We are in Liguria for a few days, finally free to move, albeit with a certain logical attention, and we are commissioned by the editorial staff to examine the rifle cartridges for smoothbore. We immediately agree with the Cardi Armory in Pieve di Teco (IM - 0183/366641) for a visit: the area is very suitable for such solutions because boar hunting is the fulcrum of the hunting activity and the headquarters, at the end of the descending from Col di Nava, it easily gathers a crowd of loyalists from lower Piedmont and the Ligurian provinces of Imperia and Savona. The notoriety of the ballistic and mechanical knowledge of the owner, Gabriele Cardi, represents a guarantee and a safe haven to gain all sorts of suggestions, advice and anything else one finds to settle during a hunting season: specific knowledge, the courtesy and helpfulness of Gabriele and his lady ensure that the armory always has a certain number of customers present who may even pass by just for a greeting. When we asked to be able to dispose of some boxes of shotgun cartridges for smoothbore for photographic purposes, we were placed in front of twenty-two packs representing nine manufacturers: and fortunately that the Lady had confirmed to us shortly before that the greater percentage of hunters today is oriented towards rifled barrels… Maintaining such availability in a non-primary sector shows an uncommon professionalism and a considerable financial commitment, but customer care is a factor of utmost importance and satisfying their needs creates a fair return.
A first list of brands
We have just indicated above how nine brands are available: on a fluo orange jacket, sanglier obliges since the original saying noblesse obligation comes from the language of the French cousins, we arrange the different packages for the overall photo and then, gradually, we move on to highlight the various groups starting with the product of the United States of America, where they also use these fillers for game different from the local wild boar. The search for wide-ranging functionality for a single shotgun sets the soul Yankee to these choices: we cannot conceal our mental disdain by observing in some advertisements the silhouette of a moose hunted with a smoothbore, but equally we must confirm the ballistic validity of such cartridges.
The first brand in front of our Nikon's lens is the Federal with three different proposals starting with Premium which qualifies the high loading class and is immediately noticeable for the beige and orange colors of the box. The caliber is 12/76, therefore Magnum, and the charge is twelve buckshot and must therefore be used on game that is allowed to shoot with this solution, such as for example the batting fox; the tube is in garnet-colored plastic with a six-fold closure, the caseback in 16 mm brass-plated sheet metal, the trigger is reinforced. Moving on to the traditional Federal in the black and light blue box, we return to the 12/70 gauge: the tube, always garnet-colored and with a thin longitudinal streak that creates the counter-pressure channels, favoring detachment from the cartridge chamber, contains a special 1 oz ball. (28 g) sub-calibrated with conical, flat and perforated apex inserted into a shoe: these factors ensure a V / 0 of 1500 ft / sec (approximately 458 m / sec) and a more than adequate precision with significant energy transfer; the company indicates as the best solution the use of spoked rods along their entire length.
A 20/76 caliber of the band closes the Federal series Premium (photo 9505) with the well-known under-calibrated ball Hydra Shok HP® 5/8 oz (17,5 g) guaranteeing a very high speed: even if not expressly indicated, these bullets under-calibrated and with shoe they give their best with spoked rods.
from Winchester we also have three proposals, all under the aegis of the series Super x which underlies high-level performance for the care in materials and loading that is carried out in the USA. Here the differentiation is entrusted to the caliber while the use of the bullet is a constant Foster from the well-known inverted bell shape with inclined external grooves, which favor the passage even in choked barrels.
It starts with a 12/70 that pushes the 1 ounce bullet at the beautiful V / 0 of 1600 ft / sec (488 m / sec) and continues with a 20/70 where the ¾ ounce bullet ((21 g) is always pushed to the same V / 0 as that of the higher caliber. Curious then the loading in the small .410 (not Mag.) Which we can adequately name as 36 where the case is 2½ "(63,5 mm) long, the bullet has a mass of 1/5 of an ounce (5,6 g) and is accelerated to 1830 ft / sec (558 mt / sec). It is perhaps not the case to try our luck with a wild boar but, always curious to keep in mind the success of coppiole, we remember the guard of a reserve who many years ago, having prepared a suitable bait, had succeeded with a shotgun of this caliber and dry-shot cartridges to coppiola on the foxes.
La Remington offers a varied range of bullet loads for smoothbore: the one in 12 gauge with traditional 70 mm case and bullet is the most popular sluggers® (in the USA the smooth barrel is called slug) from 1 ounce (28 g) with the peculiar design of the House of Ilion that combines good qualities of external ballistics and remarkably marked for the terminal one: the ogive has a tapered profile and a dimple is obtained in the apex that facilitates expansion. The package shows the trajectory diagram which foresees a drop of 1,9 - 4,6 - 9,0 inches respectively at 50, 75 and 100 meters (4,8 - 11,7 - 22,7 cm); these bullets too can be fired in choked barrels, but the best performances in terms of precision are obtained in spoked barrels or, at least, with chokes equipped with this technical device.
Rottweil® it has always been a brand of extreme reliability, perhaps with a slightly high price, but you pay for quality and here there is everything. Let's look at the cartridge first Extra Line - Exact, in the traditional pack of ten pieces: the caliber is 12/70, the ball weighing 32 g (1 and 1/8 oz) has an apical shape with rolling and tapered conical fins. The precision is very high and is highlighted by an embossing on the front of the package where a wild boar is represented running with a circular target at the topical point of the shoulder. Added as a novelty, highlighted by a clearly visible red band (photo 9517), the cartridge of the same series, but in 20/76 caliber with identical bullet in shape and weight of 26 g (15/16 oz). A close-up of the cartridges in the two calibers highlights the particular shape of this bullet which, to tell the truth, resembles something known.
