With Flite Stopper pellets and a Flightcontrol wad, the performance of Federal's new Black Cloud will win waterfowler's hearts from coast to coast.

As previously reviewed in Wildfowl, the performance of the new Federal Black Cloud waterfowl steel shot ammunition is not a totally new subject to readers. At the time, we had moved through a South Dakota duck season, and as a part of that hunting year Black Cloud had been effectively tested against a variety of ducks. The results of those tests had been quite positive. Now, with the spring snow goose season approaching, the setup could not have been better in terms of gaining some early field information on effects of Black Cloud on the white birds.

Static Testing
Because the new Black Cloud retains the special Flitecontrol wad, and two different pellet designs in the same load, getting data as to the basic retained velocity of the new shotshell ammunition would be a bit tricky. However, because I had enough reference ammunition on hand, the trick was to gain accurate data by way of my chronograph equipment, in this case the Oehler Chronotech Model 33. Two screens would be used for measurement because it required steel plate armor down range applied to both photo screens to make the equipment test safe. The exact laser ranged distance of the first test would be 40 yards.

The test gun featured a factory modified choke. This was my go to gun for the upcoming goose hunt and I wanted to learn more as to its basic effectiveness when applied to the new Black Cloud goose fodder.

With a 50/50 pellet count of 72 pellets in BBB steel as per the 3-inch 11⁄4-ounce load, and the other half the new Flitestopper belted pellets, I would be searching for the pellet velocity difference to the center mass of the pattern in the first load tested. Center mass (or core) will always produce the most uniform velocity because those pellets have not been kicked around in dirty air. This is an effect much like what a race car driver feels in heavy traffic if caught in the back of the pack.

Each individual pellet sends out a stream of air behind it, and the new belted Flitestopper pellets develop additional drag with the belt of steel around the middle of the pellet, anything was possible according to the recordings of the chrono. Also, because the wad itself was in effect a sabot type design that would hold the shot over a short distance as a single slug, it would seem correct that target velocities would be greater due to this unique payload control system.

Load number two would be a 11⁄4-ounce, 3-inch load of Black Cloud #2s in both shot types. Payload count in this load stood at 150 pellets. Muzzle velocity by the factory book was 1450 fps for a 28-inch barrel and modified choke was recorded at 1386 fps.

From a bench rest and out over the screens, the first series of test rounds as applied to BBB Black Cloud produced the following string of numbers. These figures are the real time, exact velocity of the pellets as they crossed the photo cell windows down range. No computer generated textbook data here.