Cartridges for Skeet

Vic Harker chooses super quality cartridges for a great game

There are two reasons for looking at some Skeet cartridges this month. Firstly, the British Open Skeet Championship is being held at Southern Counties SG so it’s timely. Secondly, I can’t remember when we last reviewed some ammunition for what I and thousands of other shooters think is a great game.

I began clay shooting on Skeet targets. Why? Well, as a beginner wanting to improve my game shooting, Skeet provided targets that had all the angles but, unlike Sporting, were always the same and so I could accurately measure my progress. Skeet champions, like all top shooters, want the best ammunition they can find, so here are three examples.

Hull Cartridge Sovereign

The famous northern manufacturer sponsors a whole clutch of Skeet shooters including Clive Bramley, who has represented GB at Olympic Skeet on a number of occasions, and Michael Gilligan, who recently won the silver medal at the ISSF World Cup in Acapulco. Competition at this level is won by the smallest of margins and competitors like Gilligan leave nothing to chance. This is why he uses ammunition from Hull Cartridge Company, which adopts the same philosophy in both its standards of production and specifications. Once again it would seem a top-quality performance equates with top-quality ammunition, as Hull Cartridge shooters using their Sovereign loads at every level of competition continue to demonstrate.

Load: 24g, 28g

Shot sizes: 24g: 7, 7 1/2, 8 & 9. 28g: 6 1/2, 7, 8 & 9.

Case length: 2 3/4 - 70mm

Price: 24g plastic £223. 28g plastic £236 per 1,000.

Eley VIP

Eley cartridges found their way into the guns of Skeet champions from the beginnings of the sport in the UK, where it came to from America. From the great Joe Wheater, Dave Seabrook, Wally Sykes and Barry Simpson – all winners of the British Open – today the company’s VIP Skeet load maintains that tradition of quality and success. In the 28g version for the domestic game or 24g for the Olympic discipline, whatever VIP stands for, the pattern plate reveals very impressive results.

Load: 24g, 28g

Shot sizes: 24g: 9. 28g: 9.

Case length: 2 3/4 - 70mm

Price: 24g plastic £223. 28g plastic £235 per 1,000.

Gamebore Black Gold F2

Shotgun shooting phenomenon George Digweed, winner of the British Open in 1991, cut his competitive teeth on Skeet shooting before switching to Sporting. His cartridge of choice is Gamebore’s premier load Black Gold. Incorporating the famous B&P Gordon Recoil Reduction System, this cartridge, in 28g or 24g, reduces recovery time between the first and second shot by a considerable margin and provides the perfect recipe for the Olympic shooter in Skeet doubles.

Load: 24g, 28g

Shot sizes: 24g: 7 1/2. 28g plastic: 6 1/2, 7 1/2 & 8. 28g fibre: 7 1/2 & 8.

Case length: 2 3/4 - 70mm

Price: 24g plastic £221. 28g plastic £230 per 1,000.

Words and pictures: Vic Harker

Please note: prices correct at time of publication but may have since changed.