Brenneke for many years it was par excellence the designation of the dry bullet for smooth barrel: in fact for a long time this and the Stendebach were the reference points in the sector supplying loose bullets to manufacturers for their loading. For some years Brenneke has successfully undertaken the construction of cartridges, both for rifled and smoothbore, at the same time expanding the research on the single bullet. We have three examples in 12/70 and 20/76 gauges. Let's start with the recent Ruby Sabot(photo 9520) equipped with a cylindrical ball with inclined fins and slightly raised apex with a dimple placed in the red plastic base. The weight of the ball is equal to 28 g (432 gr): therefore a lot is played on speed, penetration and energy transfer. In the 12/70 caliber the Classic reassures lovers of tradition: the well-known 32 g bullet has a tail-screwed tail wad on which the energy of the charge insists, but the mass is placed in front favoring directionality: it can be compared to a car with front-wheel drive. Another Brenneke proposal with the 20/76 caliber cartridge Super Magnums Equally equipped with the traditional bullet which, among other things, has the advantage of being able to be used also in barrels with choke.
Sauvestre is a brand of the French Thifan Industrie that has gained well-deserved notoriety with the technology of its named bullet Balle Fleche: we remember how its appearance a few decades ago had quite intrigued the world of wild boar hunters. The vaguely hourglass shape, the reduced mass compared to the traditional weight of 32 g and then again the insertion in a shoe they had agitated the sector quite a bit. There are two proposals here, both in 12/70 caliber with a standard loading and another mini magnum for shotguns that have passed the forced test: the peculiarities are listed on the back of the packs, highlighting the marked speed combined with the trajectory tension and precision. , followed by a considerable stopping power and reduced devastation of the rake, the use in smooth or radius rods with or without bottlenecks; and again the low recoil favorable to the repetition of the shot and, last but not least, the low propensity to side rebounds, the major penalty of the dry ball in the smooth barrel. The tip of the ball is slightly differentiated between the normal cartridge and the mini magnum.
Diamond di Forlì is a well-known company for the import and distribution of many brands in the arms sector. His AX loading for dry shot cartridges sees the Bullet wad that will remind most of the ball invented by the Gualandi company: an all-Italian excellence that from its appearance had amazed fans for its precision and injuries ensured not only by the shape and the wad with shock-absorbing bearings against water hammer, but also by the composition of the alloy from which it is obtained. The company recommends not to use it with grooved chokes that would affect the optimal precision characteristics ensured by the peculiar shape.
La Bows di Lecco offers different solutions for single-shot smooth-bore cartridges and one of the recent ones for the 12/70 caliber is the Performance Slug composed of 70 mm case with synthetic tube, 27 mm brass-plated caseback, the excellent 32 g Gualandi bullet. This solution allows it to be used on even choked barrels, and thanks to the use of top components, it provides a precision that is difficult to match and excellent energy transfer: in short, it represents a highly satisfying choice. From the series Nova Slugs cheaper, but not less satisfying, we examined a 20/70 caliber, with a 16 mm caseback, always with the Gualandi ball, obviously 26 g here: some details change between the two lines, but the substance always remains the high-level one that the Lecco company has accustomed us to.
Baschieri & Pellagri is present in the availability of the Cardi armory with five varieties of bullet cartridges. The first three range from Red Shock Coated Slug in 12 gauge, equipped with a 70 mm case and a heavy 35,5 g bullet, an evolution of the original B&P bullet with ogive hollow points to encourage expansion upon impact; the lead surface undergoes a surface treatment that avoids splicing of the barrel. La Black Shock Coated Slug adopts a bullet with helical fins apex, also superficially treated to avoid lead deposits on the barrel walls, and the weight falls within the perfect 12/70 caliber standard with its 32 g. La B mounts the original B&P cylindrical bullet with small inclined surface fins and domed ogive with central hole: strong energy transfer and expansion of the bullet section; the weight here too, again by virtue of the 12/70 gauge, is 32 g. Let's leave the 12 gauge and move on to the 20/70 which is already very popular especially among those who suffer a little from the recoil and also the weight of the rifle to be supported for a whole day: but together with the 20 today the beautiful 16 gauge is making a comeback, an emblem of perfection as much as ballistic performance. Also for the rifles of these two calibers, B&P provides ammunition in the series of named charges Trill Shock Slugs. We first observe the 16 with the traditional 67 mm (2 and 5/8 ") case and the 26 g (15/16 oz.) Bullet, then moving on to the 20 with the 70 mm (2 and ¾") case and bullet. 24 g: both adopt the conical cylinder shape with the body equipped with thin inclined reliefs while the apex highlights the well-raised helical fins. For all these bullets the technical device of these reliefs is valid, which allows them to be used even in choked barrels: if you have the foresight to use them in cylindrical ones, the accuracy will be considerably increased.
To conclude
As we have been able to observe, the availability of rifle cartridges for smooth barrels ensures a careful and precise choice based on your convictions: the 12/70 caliber is the master, of course, considering the wide range of bullets. with different forms as well as weights; added the 16 gauge, true refinement, and then several proposals of the 20 gauge, now well stabilized in a field of hunters who have elected him as their hunting companion. The small 36-caliber cartridges can be used for purposes other than wild boar while reserving particular notes of enthusiasm.
Thanks again to Cardi of the homonymous armory who made this service possible. We remind you that the commercial activity is located in Pieve di Teco (IM) Tel. 0183 366641.