Rio Ammo - Part 2

(...continued from Rio Ammo - Part 1)

It was my first case of Rio Ammo, it was competitively priced and I had a local source for it. Up until this point I'd been a die-hard Winchester fan, even though it was the cheap stuff from Walmart. I did give Rio the benefit of the doubt and did a DC 'n R (disassemble, clean, reassemble) on my Nova in between range sessions. Even after a cleaning like that the results were the same. About 20% of the shells would jam the pump.

"Wow! These folks really care and stand behind their products."

After reporting this to Rio...they responded. (Awesome!) Rio indicated that it may have been part of a batch with bad wads. These defective wads were allowing gases to escape back into the shell. This pressure caused the brass shoulder (yes, brass on a competitively priced quality load) to expand, making the shell stick in the chamber and extraction difficult. (Aaaahhh...that made sense!)

Rio Ammo also asked me to return the remaining shells and sent a UPS label. (You know...even with that it's not easy shipping ammo in Illinois, even back to the manufacturer, but that's another story.) Now here's where the real honor comes into play. Even though I didn't ask for or expect it, Rio had a case of shells made up in the factory and shipped out to my home for my inconvenience. Wow! These folks really care and stand behind their products. What an upstanding group of people.

"With the public ranges closed for hunting I have to say...it's killing me!"

So here I sit, a fan with a fresh case of shells straight from the factory. With the public ranges closed for hunting I have to say...it's killing me! I'm anxious to buy a couple boxes of clays and get out there. I honestly love the way these loads shot out all three of my shotguns. The cobalt blue and brass shell color is cool too.

As an aside, I swear I've seen the shot pattern out of some shells I've tried literally swirl around the clay without hitting it. I kid you not, my wife has seen it too. This has always driven me back to Winchester and now Rio.

Thank you Rio Ammunition for a fantastic encounter with the company and the great people working there. (I'd mention names, but I don't know whether he'd be okay with that.) The next time I go hunting (maybe goose or turkey next and hopefully deer during shotgun season next year) I'm going to be sure it's Rio loads in my gun. In the mean time, I've got an itchy trigger finger, a case of what I'm certain are going to be great Rio loads and dreams of bustin' clays with my wife in the near future. (Near future being mid-January.)

Merry Christmas to everyone at Rio Ammunition and thank you again. I'm looking forward shooting up this case, and buying and trying other Rio products in the future. You've made a fan. That's what matters.

Rio Ammo - Part 1

I want to lead off by saying, since interacting with several companies in the shooting sports industry, each one has been very helpful and each has stood behind their products. Is that a common occurrence? Certainly not in the market in general, but maybe it is within this industry. Within the shooting industry I'm hoping it's the rule and not the exception. Otherwise, I've had the pleasure of dealing with some exceptional companies and the people who represent them well.

Today that exceptional company is Rio Ammunition. As you may recall, I bought a case of Rio Game Load shells from my local gun shop, Mega Sports. Beside loving the color (they really stand out against all the shades of red at the range.) I thought they shot and patterned very well in all my guns. The problem was with ejecting the spent shells. (See my earlier post, New Ammo - It's Pretty for details.) With 15 shells remaining (I had run out of clays the last day before pheasant season) I contacted Rio through their website with the model and lot numbers, letting them know what had happened (with my Benelli Nova pump no less) on two separate outings to the range. Honestly, I only half expected to hear back.

I had a couple of reasons for contacting them really:

1. Let Rio Ammunition know about my experience. As someone who encourages hearing from the guest/customer I would want to know if something was going on with my product or service.
2. I wanted to know what would cause my pump to jam. I mean...we're talking about a super reliable gun.
1. If it was my Nova (unlikely) then I want to know what I need to do to fix it. I was planning on taking it hunting and using it in case of wet weather.
2. If it was the shell (likely), what about the shell would cause that?
3. Would I be able to trust Rio Ammo hunting with my pump? I dunno?

I mean...it was my first batch of Rio Ammo and a learning opportunity for me. (To be continued...)

Surprise! Trigger Control

"It should a surprise when the gun goes off." I've hear this from my brother, TV shows, Internet videos and countless others. With all due respect, I think there may be a lot of parroting going on, because I wholeheartedly disagree. I'm not sure everyone understands why they should think that way, but that's how they've been trained. IMOH:

The gun should fire precisely when I intend it to!


Isn't that the ultimate in trigger control? The gun fires when you when you want it to.

Of course my opinion may be shaped by my experience. I'm largely a self-taught shooter (reading, reading, reading, watching, doing, doing, doing, evaluating and challenging) focusing on shotgunning moving targets. When I have a high, fast crossing target (like my first pheasant) or a target leaping off the ground and flying through and between trees (like my second pheasant) I want my shotgun to fire exactly when my site picture is right, precisely when I intend it to. It is my conscious, willful decision to fire my gun at exactly that moment even if instinct is getting a vote. (For those not as familiar with shotgunning, it differs from rifle and pistol in that it is more instinctive than the other shooting disciplines.)

I'm of the same opinion about shooting my pistol (Glock G34). As I'm taking careful aim at a target on the range, my pistol should fire precisely when I intend it to. When it's not a surprise I don't blink and am not distracted by the surprise. When I was hunting pheasant I was able to keep both eyes open. This is because I'm focused and not surprised when the gun fires...and tasty pheasant falls to the ground.

I don't know the origin or purpose of that train of thought. (Was it a manufacturer trying to justify a long trigger pull? Speculation on my part.) It doesn't make sense to me and I don't subscribe to it. I think when mastering trigger control and sight picture are critical in developing sound shooting skills there should be no surprise. So again, I respectfully disagree.

I'd love to hear other opinions and explanations of the purpose and origin of "It should be a surprise when the gun off." I think it's clear where I stand.