Originally conceived with European wood-pigeon hunting in mind, the load is offered in several shot sizes and can also lend itself to upland hunting over pointing dogs and other situations where shots are taken at close range or through vegetation, requiring both substantial pellet energy and a rapidly opening pattern.
For 12-gauge hunters, the B&P Semi Magnum 40 Short Range promises to be an unusually versatile addition to the ammo belt. Combining the authority of a heavy 40 gram (1.41-oz) payload with a broad, rapidly developing pattern at short range – without excessively damaging game – is not particularly easy. Baschieri & Pellagri appears to have approached the problem with a purpose-designed load.
Available in several lead-shot sizes for different types of game, the Semi Magnum uses a 40-g payload, providing a high pellet count and therefore the potential to maintain useful pattern density across a relatively large area.
At the heart of the load is B&P’s Short Range wad system, specifically designed to encourage the shot charge to open quickly while maintaining an even pellet distribution.
The hull incorporates B&P’s Gordon System, which acts as a shock absorber during firing, helping mitigate the pressure impulse and perceived recoil while maintaining controllability despite the relatively heavy shot charge.
At the range: testing the B&P Short Range load
To evaluate the ballistic behavior of this new 2026 load, our Italian tester took the B&P Semi Magnum 40 Short Range to a local range and performed comparative pattern tests at different distances.
The test rig included a semi-automatic shotgun with a 25.6-inch (65 cm) barrel, fitted with a Modified choke (what the Europeans call a „three-star“).
The results were consistent with the manufacturer’s stated purpose for the load, and our tester reported comfortable recoil and fast sight recovery – literally a pleasure to shoot.
15-meter test: fast pattern development at close range
At 15 meters (16.4 yards) – a typical distance for a quick shot at game flushed close in front of a pointing dog or encountered in thick cover – the Short Range load showed an exceptionally rapid pattern spread.
Instead of producing an excessively tight pattern that could cause unnecessary damage to game at short distance, the load opened quickly and generated a broad useful impact area, while also providing a little more margin for minor aiming errors.
35-meter test: unexpected pattern density at longer range
Out of curiosity, we then moved the target back to 35 meters (38.3 yards) – a challenging distance for ammunition specifically designed for short-range use.
Despite that, the heavy 40-g (1.41-oz) payload maintained sufficient pellet density on target to remain effective at this distance.
That provides an additional margin when game flushes farther away than expected, or when a second follow-up shot becomes necessary.
In Europe, the new B&P Semi Magnum 40 Short Range can be used for applications such as European hare hunting, upland shooting over dogs, or waiting for wood pigeons returning to roost. In the United States, the same concept could be well suited to hunts such as ruffed grouse in thick timber, pheasant over pointing or flushing dogs in heavy cover, and cottontail rabbit or snowshoe hare in brush – the latter representing the closest North American parallels to its European hare-hunting application. All of these situations illustrate how modern shotshell design can broaden the practical versatility of a specialized close-range load.
U.S. availability
At the time of writing, the B&P Semi Magnum 40 Short Range does not appear in Baschieri & Pellagri’s current U.S. catalog, and we were unable to confirm regular domestic availability or an official U.S. retail price for this specific load.
Baschieri & Pellagri ammunition is distributed in the United States through Fiocchi of America, part of The Kinetic Group. U.S. hunters interested in the Semi Magnum 40 Short Range should therefore check with B&P/Fiocchi dealers for future availability.
