Phoenix Rising Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I have always shot Winchester feather lite. Went to three different Wall Marts no luck First time I have ever gone to Wal Mart and not find them So I got Federal Target load 2&3/4 8 shot 1&1/8 oz shot 1145 fps I know clubs can differ just wondered if this sounded basically ok thanks ahead of time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Houston # 35508 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 YEP!! Wal-Mart doesn't have any Winchester Target Loads around here either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Good all around load for just about everydangthing. Buy it in the 100 packs Cheers, LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rio Brazos Kid Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I have always shot Winchester feather lite. Went to three different Wall Marts no luck First time I have ever gone to Wal Mart and not find them So I got Federal Target load 2&3/4 8 shot 1&1/8 oz shot 1145 fps I know clubs can differ just wondered if this sounded basically ok thanks ahead of time Those loads are perfectly safe and legal to shoot in any SASS match. They do have one drawback, they kick like hell. If you have reloading equipment, I'll gladly assist you with load data that will essentually duplicate the FeatherLites. They can be loaded for about 1/2 the cost of new FeatherLite ammo. If you shoot CAS regularly, the savings will be significant. You will amortize the cost of a single stage MEC reloader in no time. RBK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Yep, Wal-Marts all over New Mexico area stopped carrying those Win AA12FL8 loads from 6 months to a year ago. Guess we just didn't buy enough. You CAN usually get them from Gamaliel, Recobs and Grafs. And probably more places. http://www.gamaliel.com/winchesteraa/winchester-2-12dr-26gram-8-980-fps.asp (a better deal - $75 a case currently) http://www.recobstargetshop.com/browse.cfm/4,621.html (a better deal - $75 a case currently, but out of stock now, too) http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/19290 (low stock, and $80 a case) Good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckshot Frank Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I shot the Federal bulk pack 12-gauge loads for awhile when I first started shooting CAS. I actually liked the heavier (than Featherlite) load and felt that it gave a slight advantage in taking down the poppers. My wife shot the Featherlites though, so I invested in a shotshell reloading press to save money. If my wife wasn't shooting the Featherlites, I probably would have stuck with the Federal bulk pack stuff from Wally World. As cheap as they are, reloading doesn't save enough to make it worthwhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connecticut Yankee Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I shot the Federal bulk pack 12-gauge loads for awhile when I first started shooting CAS. I actually liked the heavier (than Featherlite) load and felt that it gave a slight advantage in taking down the poppers. My wife shot the Featherlites though, so I invested in a shotshell reloading press to save money. If my wife wasn't shooting the Featherlites, I probably would have stuck with the Federal bulk pack stuff from Wally World. As cheap as they are, reloading doesn't save enough to make it worthwhile. Hi Pards I was at a shoot last weekend and was told by some of the shooters that they have discontinued the Featherlights and they have another one that is the same thing but under a different name but the some as featherlights. Load your own it is easirer and cheaper i started this year and should have done it a long time ago. Conn. Yankee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rio Brazos Kid Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi Pards I was at a shoot last weekend and was told by some of the shooters that they have discontinued the Featherlights and they have another one that is the same thing but under a different name but the some as featherlights. Load your own it is easirer and cheaper i started this year and should have done it a long time ago. Conn. Yankee This is true. The WAA12FL, (the original Featherlites), have been changed to WAAWL12FL8. They carry the AA WINLITE name, but are the same load. They are a 26Gm load, which translates to 15/16 oz.shot at 980 FPS. The big problem is that they are getting scarse at local stores, (for whatever reason), and their cost is around $8 or more plus tax per box, if you find any. An equivelent load can be handloaded for $5 or slightly less, and is a good savings. Yes, you can buy the El Cheapo 4 box packs at wally world, but those buggers are Field Loads, and kick like a mule, and because of Steel case heads, are prone to stick in shotguns without ejectors. If you want FeatherLites, you pay thru the nose for them. If your requirements are soft recoiling ammo, then reloading is the best way to go, using ONLY