From our July/August 2025 Issue
Of the ammo companies that I received news releases and/or samples from through March, the following are the new loads—and some existing loads—that I feel deserve a serious look from wingshooters.
B&P USA
Italian ammunition maker Baschieri & Pellagri, which now has a production facility in Ozark, Missouri, has been selling B&P shotshells in the US for several years. I have shot many of the company's shells, especially its lead and steel hunting loads. While B&P has not introduced any new loads for 2025, the company has been very innovative in recent years.
For example, shooters looking to reduce shotshell litter, especially when it comes to plastic, should check out B&P’s line of target loads called NEXT. This line features a one-piece biodegradable wad column called Green Core in a variety of 12-gauge lead loads. Green Core wadding is also available in some B&P 12-gauge steel and lead hunting loads.
The Green Core wad column decomposes with exposure to bacteria found in the outdoors. As a bonus, it creates no micro-plastics. The Green Core wad is denser than water and will sink immediately to the bottom of any waterway. A couple of years ago I tested this wad for compostability and found it to be exactly as advertised.
B&P also has an extensive line of upland loads. The Heavy Pheasant line, for example, contains no fewer than six each 12- and 20-gauge loads of nickel-plated high-antimony lead shot at a variety of shot-charge weights and velocities. (All of the current competitive factory-load brands of nickel-plated lead contain low-antimony lead.) Another notable lead line is B&P’s Heavy Dove & Quail, which contains four 2¾” 12-gauge, two 20-gauge, two 28-gauge and three 2½” .410 loads in shot sizes No. 6, 7½, 8 and 9 at generally modest velocities. There is also a 2¾” 12-gauge 1-oz load of steel No. 7s at 1,375 fps. Wadding in all of these loads is traditional one-piece plastic.
For more information, visit baschieri-pellagriusa.com.
Federal
For 2025 Federal Ammunition has launched its all-new Premium Upland Paper line. The line features Federal's famous wax-paper hulls and extra-hard, copper-plated lead shot that will provide improved lethality and more-consistent patterns at longer upland bird ranges. At this point there are 2¾” 12- and 20-gauge options in shot sizes No. 4, 5 and 6. An additional benefit of paper hulls is that they are biodegradable, which is especially attractive to preserve-ground and other property owners looking to eliminate the litter of plastic hulls. In my opinion Federal should now consider adding a full fiber wad column to its paper hulls in its Premium Upland Paper line. This would really appeal to preserve operators.
It should be noted that this year Federal has also increased its leadership in providing more biodegradable components in hunting shotshells by offering two Hi Bird 2¾” 12-gauge loads in No. 4 and 6 lead shot with cellulose-based overpowder wads, to reduce plastic-wad litter in the field.
For 2025 Federal's Black Cloud Saturn-shaped steel shotshell line will be offered in two 2¾” 16-gauge loads containing No. 2 and 4 shot. These loads plus all Black Cloud FS steel loads use Federal's Flitecontrol Flex wad, which is a more-flexible wad designed to pass through both ported and standard chokes without hanging up like the now-discontinued stiffer-plastic Flitecontrol wad did.
For more information, visit federalpremium.com.
Gamebore US
An important “Euro” shotshell company that has set up shop in the US is British company Gamebore. Gamebore has operated a headquarters in Forsyth, Georgia, for several years to import and distribute its ammunition to the North American market. Gamebore manufactures a wide variety of lead-shot target and hunting loads in various gauges and shell lengths. It also manufactures one steel-shot line.
In terms of hunting loads, Black Gold Dark Storm is a 2¾” 12-gauge line of 1¼-, 1-1/8- and 1-ounce lead loads containing shot sizes No. 5 or 6 at 1,280 fps to 1,340 fps. The loads feature Gamebore's Diamond Shot, which contains 5% antimony and is unique in that it is graded and sorted five times for sphericity and trueness to size to provide the most uniform, high-quality lead shot possible. This line contains a fiber wad column with an overpowder wad called Quad Seal, which is fully degradable and water soluble. The loads have plastic hulls with nickel-plated steel heads. This is a line that shooting preserves may be interested in to reduce plastic-wad litter.
Hunters looking for a 2½” 12-gauge lead load with an all-fiber wad column and paper hull should check out the Regal Game line. Three shot-charge weights are offered—1 - 1/8, 1 - 1/16 and 1 ounce—at the modest velocity of 1,250 fps. The 1 - 1/16-oz load is available in No. 5s or 6s in either a plastic or paper hull; the 1 - 1/8-oz load is available in No. 5s or 6s in a plastic hull and in No. 5s in a paper hull; and the 1-oz load is available in No. 6s or 7s in a plastic hull. All are loaded with Diamond Shot.
