I'd reckon that most of us put more "promo" loads through our shotguns than anything else. And why not? For a little over $25 you can get 100 shells that work great for clays and small upland game. These shells are typically loaded with 1 and 1/8 ounce of lead shot in #8 or #7.5 shot size. I have no real problem with the Winchester white box or Federal promos. I do however think there is a place for a lighter payload in our 12 gauges.
I personally don't shoot much other than clays. And, for me, the queen of all loads is 1 ounce of #8 loaded over a moderate powder charge. My affection for the load is due to it's soft shooting, yet very effective payload. In my most recent visit to the trap range I first shot some Federal promos out of Dad's 1929 Winchester model 12. I did "ok". For the 2nd round I switched guns to the Fausti over/under and also grabbed a box of my 1 ounce hand loads. I know, different gun. But, I did do significantly better with the new combo of gun and shell. Mind you, I was shooting full choke from both guns and both loads utilized #8 shot. Conventional wisdom would suggest that shooting fewer pellets at the target would make me miss the target more often. It would also suggest that the light powder charge would fail to deliver the payload to that target in time. Well, on both counts, convention looses to reality. Even loaded near starting charge, my loads get there in plenty of time. I didn't change my lead at all. Obviously there was plenty of pattern available to bust the clay as well. If you think about it, what does a typical target load for a 20 gauge carry? 7/8 of an ounce. So, the 1 ounce load through a tight choked 12 gauge does just fine thank you. I find the 1 ounce particularly nice when shot through break open and pump guns that have no mechanism to soak up recoil.