AA and / or STS hulls, which have brass caseheads and simply fall out of your chambers when the gun is opened and only extractors are in use. RBK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 The issue is the Winchester Low Recoil shotgun rounds where never labeled Feather Lites. People just started calling them that because of the Feather logo on the box. They are. . . . . Winchester Winlites Low Recoil AA12FL8 26 grams (.917 oz) of shot at Minimum Dram (980'/sec) http://www.winchester.com/products/shotshell-ammunition/winlite-low-recoil/low-recoil-low-noise-target-load/Pages/default.aspx ------------------ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Dog, SASS #20401 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 The urban myth rumor that Winchester has discontinued the Featherlites goes around here every six months or so and is decidedly NOT true. The source of said rumor I believe is that Wal Mart cannot get it's act together to keep them on the shelves on a consistent basis. Around here Wal Marts have never carried them (and I checked a bunch of them) until lately and spottedly. Think about it. Why would Winchester discontinue one of their best sellers and money makers? Answer: they wouldn't and they didn't. They did introduce the Winlite. It is not the Featherlite. Two different things, apples and oranges. But cowboys see the new shell being more widespread than the FLs and leap to the incorrect conclusion that one is supplanting the other and spread the rumor without any basis but supposition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Long Dog, Please explain to me how the Winlite and so called Feather Lites are different. They both carry the exact same product AA12FL8 designation. The name may have changed when the powder changed but they both have the same shot weight and velocity specs. This is a serious request for information. Cliff Hanger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rio Brazos Kid Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 The urban myth rumor that Winchester has discontinued the Featherlites goes around here every six months or so and is decidedly NOT true. The source of said rumor I believe is that Wal Mart cannot get it's act together to keep them on the shelves on a consistent basis. Around here Wal Marts have never carried them (and I checked a bunch of them) until lately and spottedly. Think about it. Why would Winchester discontinue one of their best sellers and money makers? Answer: they wouldn't and they didn't. They did introduce the Winlite. It is not the Featherlite. Two different things, apples and oranges. But cowboys see the new shell being more widespread than the FLs and leap to the incorrect conclusion that one is supplanting the other and spread the rumor without any basis but supposition. AAHH but Lone Dog, You are DEAD WRONG. Winchester's web site no longer lists ot even mentions their old Feathter Lite loads Their reduced Recoil/Reduced noise loads now are called WINLITE, carry the same Alpha/Numerical designation, have the same payload and state the same 980 FPS velocity. Same load, different name. Been around since 2008 !!!!! Get over it good buddy, you are dead wrong this time. Same song, just different title. You are right about one thing though. Wally World cannot get their S**T straight about it, but then what's new?? RBK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Dog, SASS #20401 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 All I know is the "Low Noise, Low Recoil" in the black box with the yellow feather are still on the shelf most times at Gander Mountain. This is the shell we have traditionally called the Featherlite. Not discontinued that I can see. The WinLite boxes I have seen are white with red edges and no feather anywhere. Haven't bought any but I heered these are ribbed hulls not smooth like the Featherlites. Somebody else said they have those silver colored aluminum or steel bases also. Apples and oranges. Far as I can see from availability, the old black box "Low Noise, Low Recoil" are still with us. Bought two flats at Gander just the other day. Real Featherlites, not WinLites. Winchester never referred to the Low Noise, Low Recoil shells as Featherlites. Shooters put that name on them. I thot I was wrong once but I was mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Smokepole #29248L Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Lone Dog, The shells are the same. The box has changed but the shells are identical and still carry the feather on them. I have a couple cases. They are not the ribbed variety, as those are the Super Sport load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangler Jones, SASS # 64178 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I bought a case of Winchester AA12FL8 at Bass Pro a few months back. While the case box is white, the individual boxes are the same 'ol black with gold feather which I've become accustomed to. I believe Lone Dog on this one. The