USA – -(Ammoland.com)- Rio Ammunition is proud to announce a new line of target loads developed specifically to evoke the nostalgia of the early days of shotgun sports when paper hulled cartridges were the norm.
Branded as Vintage 1896 in recognition of the year when Rio’s parent company, MAXAM Outdoors, first started making cartridges, these 12 ga., 2-3/4″ loads are positioned as a premium option for competitive and recreational sport shooters wanting to remember the look, and feel of a genuine paper cartridge.
“We’re very excited to start shipping the Vintage 1896 paper line to the shooting community,” says Bryan Bornes, Product Manager at Rio Ammunition.
“We anticipate a high degree of enthusiasm from shooters who actually remember the old-school paper cartridges of our Grandfathers, plus we believe that younger shooters will be eager to try them for the very first time. Most shooters these days take for granted that all hulls are made of plastic, not knowing that back in the day, cartridges with paper hulls were handmade and do in fact feel different to shoot.”
Beyond aesthetics, and not to be mistaken for antiquated technology, Vintage 1896 Paper cartridges bring to bear nearly a century and half of Rio innovation in single-base powders, ultra-reliable primers and a deep commitment to consistent manufacturing quality that Rio is known for. First and foremost, Vintage 1896 is a performance cartridge, with velocities from 1,150 to 1,350 fps and payloads ranging from one ounce up to an ounce and a quarter in shot sizes of #7.5, #8 and #9, Vintage 1896 has a broad appeal across many clay and flyer disciplines.
There are currently eight options in the line. The first five are the VP32LT, VP32, VP32HC, VP28LT, and VP28SP. They are all made using a special blend of Rio’s single base powders which deliver consistent performance and leave minimal residue. This line designed for traditional Trap, Skeet and Sporting Clays and have optimal velocities ranging from 1,150 to 1,250fps.
The next three are the Vintage 1896 Flyer Loads, VP36FLT, VP36F, and VP36FHV, 36gr (1-1/4 oz) loads with speeds up to 1,350 fps and #7.5 or #8 shot. These new loads are fit for a King and provide the performance a serious flyer competitor needs. The Vintage 1896 Flyer Loads are packed in 10 rounds per box to cover the races ahead.
RIO Vintage 1896 Shot Shells Key features include:
- 209 Primer with unique dust-stopping membrane, manufactured in-house.
- High density polyethylene primer lock base wad.
- 12mm head (target) or 25mm head (flyer)
- 2 3/4 in. Kraft paper tube 12 ga. hull
- Extra hard premium spherical lead shot (currently available in #7.5, #8, and #9 sizes)
- Proprietary container wad designed for both recoil management and consistency
- MAXAM clean-burning single-base powder composed to deliver low recoil with heavy payloads and higher velocities.
The unexpected combination of nostalgia on the outside and modern performance on the inside will certainly help to fulfill Rio’s intent to position Rio’s Vintage 1896 target loads among the more premium lines aimed at the discerning competitors and recreational clay shooters. In fact, Rio’s Vintage 1896 will be making its first competitive debut at the 2018 Grand American Trap Championships in August of this year at the World Shooting Complex in Sparta, Illinois while also launching in key online retailers like Able Ammo, Natchez and Gamaliel.
About Rio Ammunition
Rio Ammunition, Inc., founded in 2001 as a subsidiary of Madrid-based MAXAM Outdoors and with its domestic manufacturing facility in Marshall, TX, is the worldwide leader in the development and manufacturing of sporting and hunting cartridges. Rio’s success is based on proprietary technological developments – because of ongoing investment in R&D – and a totally integrated production chain ranging from the manufacturing of the raw materials to the production of all cartridge components, including cases, primers, powder, wads, and lead shot.
About MAXAM Outdoors
MAXAM Outdoors is one of the world-wide leaders in the munitions and explosives sectors with over 500 million cartridges produced per year in facilities located in Spain, the US, the UK and Turkey with sales in more than 80 countries. Among MAXAM’s key assets is a completely integrated production chain that includes both cartridge components (cases, primers, powder, wads and lead shot) and the associated raw materials (nitrocellulose).
For more information please visit www.rioammo.com.