
Last year,the 12 ga and an Undertaker HD(.675) with 3/2 Hevi Mag Blends gave me 198/10"@ 35yds (on clean bore)but this year when I tested at 40 yds it only gave me 134/10" on dirty bore(2nd shot fired).

Is it the dirty bore or the 5 yd difference that most likely account for such a dramatic difference?

I honestly like the recoil of the Fed 7's much better but are they putting up good enough numbers to switch ?

The 20ga (3" 1.1/2oz)numbers were - 140/10" & 290/24"
The 12ga 3 ' 1 5/8oz)numbers were -165/10 & 308/24"

Those are very good numbers assuming the pattern quality is good. By "good" I mean few if any 2" or larger gaps in the patterns.

Last year,the 12 ga and an Undertaker HD(.675) with 3/2 Hevi Mag Blends gave me 198/10"@ 35yds (on clean bore)but this year when I tested at 40 yds it only gave me 134/10" on dirty bore(2nd shot fired).
Is it the dirty bore or the 5 yd difference that most likely account for such a dramatic difference?

With at least 2 variables, clean vs dirty bore and 35 vs 40 yards it's really hard to say. An extra 5 yards can really affect patterns. That's one good reason to limit shots to no longer than 40 yards. Shot may retain its energy at longer ranges but the patterns really start to spread out and increase the possibility of missing or worse yet, wounding a bird that escapes.

Thanks,
Clark

[cljohnson24]

Thanks Clark. The patterns have a couple of gaps throughout each of these patterns at or near 2".
I wouldn't say they are the most even patterns. IIRC the Undertaker chokes put up lower numbers with both Fed 12/20 loads last year when I first tested them(can't find 12ga pattern but I know it wasn't real impressive, maybe 140/10?)however they were both very even without gaps.

Clark do you think the SSX's will improve with use or should I consider trying the Trulock HW specific chokes in effort to get a more even gap free pattern?
I'm not worried about the cost as I know they have a guarantee and it's worth my time/postage.

I'm committed to making the HW7 loads work after seeing the penetration difference vs Hevi Mag Blends and Hevi 13 5's not only into plywood but also seeing the difference firsthand last spring on my 9yo son's first gobbler at 35 yds with the little 1 1/8oz load. It only put 95/10@40, but dropped it on the spot. Almost all of those lil 7's exited the neck/head and a lot of the ones that hit the near breast exited the far side breast. I was sold on them. Not to mention for some reason the Mag Blends I bought this year are only giving me 134/10" now.
Either way I'm sticking with the Feds.

[allaboutshooting]

Clark do you think the SSX's will improve with use or should I consider trying the Trulock HW specific chokes in effort to get a more even gap free pattern?

It's been my experience that they get better with use. The more rounds you put through them the better they pattern. I see that in the chokes that I use in still target shooting over the years. They tend to get a mirror finish and just pattern better and better.

Thanks,
Clark

[cljohnson24]

I'm gonna shoot a couple more this week for final sight in and see if my numbers stay consistent. I'll try and post some pics if I can find a way to resize them down.


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[cljohnson24]

Shot loads again today despite 15mph  crosswind.
Just bore snaked before starting( no solvent cleaning or barrel/choke removal) and between each shot.
Win 1300 22" barrel 12 ga SSX .643 Fed 1 5/8oz HW7:
40 yds - 173/10", 134/10", 83/10"(no bore snake) Really??
50 yds -93/10"

Win 1300 22" barrel 20 ga SSX .550 Fed 1 1/2oz HW7:
40 yds - 101/10" (??)IDK what happened with that one
50 yds -87/10"

I'm glad to see my 50 yd numbers are ok...but honestly I'm not real impressed with any of these results, and a bit concerned with the shot's going out the window without cleaning..

Shot rest of my Mag blends in 12ga with SSX for giggles:
40 yds- 125/10" & 163/10"

Why there is such a variance in all of these shots with these chokes from shot to shot?
It was windy, but I highly doubt it cause this kind of variance.

The numbers from the first shot on each choke(clean barrel and choke cleaned in alcohol):
12 ga 3" 1 5/8oz HW 7 40 yds = 165/10"
20 ga 3" 1 1/2oz HW 7 40 yds = 140/10"

This doesn't make sense to me. Are the SSX's this picky for everyone else? Maybe I need t look at some diff chokes because I'm not real happy with this inconsistency...

[cljohnson24]

Here are yesterday's very first shot through the .643 SSX in my Win 1300(12) w Fed 7 1 5/8oz


Here are yesterday's very first shot through the .550 SSX in my Win 1300(20) w Fed 7 1 .5oz

[allaboutshooting]

The numbers from the first shot on each choke(clean barrel and choke cleaned in alcohol):
12 ga 3" 1 5/8oz HW 7 40 yds = 165/10"
20 ga 3" 1 1/2oz HW 7 40 yds = 140/10"

Those numbers are more like what I would expect. The only real difference that I can see is that you cleaned the bore and choke before these shots.

Here's what I'd suggest. Deep clean everything but don't use the bore snake between shots.I normally see very consistent patterns and numbers when I use that process. The bore snake is a good tool but at times it can be detrimental as well.

Thanks,
Clark

[cljohnson24]

I'll clean them this week and retest in clean bore next  week. The numbers were somewhat inconsistent today, but at least I got my scopes zeroed.