code is fairly easy to translate: AA = Winchester AA hull 12 = guage FL = FEATHER LITE 8 = shot size Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rio Brazos Kid Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I bought a case of Winchester AA12FL8 at Bass Pro a few months back. While the case box is white, the individual boxes are the same 'ol black with gold feather which I've become accustomed to. I believe Lone Dog on this one. The code is fairly easy to translate: AA = Winchester AA hull 12 = guage FL = FEATHER LITE 8 = shot size Directly from the Winchester web site. As shown, one is prefixed as AA, while the other is prefixed WL. Pictures of each, (which I could not copy), show both shells as smooth red shells with a black feather image on the side of the hull. It did not show the box. It appears that the WinLite designation superceeds the AA designation. There is no doubt that a lot of the older stock exists on dealers shelves and in warehouses. It takes many months usually to clear older stock from circulation. Product Comparison AA12FL8 WL12FL8 SYMBOL OVERVIEW Gauge 12 12 Shot Category Low Recoil, Low Noise Target Load Low Recoil, Low Noise Target Load Length (in.) 2 3/4 2 3/4 Velocity fps @ 3 ft. 980 980 Oz. Shot 26 gm 26 gm Shot Size 8 Standard Sizes 8 8 RBK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Bill Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Winlite are ribbed and will not come out of a double barrel without help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Dog, SASS #20401 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 The WinLite boxes I have seen are not the same as the Low Noise Low Recoil Featherlites. I have always heard and Major Bill confirms the WinLites are cheaper ribbed hulls with the silver non-brass bases. They are nothing like the FLs and I do not believe they are replacing or were intended to replace the FLs. Yes the new FL case boxes are white but the 25 round individual boxes inside are still the same old familiar black box with the yellow feather Low Noise Low Recoil Featherlites. I just do not believe they have been discontinued. It would be folly for Winchester to do so. I will have to buy a box of those Win Lites and see what is inside. Pretty sure it won't be a smooth hull with a brass base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Mushman Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Winlite are ribbed and will not come out of a double barrel without help +10 the FL is the "Featherlite" with smooth plastic shell. The WL "WinLite" is the identical load, but in a ribbed plastic shell. Works great in 97 or 87, won't shuck in SxS, even most of those honed. Learned meownself the hard way... If you shoot a SxS, try the Rem STS managed recoil (RLSTS1285) when the FLs are not available (they reload longer, anyway). Harvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quick Draw Granpaw #48525 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Well, Wally World stock person was told to put out 1 case (10) boxes at a time. They don't know what's in the truck until they unload it. No way to tell if they will get anymore until the truck arrives. Info from both stores I checked last week were the same. QDG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 So I got Federal Target load 2&3/4 8 shot 1&1/8 oz shot 1145 fps I know clubs can differ just wondered if this sounded basically ok thanks ahead of time Howdy Getting back to the original question. The load in question is defined as a Light Target load. 2 3/4" 2 3/4 Drams 1 1/8 ounces of shot. Size of the shot can vary, usually #7 1/2 or #8. Modern manufacturers are getting away from printing the Dram Equivalency on the box, but that load traveling at 1145 fps is a 2 3/4 Dram load. Very standard load for Trap and Skeet shooting. These are NOT heavy recoiling loads, although shooting them in a coach gun may make them seem so. One more reason not to shoot a coach gun, in this cowboy's humble opinion, but that is beside the point. Dram Equivalency is simply a term defining the power of a Smokeless load by comparing it to the old Black Powder loads. There are 16 ounces to a pound and 16 drams to an ounce, so you can do the math of how many grains of Black Powder that equals if there are 7000 grains in a pound. A 2 3/4 Dram 1 1/8 ounce load is perfectly legal at any CAS club and will not damage targets. The loads usually carried in 4 packs by the big box stores are usually 2 3/4" 3 Dram loads with 1 1/8 ounces of shot. A 3 Dram load will kick considerably more than a 2 3/4 Dram load. I can shoot 2 3/4 Dram loads with 1 1/8 ounces of shot all day long when I shoot Trap, but of course I am not shooting a coach gun. I do not care for the recoil of a 3 Dram load in my Model 12. If possible, when buying shotshells always look to see if the box has the Dram Equivalency printed on the box. Unfortunately, these days you see it less and less. If you buy shells by the case, they usually still have the Dram