Black Cloud

[FrontenacPike]

Hey guys I've been reading all the hype about the new shot, black cloud. Has anyone patterned it out and have any opinions on it. With the price they are asking, its just hard paying $25 a box for steel.

I read a short blip about a guy who tried patterning it, and he had the best luck using a IC choke. He also said shot around 30 yards 80% of the pellets patterned perfect, but any yardage below that and its like shooting a softball at em even with the IC choke. He also shot a chicken and he said that if you planned on mounting your bird, don't bring the Black shot to the party, cause it did a number on the bird.

I don't want to take advice from just one person (expecially a chicken killer), and was hoping you guys would have some opinions on the latest duck craze.

[ChuckN]

A friend told me that he was extremely impressed with this load from last weekend's goose opener. He said it is a very powerful load. I don't know about the pattern though, just sharing what I heard..

[HunterLee]

I got to try two shells out this morning on a loner. It kicks harder than the 3.5 in BBB's and T's i shot earlier this weekend. I have a box of 3.5 BB's. It took out the loner no problem, but i didnt get to see much for holes being i hit him in the neck head. It pushes 1.5 at 1500 fps, my other loads were 1550 at 1 3/8. It was a very noticeable difference in recoil, but i think its good stuff. I might get to try it out tommorow morning if all goes good.

[Benny]

Can't say if it kills the birds any better, but you don't want to shoot it through any of the choke tubes designed to slow a wad down like a Patternmaster.

The little air foils that pop out on the BC wad will rip off all together when fired through a wad slowing choke tube causing the BC wad to act like a slug or will tumble and spread shot every where but at the target.

I talked to the Federal rep out at the Game fair plus a friend of mine talked to Patternmast and they both had the same thing to say about the BC through the wad slowing chokes.

Benny

[deadfeathers]

I patterned 1 1/4 ounce 2 shot Black Cloud with the same size Kent FastSteel thru my Remington 870 with a Mod. choke.

i shot at an 18 inch diameter circle from 30 yards. After numerous shots, I found that the black cloud had an average of 20 to 25 more holes inside the circle, and the shot holes in the paper were noticeably larger. SO I agree, just with the size of the shot holes alone, that this load will do a number on a duck. I still liked the way the Kent performed, and at $120 for a case of 25 boxes compared to $190 for the BC I guess if you can afford it it's a great load.Take it for what it's worth.

[oilguy]

we observed clumping in the pattern with them with 2 different invector chokes and decided not to use them

[mille lacs muskie bum]

i used it this last weekend. it wouldnt cycle good through my gun. it would shoot once or twice and then the next shell wouldnt fire. i switched to winchesters and it shot fine. the one bird i hit with the black cloud ripped it apart. I only used three so far.

[riversmallmouth35]

I used a half a box and did not like them. They kept jamming in my gun. I switched back to other federals and had no problem.

[folke2000]

What type of gun are they jamming in?

[surewood]

I never had any jamming problems with mine. My brother and me had six come in and six go down. I was using BBB BC and he had bb winchester xpert. You could easily tell the difference. My BC's did a number on the geese and put them down fast. The first of the three I shot which was the closest got hit hard and it cut the front of the bird in half. Which is a problem when it came to getting some meat off the bird. I've never seen such damage but definately better for girds beyond twenty to twenty five yards out.

[Huntin&Fishin]

They say #2 is spose to make a hole like BB

[ec30_06]

I tried some goose hunting on sat. evening. I am not sure if they did not pattern well or what, But I had poor luck with them. I gave a few to my buddies and they were going to try patterning them out of their guns this week. On a side note, I switched back to hevi-steel B's and limited out by 9 on sunday morning.

[Huntin&Fishin]

Tell us how they patern, They are on sale at Dick's sporting goods.

[monstermoose78]

They worked good for me as said its a tight patern within 25 yards

[riversmallmouth35]

I was using a mossberg 500 that they were jamming in.

[Bryce]

Shot some for the first time yesterday. Not much activity through the decoys between thunderstorms. Only got off two shots. 3 1/2" BBB through a SBE II. No jamming. The round was a bit of over kill for the mallard I got but we were set up for geese. Roughly a 35-40 yard shot. Absolutely destroyed the bird. Complete pass through both breasts and breastplate. Was hoping to find some shot but not a single pellet left. Even cut into the wing muscles where pellets usually lodge. Will definitely buy more.