Fiocchi Premium Target 20ga 8 Shot 7/8 oz – Superb 25 Round Box

Description

Fiocchi Premium Target 20ga 8 Shot is the 20 gauge version of the shell Fiocchi built for competition clay shooters. The 2 3/4 inch hull carries 7/8 ounce of hardened lead number 8 at 1200 fps. Fiocchi manufactures its own hulls, primers, wads and shot in Italy, and that vertical integration is a large part of why the Premium Target line patterns as consistently as it does. Twenty five rounds to the box.

• What Makes a Competition Shell
• Fiocchi Premium Target 20ga 8 Shot Specifications
• Honest Notes on Target Loads

What Makes a Competition Shell

The difference between a competition shell and a promotional one comes down to three things: shot hardness, wad design and lot to lot consistency. Hard shot with a high antimony content deforms less as it is squeezed through the forcing cone and choke, and round pellets fly true while deformed ones fly off the edge of the pattern. That is the whole mechanism by which a better shell breaks more targets.

Fiocchi makes its own components rather than buying them in, which matters more than it sounds. Hull dimensions, wad fit, primer brisance and powder lot all interact, and a manufacturer that controls all of them can hold tighter tolerances across a production run. For a 20 gauge target load where you only have 7/8 ounce of shot to work with, that consistency is worth paying for.

Number 8 is the natural size for a 20 gauge clay shell. Pellet count is the constraint in a small bore, and going to a larger size thins the pattern faster than the extra energy helps. For skeet, close sporting presentations and general practice, this combination is exactly right.

Fiocchi Premium Target 20ga 8 Shot Specifications

This is a standard 2 3/4 inch shell suitable for any 20 gauge chambered 2 3/4 inch or longer. Fiocchi hulls reload well and are worth keeping if you load your own, though 20 gauge components are less widely stocked than 12.

• Line: Fiocchi Premium Target
• Gauge: 20 gauge
• Shell length: 2 3/4 inches
• Payload: 7/8 ounce of hardened lead shot
• Shot size: number 8
• Muzzle velocity: 1200 fps
• Quantity: 25 rounds per box
• UPC: 762344701004
• Manufacturer: Fiocchi, Italy
• Primary use: skeet, sporting clays and target practice

Honest Notes on Target Loads

Match the shot size to the discipline. Number 8 is a skeet and close sporting size. If you shoot longer sporting presentations or 20 gauge trap, number 7.5 carries better and is the more sensible choice. Buying Fiocchi Premium Target 20ga 8 Shot for long crossers is a false economy no matter how well it patterns up close.

The 20 gauge is less forgiving than a 12 and it is worth knowing that going in. A 7/8 ounce charge simply contains fewer pellets, so your pattern has less margin for a lead that is slightly off. Most people who move down a gauge shoot better anyway because the recoil stops fighting them, but the gun is not doing more of the work.

Lead shot restrictions apply on a growing number of public ranges. Private skeet and sporting clubs almost universally permit lead and reclaim it, but confirm before travelling somewhere new with a case.

On price, competition shells cost more than promotional target loads and for a casual shooter the difference in broken targets is small. If you shoot registered events or high volume practice, the pattern consistency justifies it. If you shoot fifty targets a month, it probably does not.

We also stock the same shell in number 9 shot for very close targets, and the Stars and Stripes 20 gauge target load is the budget alternative. Fiocchi publishes its catalogue on the Fiocchi USA website.

Fiocchi Premium Target 20ga 8 Shot suits skeet shooters, sporting clays regulars, youth and smaller framed shooters and anyone running a 20 gauge target gun. MAG5 Firearms is a family owned FFL in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Boxes ship where state and local law allows.