Equivalency printed on the case. If the load is called out on the case as 2 3/4 - 2 3/4 - 1 1/8, the first number is the length of the shell, second number is the Dram Equivalent, and the third number is the weight of the shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgun Bandit Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Check these out........From Recobs and they are a bunch cheeper than AA's.....Been shootin em for several years.....work best in 97's,ribbed hulls.......Bandit Top Gun Metro 1 1/8oz 7.5 900fYour Price: $53.99 / CASE....12 GAUGE, 900 FPS, 1 5/8 DRAM, 1 1/8 OZ., 7.5 SHOT. FEDERAL TOP GUN METRO TARGET SUBSONIC SHOT SHELL LOAD. VERY LOW NOISE & RECOIL! GREAT TRAINING LOAD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hud McCoy Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I want all of you to go to your local Walmart and stand there buck naked with your side arms on and yell "I'm as mad as hell and I am not shopping here anymore" Oh and by the way grab me some Chinese made crap while you are there. Hud McCoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangler Jones, SASS # 64178 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 The AA12FL8 box states MIN Dram Eq. - guess they want to keep the actual equivalency a secret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang Gregg Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Them Winlight empties fall outta my Stevens 311D just fine. MG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Mushman Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Them Winlight empties fall outta my Stevens 311D just fine. MG Be VERY happy! You must have some pretty heavily honed and slick chambers! They don't come out of either of my main match SGs without help, honed by top smiths - one or both hulls will always hang up. Cheers, Harvey (who wishes he could use the Winlites - easier to find) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckwheat Jack Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Used some Federal 1145fps shells after I couldn't find the Winchester light recoils. The federals did the job on the knockdowns and fell out of by double just fine. The recoil was not at all bad. And they cost $2.40 a box less than the Winchesters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old fuzzy Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Those loads are perfectly safe and legal to shoot in any SASS match. They do have one drawback, they kick like hell. If you have reloading equipment, I'll gladly assist you with load data that will essentually duplicate the FeatherLites. They can be loaded for about 1/2 the cost of new FeatherLite ammo. If you shoot CAS regularly, the savings will be significant. You will amortize the cost of a single stage MEC reloader in no time. RBK I bought 50 boxes of the featherlites with the $2 rebate which expires Nov 15 and find they are very comfortable to shoot. I would appreciate you sending any reload info incl type of equipment and what you use for powder. PM is exleo59@gmail.com. Many thanks and happy shootin'. Old Fuzzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I bought 50 boxes of the featherlites with the $2 rebate which expires Nov 15 and find they are very comfortable to shoot. I would appreciate you sending any reload info incl type of equipment and what you use for powder. PM is exleo59@gmail.com. Many thanks and happy shootin'. Old Fuzzy There is no mystery on how to duplicate this load. The powder is Winchester WAALite. Load data is on the powder bottle and on Hodgdon's website. Look up 28 gram loads and use the minimum charge of WAALite. I load 7/8 oz loads for my wife. They feel they the same as the duplicate load. My cost using reclaimed shot is less than half that charged at Wally World. I load on a MECJr but there are plenty of suitable shotgun reloaders available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curley Cole, SASS #56849 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 As far as I am concerned, there is no longer a FeatherLite. On the website, when you type in the catalogue number or FL you get the WINLITE. And also, as far as I am concerned they are NOT the same. They don't shoot the same they don't feel the same. (if you can still find the old FL boxes on the shelf get em if ya can. (I have 2 cases in reserve. I personally, got myself a LeeLoadAll for about $32 and the supplies and started loading my own and I have a "clone" using Clays powder. I started doing it before they came out with the Winchester powder (which also does not feel the same.) So, I load my clone for about $3.50/25 and am totally happy. I have the featherlites in reserve as the "New" hulls don't hold up well and only reload about 2-3 times before I need to replace them. So, get yerself a LeeLoadAll and start rollin yer own. you might even enjoy the process.I know I do. curley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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