Since 2017 Baschieri & Pellagri has been introducing a vintage product each year, proposing a limited edition of cartridges that have made history. This project is part of Baschieri & Pellagri's heritage and comes from the desire to give all fans a journey through history. The new limited editions celebrate the past, reinterpreting the cartridges in a contemporary key, without however affecting the identity that made them unique and inimitable. After Mb Tigre, F2 Super Flash and Mb Gigante, in 2021 Baschieri & Pellagri is introducing a limited edition of the legendary GP cartridge.
Baschieri & Pellagri GP cartridges: history and details
GP powder was created in 1940 by Adolfo Manfredi and owes its name to the initials of the two sons to whom Adolfo dedicated it, Gianni and Paolo Manfredi.
Over the years this powder has been used to load a variety of cartridges. It is the first hunting powder to be included among the shooting powders for 24 and 28-gram loads and for higher 32 and 34-gram payloads. GP is a single-base powder made from nitrocellulose with a high nitrogen content and a characteristic yellow color, ideal for intermediate loads in 12 gauge, but also excellent in 16 gauge with 27-28 gram payloads and in 20 gauge for 24-25 gram payloads. The first results achieved at the time were already surprising. They achieved cartridges with excellent velocity – about 380 m/s – and very low pressures, about 420 bar. Particularly appreciated for these characteristics, the GP was manufactured continuously and in the 1960's in a special edition was also adopted by the Italian Air Force for both sporting use and for protecting air bases and driving away the flocks of birds that posed a danger to aircraft.
What is GP powder today?
A specialist powder, fast-burning and versatile, good for light and medium payloads, very free flowing, it is no longer the single-base powder of yesteryear but a modern nitrocellulose powder modified with 10% nitroglycerin and considerable improvements in performance. An important advice for reloading enthusiasts is to combine the GP powder with soft and elastic, never too rigid wadding such as felt.
After a survey on social channels to listen to the opinions and wishes of hunters, for this 2021 edition of its limited series Baschieri & Pellagri decided to offer the GP cartridge in 12 gauge with a 34 gram payload, whose ballistic qualities are suitable for a truly wide range of hunting uses with pointing dogs at medium ranges, including sedentary game, major and minor migratory birds, including wood pigeons, snipes, fieldfares, but also pheasants and partridges. The shell case used for the GP cartridge is 65 mm cardboard roll-crimped casing with couvette and traditional felt wad. The available shot numbers are 7-8-9. Three different packs have been studied to pay homage to a historical brand like GP, to retrace the history of its image and to give all the fans a dive into the past with cartridges to enjoy when hunting and to collect.
Unfortunately, these special series are only available for purchase in Italy. Nevertheless, we find the idea so remarkable that we are happy to report on it because it's a great example of how an ammunition manufacturer uses all its creativity to leverage history to maintain the brand and keep its fans coming back for more.
