Federal 2.75" Maga-shok Flite Control 6 shot

[hunterjim]

     Just got a box of these for my Valmet with fixed choke (don't know choke constriction, just that a 20 ga shell stops at the brass when inserted into barrel end).  I have used Winchester ER and they were good but kind of expensive when I don't necessarily need the added range, I shoot 30 yds.  Does anyone have a suggestion as to a better commercially available shell?  I know cost is relative because I already shoot Ray's shells in 2 other guns.
 
Jim

[allaboutshooting]

Hey Jim,

I have shot a lot of the 3" Federal Mag-Shok shells with both 1.75 oz. and 2 oz. of #6 shot but none of the 2.75" shells.

It sounds like your gun has a full choke, according to your description.

I have found that the 3" lead shells do pretty well through a full choke, especially at the ranges your intending to shoot. I would think the 2.75" would pattern quite well at those ranges too but again, I have no personal experience with them.

I would really "deep clean' that barrel before you try them. Those wads seem to respond better to clean barrels, at least to start. You can find some guidelines at http://www.allaboutshooting.com in the article "Cleaning a Shotgun Barrel".

You may also want to try the 2.75" Winchester turkey loads. They make a variety of shells with different payloads. I'd recommend that you stick to the #6 shot with your gun. It should flow better than the larger sizes.

I hope that helps some.

Thanks,
Clark

[hunterjim]

Thanks Clark,  I will get to shoot the gun in the AM.  Most recently I tried some Winchester Elite in 5 shot and the gun didn't like them at all.  It was good with Winchester Elite ER in 6 shot.  Still a couple of weeks to mess around until I can begin hunting in VA.
 
Thanks,
Jim