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Remington - one of the biggest names in the cartridge business - is back in Britain with their new Premier International Target Load. They are, designed specifically for the European market. We put them to the test.

Transport costs and duties make the sale of American-made cartridges prohibitively expensive these days, so it is not surprising that Remington have turned to Europe in designing this new range. Like their arch American rivals Winchester, Remington have chosen to load in Italy, although using a third party rather than establishing their own production facilities.
 
That third party is Baschieri and Pellagri, one of the leading names in the European industry, whose components feature in many cartridges loaded by other companies. The ingredients therefore sound promising but how does the finished pudding turn out?

Looking at the components in more detail, the first and most striking fact is that Remington have chosen to use the Gordon system case, which features in a number of products from the Gamebore stable as well as Baschieri and Pellagri's own branded products (distributed by Lyalvale). For those not familiar with this system, it differs from a normal parallel tube design by incorporating a special plastic base wad under the powder. This compresses on ignition, much like the central column of the normal plastic shot wad, allowing a smooth build up of operating pressure. Perceived recoil is theoretically reduced and other cartridges we have tried which use this system do generally seem to be smooth-shooting. The parabolic shape is the optimum ballistically, while for loaders there are production efficiencies, because different shot loads can be accommodated just by varying the size of the base wad. You can spot a Gordon system case by the plastic inner ring of the cartridge base, compared to the more usual solid brass head.

Inside we find familiar B&P components. Their wads are very popular with other loaders and it has been matched to G2000 powder and some very well made shot, containing 5% antimony. For Britain the shot sizes conform to standard English classification and are marked on the box both in millimetres and normal 71/2, 8, 9 numbers, a sensible move which more manufacturers could adopt to avoid confusion.
 
The importers are offering a comprehensive range, of which the 24 gram and 28 gram loads will be of most interest to Clay Shooting readers. The others from 30 to 36 gram are primarily intended as field and game loads. The pricing looks competitive for an imported cartridge.

Remington's quoted velocity is 415 mps (1361 fps), putting the Premier into the medium-quick league. Pressures are given at 530 bars for the 24 gram, 560 for the 28 gram variant. These are again upper-middle comparatively.
 
Out on the shooting ground the Premier performed exactly as you would expect of a product carrying the Remington name — extremely well. I tried the 28 gram load in both 71/2 and 9 shot sizes. The smooth shooting characteristics of the Gordon system case were well in evidence and the breaks could not be faulted. A tricky high, overhead midi, going away at speed, was repeatedly reduced to a mass of small pieces, a sure sign of consistent even patterns.

The new Remington loads join an ever more crowded market place, reflected in the sharp pricing. The cost/quality equation looks attractive enough for them to make a mark, not least among owners of Remington guns who might wish to extend their brand loyalty. Whatever gun you use though, you are unlikely to be disappointed with the Remington Premier.
 
For more information contact your local cartridge supplier.

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