Performance Data
| Date | Range | Choke (Nominal) | 30" Circle Impacts (Total) | Performance (Nominal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/09/2017 | 20 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 154 (162) | 95% (Modified) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.010" (Improved Cylinder) | 113 (162) | 70% (Improved Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.010" (Improved Cylinder) | 106 (162) | 65% (> Cylinder) |
| 24/09/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 142 (162) | 88% (Improved Modified) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 115 (162) | 71% (Improved Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 133 (162) | 82% (Modified) |
| 24/09/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 136 (162) | 84% (Improved Modified) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 132 (162) | 81% (Modified) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 133 (162) | 82% (Modified) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.010" (Improved Cylinder) | 66 (162) | 40% (Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.010" (Improved Cylinder) | 67 (162) | 41% (Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 64 (162) | 40% (Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 94 (162) | 62% (Modified) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 80 (162) | 49% (Improved Cylinder) |
| 24/09/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 97 (162) | 60% (Modified) |
| 24/09/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 78 (162) | 48% (Improved Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 84 (162) | 52% (Improved Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 76 (162) | 47% (Improved Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 85 (162) | 52% (Improved Cylinder) |
Performance Analysis
In the context of the reason for which this website came into existence – that is, to find a usable, reliable, 40-yard cartridge for a hunter in possession of a .410 shotgun – the Hull cartridge is perhaps the most disappointing cartridge tested to date. We hasten to add, that our disappointment is not because of poor performance, but rather because the cartridge gets so close to achieving the desired performance but cannot quite make it “over the line” so to speak. Be in no doubt: Hull have produced a truly outstanding cartridge and we are extremely impressed.
Percentage performance at all ranges is exceptional but this is shown particularly in the 30-yard data where – almost unheard of, for a .410 cartridge of any specification – the performance achieved is broadly in line with the nominal performance for the choke tested. To be clear, using a “Modified” choke with this cartridge gives “Modified” performance whereas we would expect actual performance to be much less good than the name of the choke would imply.
The response to increasing choke constriction appears to be good, with 0.015″-0.020″giving the best performance across the board (thus far). After two sessions of pattern testing, we are curious to return a third time to this cartridge and experiment with the 0.025″ constriction (“Full”) choke supplied with the test gun. This has almost always produced blown patterns in previous testing and been largely discarded, but with a cartridge of this quality, all possibilities ought to be explored. This analysis will be updated to reflect that testing in future.
At 40 yards, percentage performance has tailed off from the heady heights achieved at 30 yards, but is still on average 10% greater than any other cartridge, except for the Eley Subsonic loading with which it is evenly matched. We wonder exactly what the muzzle velocity of the Hull cartridge might be, but from the muzzle report, it certainly appears to be supersonic…
Absolute pellet counts, like the percentage performance, are excellent. Hull’s cartridge comfortably exceeds, using #6 shot, the 40-yard pellet counts for cartridges containing a similar quantity of #7 shot in several cases. 30-yard counts are likewise good, approaching the numbers for previously-tested #7 cartridges and generally exceeding 130 pellets in the standard circle, which constitutes a usable pattern. The second series of patterns shot in November 2017 did not quite match the best result from the first series, of 142 in the circle (implying a usable range of up to 37 yards), but this is nothing to speak of: comparable cartridges have failed to reach 30 yards, let alone exceed the minimum standard we require.
On the basis of the first set of results, we had wondered whether this cartridge, having a plastic wad, would respond better to a lighter of choke constriction than others loaded with fibre. In the end, this turned out not to be the case. Using the test gun’s 0.015″ and 0.020″ chokes, the cartridge has now taken a number of birds at good if not long (c. 30-yard) ranges and killed cleanly each time. In view of the patterns shot just prior to the time of writing, we are not surprised.
We suspect that the very fine, very slow powder used in these cartridges contributes significantly to their excellent performance. We intend to identify it as a candidate powder for our attempt to create our own “ideal” .410 loading in future. The current best guess is that it’s Vectan SP3, but we have no hard evidence for that (and take no responsibility for anyone who uses that information to injure or kill themselves with bad reloads).
In all, this is an excellent cartridge. If it transpires in future that no cartridge will effectively and reliably reach the 40-yard mark, then the Hull cartridge will be a strong contender for the “second best” option.
