Kent Elite Target: Less Recoil, More Fun

Loaded with a custom blend of powder, Kent Elite Target Shells perform without punishing.

How Kent Elite Target Shells Keep You Shooting Longer And Better:

• Diamond Shot provides uniformly tight patterns.
• Nickel-plated heads provide smooth and reliable ejection.
• Custom powder blends keep barrel cleaner while minimizing felt recoil.
• Avialable in 2 3/4″ 12- and 20-gauge shells.

I’m no All-American shooter, but even I can tell when a shotshell delivers goods that match the hype. Such was the case recently when I tested Kent Cartridge’s new Elite Target line of low-recoil target loads on the local sporting clays range. Short of conducting an exhaustive test on patterning boards, it’s difficult to evaluate shotshell performance in quantifiable ways. But when you break more clays than you ever have before, and your shoulder hurts less doing so, you must admit: Kent is onto something.

According to Kent, its new Elite Target line — available in 12 and 20 gauge, from 7/8-ounce to 1 1/8-ounce loads — is packed with a “custom blended” powder that ensures consistency and cuts recoil. I don’t know how to prove those claims, other than my personal best score on sporting clays, and reports from young and female shooters who really liked the 20-gauge stuff and found it easy to shoot — with no harsh punch to the shoulder. These new shooters broke clays like seasoned pros, so it’s a safe assumption the Kent Elite they shot was helping more than hurting.

More Shotgun Posts:

• CZ-USA’s Reaper Magnum Redefines Turkey Hunting
• Body Position For Wingshooting Success
• Determining Hold Point In Sporting Clays
• Footwork Fundamentals For The Perfect Shotgun Shot

New shooters tested the yellow-cased No. 7 1/2 shot in 20 gauge (7/8-ounce load at 1,200 fps) in a CZ Model 720 Reduced Length youth semi-auto, and it ran with perfect reliability. I put the purple-hull 12-gauge loads — also 7 1/2 shot, 1-ounce load at 1,200 fps — through a Pointer Phenoma autoloader. Both loads blasted orange clays to smithereens with consistency.

If you’re new to the Kent line of shotshells, the firm uses a proprietary Diamond Shot technology, and a newfangled shot polishing process that’s said to improve pellet formation for consistent and reliable patterns for superior target-breaking performance on trap, skeet and sporting clay ranges. The shells also feature 10mm nickel-plated heads.

All I know for sure is that these shotshells inspire confidence. They’re great for kids and new shooters who are recoil sensitive … and they can make even the most questionable of wingshooters (like me) better shots on the range.

For more information on Kent Elite Target Shells, please visit www.kentcartridge.com/us.

Editor's Notes: This article originally appeared in the 2018 Shooting Is Fun issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Next Step: Get your FREE Printable Target Pack

Enhance your shooting precision with our 62 MOA Targets, perfect for rifles and handguns. Crafted in collaboration with Storm Tactical for accuracy and versatility.

Subscribe to the Gun Digest email newsletter and get your downloadable target pack sent straight to your inbox. Stay updated with the latest firearms info in the industry.