Best Shell for Skeet

[chuffer]

Good Afternoon,

Just starting skeet and using a Remington o/u and love it

What do you all suggest for shells?
I was using 2 3/8 #7.5 then tried 8 and liked them moire
What about these the price seems right

Sellier & Bellot 12 Ga Sport Clay Target Load 2-3/4″ #8​

 

[apexanimal]

The cheapest

 

[winchester12]

I have shot skeet for years. I use #9 shot. It gives you the most pellets for your money and more to hit the bird.

 

[25_Straight]

I always ran 9s, mainly ran STS and GunClub. Ran some AA over the years too, but my gun/choke combo loved it some STS.

Any shell is good, just spend sometime with choke and ammo combos, find what gives you confidence and let the breaks tell you what it likes.

 

[waldo54]

I shoot Federal Top gun, Winchester super target, Challenger, Clever, Score or whatever I can get the best price on 1 oz or 1 1/8 oz usually #8 shot, I shoot 8,000 + per year so cost is the main driver

 

[twiki]

I’m not a Skeet shooter, but whatever #9 is on sale.

 

[stubblejumper]

You are shooting a 12 gauge, so whichever #8 or #9 is cheapest, and that functions in your gun. Now if you were shooting 410, you might be a bit more fussy.

 

[phillyblt]

7.5s

 

[brybenn]

Double guns are the most forgiving for ammo. I like 7.5s in 12ga and 8s in 20ga. I avoid 9s as they can hit the target and punch a hole but not break the clay.
Lately I've preferred top gun shells

 

[Falconflyer]

AS most everyone else has already stated, use the cheapest shell you can find. The distances on the skeet field are not long so heavy target shot like #7.5 isn't needed and will work as well as # 8 or #9.
Also, 7/8 or 1 oz loads are ideal and 1 1/8 oz loads are not needed but may be the cheapest shells you can find.

 

[Clay Huntin' Canuck]

The o/u is a great gun because there aren't as fussy with ammo as semi's are.

I'd stick to #8 and 9's and more 9's if you can get them because if you want to start shooting competitions even small events some clubs have a shot size restrictions of #9 only.

 

[JohnnyPython]

The cheapest

This. It’s not the ammo or gun it’s the shooter.

 

[maynard]

I usually run Challenger light load #8 in 12 ga. for skeet and sporting clays. If I am shooting a 20 ga. Top Gun #8 is my go to. Both cost the same where I but my shells, $119/flat plus taxes.

 

[bdft]

Somewhere on Trapshooters.com they ran the math of the target speed vs the shot velocity and decided that the target was going so slow compared to the shot that it didn't matter what type of shells you were shooting. I have also seen the point made that unless you were shooting 100s most of the time and wanted to shoot 100s all the time then shot shell type didn't matter. That was trap but I imagine skeet would be much the same. Buy the cheapest shells you can buy and shoot lots.

 

[saskbooknut]

Skeet targets are close - maximum 21 yards. #9 gives the most pellets and has plenty of energy to break targets.
Using #7 1/2 is handicapping yourself.
Using 1145 fps loads will give less recoil.

 

[stubblejumper]

Skeet targets are close - maximum 21 yards. #9 gives the most pellets and has plenty of energy to break targets.
Using #7 1/2 is handicapping yourself.
Using 1145 fps loads will give less recoil.

I shoot primarily 28 gauge and 410, so I load #9 exclusively. I want every pellet that I can get , and #9 break targets just fine at skeet distances. Yes we do find an unbroken target with one hole in it now and then, but that happens with #7-1/2, and #8, as well as with #9.

 

[the spank]

For skeet I don't worry about shot size at all. 7.5/8/9 is all good, especially from a 12ga. Your longest shot on the field is 21 yards so any of those 3 will fill a pattern in plenty and more than enough energy to break a target.

 

[twiki]

Which, begs another question.
Why isn’t Challenger cheaper than Federal when they are ‘locally made’?

Are prices artificially equalized?

Or, does more expensive Canadian manufacturing eventually just end up costing the same as a US manufactured shell?

 

[waldo54]

Which, begs another question.
Why isn’t Challenger cheaper than Federal when they are ‘locally made’?

Are prices artificially equalized?

Or, does more expensive Canadian manufacturing eventually just end up costing the same as a US manufactured shell?

Raw materials cost, powder, primers and shot

 

[Falconflyer]

I shot in Arizona last spring and the club there was selling Nobel Sport Italia shells for 7 dollars a box which worked out to just under $10 bucks cdn at the time. For comparison AA shells were $12 usd at the same club and I'm not saying the Nobel's are a premium shell like the AA but they did seem to work just fine..
I've never seen those shells around here and I wonder why no one has brought them in, they'd sell like hotcakes for that price.