Federal Raptor Steel 12ga 3in 3 Shot 1-3/8 oz – Proven 25 Round Box

Description

Federal Raptor Steel 12ga 3in 3 Shot is one of the loads Federal built in collaboration with choke maker Rob Roberts, matching payload weight and velocity to the constriction of his Raptor Series tubes. This 3 inch hull carries 1 3/8 ounces of number 3 steel shot at 1400 fps, and comes twenty five to the box rather than the usual ten or twenty five count split you see in premium waterfowl ammunition.

• What the Rob Roberts Collaboration Actually Changes
• Federal Raptor Steel 12ga 3in 3 Shot Specifications
• Honest Notes on Steel Shot

What the Rob Roberts Collaboration Actually Changes

Choke and load are a system, and most shooters treat them as separate purchases. Rob Roberts Raptor Steel was designed the other way round: Federal selected shot count, payload weight and velocity specifically to pattern through Raptor Series constrictions, using Federal high performance primers and clean burning propellant. If you already run those chokes, the pairing is the point of the product.

If you do not run Raptor chokes, this is still a well made 12 gauge steel waterfowl load. Number 3 steel at 1400 fps sits in the practical middle of the duck world, heavy enough for big mallards and pintails over decoys and dense enough in the pattern to be forgiving on a crossing bird. Steel needs roughly two shot sizes larger than lead for equivalent effect, so number 3 steel behaves roughly like number 5 lead.

Velocity is worth a comment. 1400 fps is fast but not extreme, and that is deliberate. Pushing steel much faster tends to open patterns and increase felt recoil without adding much lethality, so a moderate velocity with a heavier payload usually puts more pellets in the bird. That is the reasoning behind this particular recipe.

Federal Raptor Steel 12ga 3in 3 Shot Specifications

Steel shot is non toxic and legal for waterfowl everywhere in the United States. Federal loads this in a 3 inch hull, which every modern 3 inch chambered 12 gauge will handle. Confirm your barrel is rated for steel before shooting it through an older gun.

• Manufacturer part number: RRS138 3
• Gauge: 12 gauge
• Shell length: 3 inches
• Shot size: number 3
• Payload: 1 3/8 ounces of steel shot
• Muzzle velocity: 1400 fps
• Shot material: steel, non toxic
• Quantity: 25 rounds per box
• UPC: 604544707878
• Designed for: Rob Roberts Raptor Series chokes

Honest Notes on Steel Shot

Old barrels and steel do not mix. Fixed choke guns made before the 1980s, and many older full choke barrels, were never proofed for steel shot, which is far harder than lead and does not deform as it passes the constriction. Firing Federal Raptor Steel 12ga 3in 3 Shot through one risks bulging or ringing the barrel. If your gun is old or you are unsure, have a gunsmith confirm before you shoot steel through it.

Choke selection matters more with steel than with lead. Because the pellets do not deform, steel patterns tighter than lead through the same constriction. A modified choke with steel often patterns like a full choke with lead. Starting with improved cylinder or modified for decoying birds is usually the right call, and the whole reason the Raptor tubes exist is to give a predictable answer to this problem.

Pattern your gun before the season. This sounds obvious and almost nobody does it. Forty yards, a large sheet of paper, three shots, count the pellets in a thirty inch circle. Every gun and choke combination behaves differently, and one afternoon of patterning will do more for your hit rate than any change of ammunition.

Finally, recoil. 1 3/8 ounces at 1400 fps out of a 3 inch hull is a meaningful push, particularly from a light autoloader or a pump. Over a long morning it adds up. If you are recoil sensitive or shooting a youth gun, a 2 3/4 inch load or a lighter payload will keep you shooting well later in the day, and a shooter who is not flinching kills more ducks than one shooting the heaviest shell available.

For a faster, lighter payload we also stock 3 inch steel waterfowl at 1500 fps in number 2, and a stacked 2 and 4 shot 3 inch load for mixed bags. Full factory data is on the Federal Premium product page.

Federal Raptor Steel 12ga 3in 3 Shot suits duck and goose hunters running 3 inch 12 gauge autoloaders and pumps, and it is the obvious choice if you already shoot Raptor Series chokes. MAG5 Firearms is a family owned FFL in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Boxes ship where state and local law allows.