Gamebore also loads a 2½” 16-gauge lead load called the Regal Game with No. 6 or 7½ Diamond Shot. This load features a fiber wad column but in a plastic hull with a 1-oz payload at 1,250 fps.
Gamebore’s 2¾” 20-gauge hunting load is called Black Gold Game. Loaded in a plastic hull and again with an all-fiber wad column, it is available in a 1 - 1/16- or 1-oz load of No. 5 or 6 Diamond Shot. Both loads travel 1,250 fps.
Gamebore offers one nontoxic line called Super Steel. This contains one 2¾” 12-gauge steel load of No. 3s, 4s or 5s. Super Steel loads have 1 - 1/8-oz payloads traveling at 1,210 fps. While Gamebore proudly makes its own Diamond Shot, like all other shotshell manufacturers, it purchases its steel pellets from a ball manufacturer. Gamebore warns that while its loads of steel No. 4s and 5s conform to CIP Standard Performance Specs, its steel No. 3 load is harder on chokes and meets only CIP High Performance Specs. I commend Gamebore for not trying to trick up its steel loads with unnecessary ultra-high velocities—a practice that is common now with US and various European steel-shotshell manufacturers. Super steel should be a very-modest-recoiling load to shoot even in light doubles.
For more information, visit gameboreus.com (Note: Be sure to use gameboreus.com and not gamebore.com, or you won't get the correct US charge-weight and velocity listings for the loads being imported.)
HEVI-Shot
Counting every load and shot size introduced by HEVI-Shot for 2025, there are a whopping 35 new shotshell options. Those that I think are most important are as follows.
HEVI-Bismuth will now be offered in seven 2¾” 16- and 3” 28-gauge loads in sizes No. 3, 4 and 5 shot. The word “HEVI” does not designate that these are heavier than standard bismuth pellets. HEVI-Bismuth pellets are just regular 9.6-g/cc bismuth shot with the trade name “HEVI” added. They do have a high tin content at 5% to 6%. HEVI-Bismuth pellets, like Federal's Black Cloud Pellets, are launched in Federal's Flitecontrol Flex wad. Bismuth shot has become the darling nontoxic-pellet choice for those with shotguns and chokes believed to be unable to handle hard nontoxic shot types.
HEVI-Shot also has expanded its extensive HEVI-XXII tungsten-composite-load lineup by adding a 3” 20-gauge waterfowl load with No. 2 pellets traveling at 1,350 fps. (HEVI-XII is HEVI-Shot's relatively new name for its longstanding HEVI-Shot 12-g/cc tungsten-composite-pellet line. So if you want the original, now look for it rebranded as HEVI-XII.) This is a sub-gauge goose load for medium-size geese like snows and whitefronts. It also should be noted that there is an increasing attraction among shotgun hunters, especially as they age, to shoot sub-gauges loaded with nontoxic shot rather than much-heavier-recoiling 10- and 12-gauges.
For more information, visit hevishot.com
Kent Cartridge
New for Kent is the commencement of loading 28-gauge and .410 shotshells. This year Kent has introduced a 3” 28-gauge 1 - 1/16-oz load of No. 4 or 5 bismuth shot at 1,350 fps. A 3” .410, 9/16-oz load of bismuth No. 4s or 5s at 1,150 fps has been added as well. Bismuth loads in the small bores have been scarce to absent for too long. Congrats, Kent.
Further to its small-gauge market entry, Kent has added a 2¾” 28-gauge 7/8-oz load of lead No. 6s or 7½s at 1,300 fps and a 2¾” .410 1-1/16-oz load of No. 6s or 7½s at 1,150 fps to its Ultimate FastLead line.I look forward to testing the new bismuth and lead 28 and .410 loads when loading is completed.
Newly introduced Fasteel+ Bayou Blend is a 3” 12-gauge 1 - 3/8-oz duplex load that blends plated steel shot sizes No. 2 and 4 and has a velocity of 1,300 fps. It comes in 100-round packaging.
TealSteel is a 2¾” 12-gauge 1¼-oz load of unplated steel pellets in sizes No. 5 or 6 at 1,300 fps. I have not had the chance to test either Fasteel+ Bayou Blend or TealSteel, but in the past I have shot many rounds of Kent 12-gauge steel loads at waterfowl. My compliments to Kent on the very reasonable 1,300-fps velocities of these two new loads, as anything much faster in steel is ineffectual ballistically and increases recoil unnecessarily.
For more information, visit kentcartridge.com.
To consult with Tom Roster or to order his new Advanced Lead & Bismuth Shot Handloading Manual, his current HEVI-Shot and HW-13 Manual, or custom loading data, contact Tom Roster, 1190 Lynnewood Blvd., Klamath Falls, OR 97601; 541-884-2974; tomroster@charter.net.
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