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American shooters with British guns have long suffered from poor ammunition availablility for true 2 1/2" cases and appropriate loads.
Shotgun ammunition is one commodity available to British sportsmen in greater variety than it is to our American cousins. We are fortunate to have dozens of options for 12-bore cartridges in cases of 65mm, 67mm and 67.5mm, all of which are loaded below the 850 BAR pressures for which 2 1/2" chambered British game guns are tested. We also have similarly loaded 16-bore, 20-bore, 28-bore and .410 options.
12-bore, being the most popular, is blessed with the widest range. We can buy 65mm-cased cartridges with 21 gram, 24 gram, 28 gram, 30 gram and 32 gram loads of shot from No.8 to No.3 in size without undue difficulty. Companies like Eley, Gamebore, Hull and Express all offer good options, with fibre wads (we hate littering) for everything from clay target practice to wildfowling.
Since RST, the premier US supplier of this class of ammunition, ran low on components, following the COVID Pandemic, American shooters have struggled to find a replacement supply. However, there is a light at the end of this particular tunnel and it comes from England in the form of Gamebore 'Regal' shotgun ammunition.
The Southern Side-by-Side Championship is the best showcase for traditional side-by-side enthusiasts and their guns still operating in the United States. It is now in its 26th year at Deep River in Sanford North Carolina. Visitors are always treated to a great display of beautiful British and American guns from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of our best gunmakers and dealers make the trip and display their wares, and the shooting competitions are well laid out-and serviced.
This year, Deep River has again made efforts to import and secure some of the best vintage gun ammunition available in the UK so that visitors can stock up on supplies and continue to make best use of their classics. They will be offering three gauges of Gamebore cartidges, all of them made to suit vintage British game guns.
Gamebore Regal is the default cartridge we use here at Vintage Guns for all our game shooting. If you come and shoot with us, these are probably the cartridges you will be given to use.
Deep River has stocks of Gamebore Regal 12-bore loaded with 1 oz (28 grams) of No.7.5 shot and pushed at a traditional 1200 fps. This is the kind of cartridge most British game guns were built for. In addition, the equivalent Gamebore cartridge for 16-bore and 20-bore is being suplied. The 16-bore is a 1oz, No.7.5 shot and the 20-bore is a 7/8 oz, also in No.7.5 shot.
Prices for all three gauges are the same at $180.00 per flat (250 cartridges). If you shoot vintage British guns, you can't do better than these loads, so go and buy some before President Trump slaps a tarriff on them!
We are often asked about sources for good ammunition in the US - well, here is all you need to know. Go and enjoy the experience of the Southern Side-by-Side Championship if you have never been, and pick up a year's supply of the best ammo you will ever have the chance of getting on your side of the pond.
Published by Vintage Guns Ltd on (modified )
