Fiocchi Golden Pheasant: Range Testing a Classic Upland Load

You need to know three things about me before reading this story.

First, as a child, I was fascinated with shotgun shells. I loved the shiny brass and smooth paper hulls, which were later mostly replaced by plastic. While my dad ran the reloader, I liked to roll the finished shells around in my hand and hold them to my nose to smell the gunpowder. There was just something magical about a shotgun shell that captivated me early on.

Second, I’ve long been a fan of Fiocchi ammunition. Back when I was shooting lots of 3-gun matches, I often shot Fiocchi 9mm, .223 and 12-gauge ammunition in the same match. I found the cartridges reliable and consistent, and they were reasonably priced enough that shooting a couple hundred rounds on a Sunday morning didn't destroy my ammunition budget.

Finally, I’m an avid pheasant hunter. I chased my first ringneck roosters in southwest Nebraska in 1972. For the math impaired, that was a helluva long time ago—and I’m math impaired, too.

Over the ensuing half-century-plus, I’ve hunted ringnecks in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois and the Dakotas.

So when three of your favorite things collide, you know you’re in for a good day. Imagine my excitement when the editor at Hook & Barrel asked if I’d like to put some Fiocchi Golden Pheasant loads through their paces.

Was I really going to get paid for this?

Then came the bad news: The story was due before pheasant season opened anywhere I could hunt.

That meant a true field test would have to wait. But with several loads in hand, I could still learn quite a bit about the Golden Pheasant lineup—and see how the ammunition performed through my own pheasant gun before opening day.

Fiocchi Golden Pheasant Loads

Fiocchi has a long history in upland-bird ammunition, and Golden Pheasant has become one of the company's best-known purpose-built pheasant lines.

The standard Golden Pheasant ammunition uses nickel-plated lead shot along with engineered wads and ballistics designed to produce dense patterns and deliver sufficient downrange energy for larger upland birds.

The line includes options in 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauge, with several shot sizes and payload combinations available depending on gauge and shell length.

For example, the 12-gauge, 2 3/4-inch No. 5 load carries 1 3/8 ounces of nickel-plated lead shot at a listed muzzle velocity of 1,250 fps. Fiocchi also offers 3-inch 12-gauge loads for hunters wanting a heavier payload.

Fiocchi Golden Pheasant No. 5 at a Glance

• Gauge: 12
• Shell Length: 2 3/4 inches
• Shot Size: No. 5
• Shot Material: Nickel-plated lead
• Payload: 1 3/8 ounces
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,250 fps
• Box: 25 rounds
• MSRP: $39.99

Golden Pheasant Extreme

For hunters looking for considerably more velocity, Golden Pheasant Extreme turns things up.

The 2 3/4-inch 12-gauge loads carry 1 3/8 ounces of nickel-plated lead shot at a listed 1,485 fps and are available in Nos. 4, 5 and 6.

That extra velocity comes with a predictable tradeoff: recoil. Pheasant hunters who like fast loads might appreciate the additional speed, but don't expect them to feel like target shells against your shoulder.

MSRP is $42.99 for a 25-round box.

Golden Pheasant Bismuth

Hunters who need or prefer nontoxic ammunition have another option in Golden Pheasant Bismuth.

The 12-gauge, 2 3/4-inch loads carry 1 1/4 ounces of bismuth at 1,400 fps and are offered in Nos. 4 and 6 shot. Bismuth is considerably denser than steel and has become an increasingly popular alternative where lead can't be used.

The downside is price. Fiocchi currently lists the 10-round boxes at $48.99, putting each trigger pull at just under $5.

A Golden Pheasant Steel offering also appears to be on the way, providing another nontoxic option for upland hunters.

Taking Golden Pheasant to the Range

Since pheasant season wasn't open, I decided the next-best option was to take Golden Pheasant to the range for some clay shooting and informal pattern testing.

Mother Nature nearly spoiled those plans, too.

The first day I intended to shoot, the forecast called for a heat index of 115 degrees. Discretion being the better part of valor, I postponed the trip. The heat index at the range eventually reached 120.

Two days later, we finally headed out with temperatures hovering around a much more tolerable 79 degrees.

I did my shooting at Snake Creek Shooting Sports, just south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which offers several sporting clays courses along with 5-stand, wobble trap and other shooting facilities.

My shotgun for the day was an old Ithaca side-by-side 12 gauge that a close friend unexpectedly left me in his will after his untimely death.

The gun is a favorite for sentimental reasons, but it's also a genuine hunting gun. My sons and I have all killed quail and pheasants with it. Choked improved cylinder and modified, it's my go-to pheasant shotgun, which made it the logical gun for this exercise

First Impressions on Clays

I shot a couple rounds of 5-stand with Golden Pheasant Nos. 4 and 6.

Despite being a little rusty, I managed to break my fair share of targets. The ammunition functioned without issue, and shooting clays gave me a good opportunity to become reacquainted with how the heavier hunting loads felt through the old double.

And yes, they kicked.

That's hardly surprising when shooting heavy 12-gauge pheasant loads through a side-by-side. A gas-operated semi-auto would certainly be more forgiving.

Breaking clay targets obviously can't tell you how ammunition will perform on a rooster. What the session did tell me was that the loads functioned properly, gave me no surprises and produced exactly the kind of substantial recoil I would expect from ammunition carrying that much shot.

The next step was more interesting.

How Did Golden Pheasant Pattern?

I wanted to see what Golden Pheasant No. 6 would do through the two barrels of my Ithaca at 30 yards.

This wasn't intended to be a standardized pattern-percentage test. I used a 24-inch-square target as a practical look at pellet distribution through the gun and chokes I actually use for pheasants.

Through the improved-cylinder barrel, the No. 6 load put 129 pellets into the 24-inch square.

The modified barrel tightened things considerably, putting 162 pellets into the same-size target at the same distance.

30-Yard Pattern Results

• Improved Cylinder: 129 pellet strikes
• Modified: 162 pellet strikes
• Load: Fiocchi Golden Pheasant No. 6
• Distance: 30 yards
• Target: 24-inch square

One target through each barrel isn't enough to declare anything definitive about pattern consistency, and another shotgun or choke could produce different results.

But that's precisely why patterning your pheasant gun before the season is worthwhile.

In my Ithaca, the Golden Pheasant No. 6 put plenty of pellets on paper at a distance that represents the kind of shot I routinely encounter on ringnecks.

Based on what I saw, I'll likely start the season with No. 6 shot when birds tend to be younger and shots somewhat closer, then move toward larger No. 4 shot as the season progresses and educated roosters become more prone to flushing farther out.

The Real Test Comes This Fall

So is this a full review of Fiocchi Golden Pheasant ammunition?

Not quite yet.

Pheasant ammunition ultimately needs to prove itself on pheasants, and my deadline arrived before I had that opportunity.

What I can say is that Golden Pheasant gave me no problems on the range, its heavier loads produced about the recoil I expected, and the No. 6 ammunition put a dense concentration of pellets on my 30-yard test targets through both barrels of the shotgun I actually carry in the field.

That's enough to make me comfortable loading my vest with it when pheasant season arrives.

The real verdict will come when the first rooster erupts from the grass.

Until then, I'd better make some extra room in the freezer.