What chokes and shot size?

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bradleyj

New member
Hey guys,

Just getting into pheasant hunting recently and I was just curious what chokes most guys use in their over and unders and what shot size?

Thanks
 
Welcome

Bradley,
I am a fan of #5 for shot size on Pheasant for a good all around size. Maybe #4 on late season birds that will be out farther. As far as chokes in an O/U I would use a IC in the first barrel and MOD in the second. Just my personal preference.

Good Luck!
 
Nothing wrong with full choke if you shoot it well. My hammy-down 12ga from the old man is a full choke. I shoot that gun better than most others. Just make sure you let the close-in birds get a ways out before you pull the trigger.

It works for me because 'close-in' birds only last until about the 3rd day of the season. :thumbsup:
 
RoosterBooster3632 said:
Bradley,
I am a fan of #5 for shot size on Pheasant for a good all around size. Maybe #4 on late season birds that will be out farther. As far as chokes in an O/U I would use a IC in the first barrel and MOD in the second. Just my personal preference.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

Ditto. You would be OK with 6s early season too. Also, you can mix shells: 6 shot in the first barrel, 5 shot in the second. Late season I switch to modified and full because the birds get spooky, flush earlier, and fly faster in panic. BTW, your bottom barrel should be your first shot because there is less displacement from kick than from the top barrel and, hence, you can reset for the second shot more quickly. Good luck!
 
For a double I'd tend to be I/C and modified with 5's.

For a single barrel, typically modified. Or if it is my 20 guage Ithaca, it has to be full. Or my 16 guage Ithaca, it has to be modified. They all kill birds though.

4's and 6's kill them too.

The truth though, its more about the Indian and less about the arrow.
 
For me the magic has always been modified and full on my over-unders both 12 and 20. #6 in the mod and #5 for the full. Pheasants are tenacious birds. Since we hunt in areas that also have wild quail I keep some 7 1/2 in my pocket; when it looks like quail area I stuff a 7 1/2 for the first shot and swap out a #6 on the second.
Sure I've tried IC and M for the barrels but for what ever reason I tend to have more wounded/runners with this combo. Might be psychological but it works for me. If I didn't have an O/U it would be modified all the way.
Cheers!
Wolf
 
I tend to shoot skeet and skeet or skeet and modified. I use a 5 or 6 in the first barrel and a 4 in the second. However, when the birds are coming up hot and heavy, I grab shells out of my pocket and go from there.
 
I use IC in my top barrel and shoot it first. Then go to the bottom barrel with a mod. Use hi brass #6 all the time. This is backward to what most people do I'm told. The traditional or expert way is to shoot the bottom barrel first.

Hunt a lot of quail and pheasant mixed bag so I keep it simple and use #6 all the time.
 
I shoot Mod on the bottom and Full on top on my Citori. I shoot the bottom first because my safety/selector is on top and I push it off with my thumb pushing it away from me. To fire the top barrel first I have to pull it toward me and then push it forward which can result in getting it between barrels on my gun and no bang being the result. Everybody else in the world can use the selector feature but I can't.
I hunted with a friend who had an old Citori who had I.C. on the bottom and Mod on top with set chokes, no tubes. I've seen him shoot tons of pheasants a long way out but often not dead. He had a fabulous Lab when he did it and just didn't lose birds. His dog would chase and find them a mile away and retrieve them.
Now he's got a pointer and shoots them much closer so the I.C and Mod makes more sense to me. If you are close enough to the birds to use I.C. or even Skeet I'd suggest 7 1/2 in both barrels. I've had wonderful luck with their denser pattern. I'm shooting at birds that start out some distance from me with my Lab so Mod. and Full work the best. When I hunted w/o a dog they got up in my face so more open was better.
 
I shoot a O/U 20 guage over a GSP and use 2 3/4 6s until very late in the season when I switch to 3inch 5s. I use the same chokes year round, which is skeet in the first bbl and IC out of the second bbl.. I'm very selective on the range of my shots, and find that this combination works best for me.
 
I don't know if the OP needs to know? Would be nice if some people would go back and explain what they are doing with shot size and choke. I can pretty much rationalize what you're doing. Nice to hear from those who do explain. Just to make sure.
I like 4's. Hate to wound. I like mod and full chokes. I'll have it on mod. Switch to full if the bird is getting out quick. I take longer shots than I have to. I always hesitate and get oriented before shooting. A dog provides much motivation to make sure first.
It's my opinion that chokes like IM and IC are to adjust a gun. In certain guns with certain chokes. They'll shoot differently. More open or closed. So you get what you really want.
If I'm running a single barrel. Usually I'll go with a full.
I do practice and experiment at trap and skeet. Just for hunting.
 
SDDogLover said:
My dog rides where a dog is supposed to ride. In the front seat next to me.
Gal's run when you say: My dog sleeps with me, and we both snore.
Happiness is a wet nose, and a wagging tail.
Click to expand...
Except for the running women part that pretty much explains how I feel about dogs too.

Back to chokes, there are so many variables with a flushing dog that it's hard to say, "This is the setup you want to use." Pointers give much more consistent, close flushes allowing more open chokes. Hunt with a Lab down wind on a windy day and they don't make a choke tight enough or a shell large enough in 20 ga. Hunt the same dog back up wind and it's a different story.
Some years I shoot a number of club birds for a friend who takes pictures of his dogs on point. Chukars and quail mostly to give the most points. On calm days I use low base 7/8 oz.-7 1/2s with Skeet 1 and I.C. tubes. On sort of windy days I use Skeet 1 and the 7 1/2s in the first and mod. and 1 1/8 oz. of 6s in the second. On windy days I put in the full choke instead of the mod. and still have to fire quickly if I miss with the first barrel. On really windy days and wild birds I'll frequently have two full chokes and 3" 1 1/4oz. 6s in the first barrel and the same in #4 in the second. It varies.
 
I shoot my IC/ MOD all season long out of my 28 and 20ga. I keep the dogs in range (mostly), keep up with them or slow them down (mostly), and only take reasonable shots. Do I let birds fly that others might take a shot at? Sure, but there will always be the next bird.
 
if im using steel like on most most all public land i hunt in SD i use improved & #2-#4 shot if just lead i still use improved but use #4 maybe #5s on opener or if prairie grouse in areas im hunting...

i have shot roosters with imp & 7.5 high brass loads in NE while quail hunting i know i dont need big shot for pheasant just make good shot on birds i shoot at. lol

i use a 12ga also im not a pro yet & hunt wild roosters so i need the 12ga still on grouse ill try 20 pop...
 
Mod x IC for me in my 20 with a 5 on the left and a 6 on the right. Hunting with flushers and in quail country. The 5s aren't optimal on the quail but work in a pinch since they are usually hauling the mail.
 
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