Crazy Horse RVN

"JTM612" please excuse my initial sarcastic reply. I just recently returned from North Dakota. I was using two 20ga guns. On the first day I was choked IC/F. On the second day I changed to M/F. Even with my French Britt the shots were on the long side. I was using Fiocci #5s and sometimes #4 for the second shot. Even with a good solid hit where the bird fell from the sky appearing to be dead in the air, the bird would not be dead. If not for the retrieval by the dog we would have lost several birds.

Don't waste your money on #7s. I would not shoot anything smaller than #6 and favor heavier shot. Do yourself a favor and spend a couple of nights at the Trap & Skeet range. It will most certainly help.

Good luck and good hunting,post some photos when you return.

sproulman

what a beautiful place to hunt..i agree with you..even here after birds are hunted you wont get any close shots..

i use no.5 HIGH BRASS,2 and 3/4 inch in my beretta uricka field 12g..i use mod choke and if birds flush real far out, full choke..

i carry 2 chokes with me, M/F..as the brush gets thinner and things die off i notice that my dog hunts farther out from me also..usually he hunts 20 yards, now its around 30..i think he feels he can see me farther out so he hunts farther out..

this causes LONG shots..also as you all know, they run a lot..real nice pictures, i like seeing them also..i dont know if i can ever get to hunt out there,but pictures make me feel, i am there..

Californiadoctor

Actually, that is one of main reasons I boughtmy Remington SP-10 Magnum and use it for waterfowl, turkey and other upland game birds as well as big game with slugs.Carrying it around provides more exercise than a lighter gun would.

Caldoc

Ruddyduck

Shell choice should be made on what the shooter's abilities are and what they have confidence in. Everyone's hunting situation and ability is differerent and what is good for one might not be right for another.
For most shooters in a 12 ga. 1 1/8 -1 1/4 oz or 6 or 5's going between 1250-1375 fps should do the trick. The majority of hunters are extremely poor judges of distance and take shots beyond what they should alot of times.
Michael McIntosh a retired writer for Shooting Sportsman and published author once wrote " I'm glad a few thousand pheasant over the years didn't know an once of 7 1/2's wasn't enough to kill them"

Beau Ouiville

For released pheasants this weekend I used 2 3/4" Fiocchi Golden Pheasants of 1 3/8 oz #6; choked at IC. In the other barrel I had 3" number 4 steel shot. Others in my group were using 3" Fiocchis. I shot the bag limit and only used the second barrel once (on a miss). Your results may differ.

Since I was carrying my 12 gauge, I wanted the birds to be rendered dead but edible. In addition, I sure didn't want anyone to accuse me of sky bustin'.

triggerhappy

I have been hunting for at least a decade with 20 ga. using 3" #6's or 5's copper plated. They have worked wonderfully...I get the lightness and ease of handeling with my 20ga with a 12 ga. payload. The copperplated stuff although more pricey penetrates better than lead and give me many more good kills. I use mostly Winchester and Federal stuff.

outdoorslover

You guys might think this is strange butI use #5 shot 2 3/4 or 3 inch 12 gauge shells all year long becauseI have lost many birds due to them getting wounded and running away. I am now scared to lose them and so I use Fiocchi and other top quality brands. I have not lost a bird yet this year. The meat gets shot up more butI would rather havethis than a lost bird any day. I have a skeet choke in my gun. It's my only choke and is quite adequate. By the way my fear of losing birds has caused me to run to downed birds and shoot the runners. Anyways, yes,I think that the load is quite adequateand should kill the birds.

pintailhomes

Depends on time of hunting season. How far out the birds are flying in front of you.

camelcluch

Seems a bit much to me. I like 7 1/2's at about 1300 ft per second. If there is heavy wind, I would go to a 5 or 6. All 2 3/4 in shells.

backcountryjlaf

Here is my personal opinion. There is no correct shell. Personally i won't shoot anything smaller than a number 6 on pheasants, i usually load 1/4 oz 2 3/4 inch #6 in a modified 12 guage for my bottom barrell, and then a #5 1/4 oz in 2 3/4 inch in a full choke for my top barrel. I worked out my loads as fast as i could get them, and i have downed birds with number 6 shot at 40 yards (havn't found a number 6 load that will do this consistenly yet, but i've done it) I find that shots inside of 30 yards in my gun my number 6 does the job every timed, and if i want to stretch it out a bit the heavier pellets give me a bit of extra range.

I think that you should look at what most of your shots are, and what kind of shooter you are. If you kill most of your birds inside of 20 yards, a number 6 will do just fine, and you might want a heavier load with a wider choke, if you are going to do a lot of long range killing you are going to want big velocity with enough weight to do some damage, and a tight choke that is going to give you some sort of pattern at that range.

To be very honest i think to much focus is put on shells, if you buy decent shells and make good shots you are going to kill birds. Very seldom does the shell make the difference, but it does on occasion, so why not be prepared. There are a few good sites that reveiw steel loads and rate them but i havn't found any for lead yet.