ELEY VIP 70MM — 32G STEEL ECO WAD NO 3 AND VIP LIGHTNING STEEL 76MM 36G NO 1

With these two cartridges, Eley offers up the fowler’s panacea — the same brand, but in loads designed to suit a variety of wildfowl quarry. I have previously reviewed the VIP Steel Eco Wad 3 and found it to be one of the best biodegradable-wad cartridges on the market, a real duck shooter’s load.

The VIP Lightning Steel is a cartridge I had heard of in favourable tones but had never had the chance to try. This is a 3in high-performance cartridge, therefore a magnum-proofed gun is a must. Within a plastic wad sit 129 notably well-polished and perfectly spherical No 1 pellets. A ruby red case with tight-fitting crimp and brass encases it all. Pattern testing saw 116 pellets on target, with a tight pattern.

This bore out on the marsh, with

Darren killing a pink-footed goose at what I would judge to be 35 yards.

Carcass inspection showed a clean head and neck shot. Later that day, I shot a hare with this load and achieved another clean kill. They do kick like a mule, but with a heavy gun or a semi-automatic this is lessened, and let’s be honest — if a bit of recoil puts you off, then fowling is probably not for you.

It should be noted that this load is not suitable for over-bored guns, and muzzle velocity is 1,430fps. As a rule, these are a killing cartridge for geese. If you fill your pockets with VIP Lightning and your cartridge belt with the Eco Wad 3, you are set fair for a flight.