Tests Afield
I found myself in a layout blind scanning the sky within two hours of arriving at the field testing location. The first hunt was on, and my scattergun was fully equipped with 3-inch #2s for the white birds of spring.

I won't say that the evening hunt was too eventful, but I did manage to put a few loads of Black Cloud into the first snows ever taken with them. No drifters, sailors, or back flapping cripples here.

In terms of exact ranges, we agreed by ranging passing birds that most of the shooting had taken place inside of 50 yards, with a stretch shot that had been clearly successful out at the 58-yard mark. This range application was a strained push for #2 steel, and by the next morning I had shifted to the BBB 11⁄4-ounce 3-inch loads when gunning cornfield birds. I pressed some of my shooting to the edge of the BBB's limits. Not because I wanted to blast useless holes into the sky, but because I wanted to push a new loads to its limits; that's what I get paid to do. The evaluation of any load requires that its outer limits of it performance be observed. That means we can pass along information to you, the hunter, that will assure you'll be able to get the most out of the selected munitions. In this case, I found that BBBs were a solid option in Black Cloud well out to 65 yards with no wind, and a possible 70 yards if all conditions were favorable. Again, down range chronograph testing shows that BBB steel at a muzzle velocity of 1320 fps will still produce an on target velocity of 579 fps at 70 yards.

Believe me, this is an extreme edge in terms of basic performance, but the pellet speed is there if the pattern can hold up.

Conclusion
Overall, I tend to think that based on this early testing that Federal Black Cloud is a step forward in the advanced development of standard steel shot ammunition. These loads will sell for the same price as better grade premium steel, not the high end price tag of tungsten based shotshell ammunition. That in and of itself will make this new waterfowl ammunition popular among duck and goose hunters. Federal will have these loads stocked with dealers for the fall of 2007.