The new Thimbleby 28/8 cartridge…
We are delighted to announce a new addition to our cartridge line-up: the Thimbleby 28/8. Building upon the success of our popular ‘house’ cartridge, the 24/7, the Thimbleby 28/8 offers a 28gm load for our customers who prefer a slightly heavier option. This new cartridge combines all the best characteristics of our top-selling load – smooth recoil, excellent pattern quality, impressive speed and, of course, affordability – with a little more oomph! With initial feedback from customers and staff very positive, we’re pleased to share more details about the features and development of the new Thimbleby 28/8.
Design and Performance
The Thimbleby 24/7 was specifically designed to deliver super smooth recoil while maintaining consistent long-range ballistics, so it’s an ideal choice for simulated shooting days. Gamebore achieved this by employing a custom blend of powder and 24gm of English shot size 7 (2.4mm), a slightly larger pellet compared to common clay loads. These loads have proven to be exceptional for shooting lessons with very manageable recoil and effortlessly handle even the most challenging targets here at Thimbleby Shooting Ground. We’ve also had super feedback from guests on our popular simulated shooting days, where clays reaching heights of over 200 ft are not uncommon.
However, we were asked by some customers for a 28gm load, so we set out to deliver what the public wanted! We put our heads together with the team at Gamebore to create a cartridge that combines the best qualities of their heavier loads, considering recoil, pattern quality, speed and cost and finding the perfect balance of them all. A velocity of 1400 fps was pinpointed as the optimum speed for achieving the best pattern while maintaining high pellet energy. The new 28/8 cartridge features Gamebore’s renowned ‘Diamond Shot’ in size 8 (2.2mm), which delivers exceptional pattern density and responds well to chokes, ensuring outstanding performance on the field.
Reliability and Affordability
We also wanted to ensure the cartridges not only performed exceptionally, but also ticked the boxes for reliability and affordability. The 70mm cases of the Thimbleby 28/8, combined with the 8mm nickel head, have been meticulously designed to cycle flawlessly even in the fussiest of semi-automatic shotguns. This ensures a smooth shooting experience without any cycling issues. Thanks to our partnership with Gamebore, we have managed to keep the price lower than a popular and affordable 27gm load currently available in the market. This attractive price point will allow our customers to enjoy the superior performance of the Thimbleby 28/8 without breaking the bank.
The new Thimbleby 28/8 has now been on sale in the clubhouse for several weeks and we are over the moon to report that it has exceeded even our greatest expectations. In the first week alone, we sold over 25,000 cartridges and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Our customers have praised the smooth recoil, excellent pattern density and reliable cycling, highlighting the Thimbleby 28/8 as a cartridge that delivers outstanding results.
So, if you’re on the hunt for a high-performing cartridge that strikes the perfect balance between smooth recoil, impressive pattern quality and affordability, the new Thimbleby 28/8 is the ideal choice. Pick up a box (or perhaps a slab!) next time you’re here and see what you think.