Cartridge review: Lyalvale Express Super Comp range

Featuring some of the most decorated loads in the business, the Lyalvale Express Super Comp range still has something for everyone (not just gold medal winners!). Drennan Kenderdine reviews three Super Comp loads...

Super Comp Trap 28g No.7½  
There’s no Trap discipline where the Super Comp Trap (SCT) isn’t capable of wringing the neck out of it and claiming victory over the bitumen devils, or more likely these days, the Eco Clays. This well-proven medal hoarding cartridge is a testament to Express’s ability to create a fantastic Trap load, and is part of the extensive and distinguished Super Comp range. 
I’ve used the SCT on all Trap disciplines, including Olympic Trap (which I know wouldn’t be allowed under competition rules, what with it being a 28g load), but it does show the impressive capability of the SCT. If you can grind the targets to dust on an Olympic Trap layout, DTL and ABT targets are child’s play in comparison, so this part of the test served as a testament to its performance. 
Muzzle flip is more noticeable when Trap shooting, and the SCT performs how a Trap shell is supposed to; it has a unique, smooth push into the shoulder, providing that much-needed decreased muzzle flip. Second target alignment is faster and more fluid, which is of great benefit, helping to get the shot in the right place. This is achieved mainly by the engine of the SCT (the powder) being the Vectan A.S., which falls neatly into the 'top-of-the-range’category. 
Brain-aching decisions for what shot size to use are entirely removed for the shooter because the SCT only comes in a continental 7½ (or 2.4mm) with super tempered shot. The super tempered shot gives unbridled lethality and cuts through all weather conditions; and let’s face it, UK shooters have the entire spectrum of weather to contend with! 
With the SCT coming in a bold and bright white shell casing and supported by a 20mm silver ferrel, it not only has great looks but is a top-class performance to match. 
RRP: £295 per 1,000 

Power Gold 28g No.9 
The Power Gold range is another member of Express’s family of competition cartridges. The Power Gold range is the entry-level shell from the competition range, giving not only brilliant and reliable performance but a great option for those shooters squeezing as much out of their performance as possible without breaking the bank. With enough different pellet sizes to cover all aspects of clay shooting – including Compak Sporting, Down The Line, English Skeet, Sportrap and Sporting – it’s no wonder this cartridge has become so popular.  
I’ve always enjoyed the mental challenge of Skeet, and part of the mental game is having the correct cartridge to tackle the discipline with; so, the Power Gold 28g in No.9 shot was an obvious choice on this particular triple test. 
Doveridge has some of the best Skeet ranges in the UK, so choosing to test the Power Gold 28g No.9s at Doveridge made for the perfect combination of discipline and cartridge. Power Gold’s engine is powered by Vectan AS powder, giving a clean burn and crisp performance, and allowing the tempered shot to deliver its lethality. 
These competition ingredients are assembled in the distinctive Power Gold casing (gold in colour as well as name!), and are supported by a 16mm silver ferrel, which ensures reliable ejection. Again, it looks the part – like it can take on any challenge. Skeet targets behave like lemmings in its presence. 
So, Power Gold is an ideal choice for all English Skeet shooters – whether you are new to the discipline or a world-class shot, they certainly gaffered the Skeet at Doveridge. 
RRP: £260 per 1,000 

Express Supreme Competition Sporting 28g No.8 
If Express Supreme cartridges were brown sauce, both HP and Daddies would be coming in second and third place to it. If the brown sauce analogy doesn’t hit home with you, I could simply describe this cartridge with one person’s name and leave it there, because this chap has pretty much conquered the world in a cross-section of disciplines. From winning an Olympic gold medal, to winning just about everything the world has to offer in terms of Sporting competitions, the gentleman of shooting, Richard Faulds MBE, chooses to shoot Express Supreme Competition cartridges.  
This year alone, he has won: 

• English Open FITASC 
• Beretta World Sporting 
• English Open Sporting 

All the above has been achieved using the Supreme Competition range, mainly in No.8 shot, and with a sprinkling of Supreme Competition 28g No.6½. 
The shooting public consistently votes for Supreme as the industry’s most popular cartridge, irrespective of price. And it is no wonder when you see the disciplines, other than Sporting, that this astonishing cartridge can tackle: Automatic Ball Trap, Compak Sporting, Down The Line, English Skeet, FITASC Sporting, Helice, Sportrap, and Universal Trap. 
The 28g Express Supreme cartridges contain Vectan D20 powder and super-tempered lead shot, giving the most uniformed patterns and allowing for clay targets at extreme ranges. The shot contains antinomy and other hardening alloys to produce a clean release and explosive breaks. I’ve proved this at some tough grounds, such as West Midlands Shooting Ground (Hodnet), Doveridge, Oakedge, Coniston Cole, Atkin Grant and Lang, and Thimbleby Shooting Ground, to name a few. 
Loaded in the 2¾" (70mm) solid black case with an immense 25mm gold ferrel, this is probably one of the most iconic looking cartridges in the UK. With a speed of 1,475fps, which is fast by any standards, this cartridge avoids that oooommmmppphhhh! you get 
from a lot of cartridges reaching similar speeds by its use of the smooth Vectan D20 powder. The result is a crisp delivery and recoil dissipation at speeds an atomic clock would have a hard time calculating. It’s just an immensely brilliant cartridge, hence the Supreme is such a popular cartridge amongst top shooters. 
RRP: £325 per 1,000  

VISIT lyalvaleexpress.com for stockists