Pass Along RJ
September 2011

For the past several years, waterfowlers have had a new weapon on the market with which to take on the migratory hordes:  Federal launched its Premium Black Cloud line of shotshells as an affordable alternative to some of the more expensive no-tox ammunition on the market, and it has passed the test with hunters nationwide. 

What makes Black Cloud unique are the Flitestopper shot and Flitecontrol wad.  The steel Flitestoppers are not circular, and the center has a cutting edge around it. Each shell contains 40 percent Flitestopper and 60 percent premium steel to prevent flaring and produce the best pattern.  The pattened Flitecontrol wad stays with the pattern longer than traditional wads out of the barrel, so the patterns are tighter for a little farther than what you may be used to.  And this wadding protects barrels rated for steel shot, so that protruding edge around each Flitestopper pellet will not harm the barrel.

I shot one ounce of Black Cloud No. 3, 2 3/4" out of my double for the better part of the 2010 season, which included a week in Saskatchewan early on, to mallards and goldeneyes in Michigan late in November.  The stuff worked, plain and simple. 

Like so many other loads these days, the name of the game is velocity, and the light weight of steel allows for Black Cloud loads to be fired at high velocities, a factor I believe each year helps contribute more to a hunter's annual duck harvest than anything else.  Face it: Most of us miss behind, and a faster load helps make up for that.  

Flitestopper shot traveling at 1450 fps to 1635 fps (the smaller the payload, the faster it gets there) create impressive results at normal steel ranges.  And it is a much better long range load than any other steel shot I've tried.  I don't make a habit of shooting past 35 yards due in part that I rarely hit anything beyond that range, but on several occasions I downed birds (without losing any) at ranges up to 45 yards. The most impressive display for me of what this shot can do was shooting goldeneyes over a couple days late last season.  Fat and heavily feathered, they are notoriously hard to kill; I not only had no cripples, but I was hitting birds with several more shot than normal.

I did not try these shells on pheasants, but I see no reason why they wouldn’t be a boon to hunters on no-tox only public lands.

I typically shoot 1 1/4 oz loads, sometimes 1 1/8 oz, but my overall feeling throughout last season was that Black Cloud No. 3 is as good as anything on the market for a decoying load.  Federal also offers Black Cloud Snow Goose in No. 2 and BB, moving at 1635 fps, and new this year could be the perfect load for shooting over decoys, 3" No. 2's and 4's moving at the same 1635 fps. Be sure to try it--you won't be disappointed. Find out more at: www.federalpremium.com.

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