Some shells are built for the days when you need a little extra authority in the pattern, and the Clever Club Load 12 Gauge 2-3/4" 1-1/8 oz heavy target shotshell is one of them. We stock this load for the shooter who wants more downrange energy on long crossers, distant trap presentations, and the back-fence birds on a sporting clays course, all delivered by an Italian-made shell that punches well above its price class. If you've been losing chips on the 27-yard line or watching long-distance targets sail through with a feather flying, this is the box that puts more weight behind your swing.

Clever has been turning out competition-grade shotshells in Verona, Italy since 1952, and the brand sits in the pro shops at major shoots for a reason. This particular Club Load is the heavy hitter of the family, pairing a full 1-1/8 ounce payload with a heavier 3-1/4 dram-equivalent powder charge that drives the shot string at handicap-trap velocities. The result is more pellet count and more retained velocity at the target, which is exactly the combination that turns marginal hits into solid breaks.

What The Heavy Charge Actually Does For You

Velocity matters more the further the target sits from the muzzle. A standard 3-dram, 1-1/8 oz load runs around 1200 fps and works beautifully at 16-yard trap and skeet distances. Step back to the handicap line, or take on the longer presentations a sporting clays course-setter loves to design, and the extra dram of powder behind this load shortens lead requirements, flattens trajectory, and delivers more striking energy when the pellets finally meet the clay. Shooters who shoot doubles trap, ATA handicap events, and FITASC sporting clays gravitate toward heavy loads for exactly these reasons.

The shells use hardened Italian lead shot that holds its shape through the forcing cone and choke, which is critical at higher velocities where soft shot tends to deform and throw flyers. Round pellets stay in the pattern; deformed pellets become wasted weight in the air. Combined with Clever's eight-point crimp and clean-burning propellant, you get the kind of consistent shot-to-shot performance that lets you trust your gun and focus on reading the bird.

Specifications

• Gauge: 12 Gauge

• Shell Length: 2-3/4 inch (70mm)

• Shot Weight: 1-1/8 ounce

• Dram Equivalent: 3-1/4 dram (heavy target)

• Shot Material: Hardened lead

• Crimp: 8-point fold crimp

• Quantity: 25 rounds per box

• Manufacturer: Clever (Verona, Italy)

Who Should Have These In The Vest

Handicap trap shooters and registered ATA competitors will find this load right at home on the longer yardages, where the additional velocity does measurable work cutting through the wind and reaching out to targets that have a lot of forward momentum built up. The added energy at distance is what separates breaks from chips, and chips don't score.

Sporting clays shooters facing long quartering-away birds, midi targets at distance, and battue presentations that demand authoritative breaks will appreciate the way this load reaches out. Course designers love presentations that stretch the limits of a standard target shell, and a heavy load gives you the margin you need to stay competitive on the toughest stations.

Recreational hunters can also press these into upland and dove duty, where the heavier velocity translates to cleaner kills at the longer end of typical shotgun range. The same characteristics that crush distant clays put more energy on a fast-flying mourning dove or a flushing quail at the far edge of the pattern.

One honest note worth sharing: heavier loads recoil harder than standard target shells, which is the trade-off you accept for the added performance. Shooters who run 1000-plus rounds in a weekend often keep both standard and heavy Clever Club Loads in the rotation, reaching for the heavy box only when the course or yardage demands it. Stack a couple of cases of each in the garage, save the hulls for handloading, and you've got the right shell for whatever the morning's targets ask of you.