Need pheasant reload recipes

B

Blood Trail

New member
hello guys! New guy here and I hope to learn a lot from y'all. I'm a Marine vet living in Texas and me and the fellers is going on another pheasant hunt this fall. Last year, we traveled up to Nebreska for the NRA-Benelli sponsored hunt during the Phesant Bonanza hunt. We had a blast.

This year, we're going to a place in Kansas. I'm looking to reload my shells this go around using 6# shot. I have every hull and powder you can think of.

Would like to hear y'all recipes for shots out to 40-50 yards.

Thanks in advance!
 
Rem STS, Nitro or Gun Club Hulls

Hodgdon HS-6 Powder 34.0gr W209 Primer WAA12F114 Wads (Yellow) 10,300 LUP 1,330 fps

Hodgdon (IMR) 800-X Powder 25.5gr W209 Primer WAA12 Wad 11,500 PSI 1,325 fps

Winchester AA HS Hulls

Hodgdon 800-X 26.5gr W209 primers WAA12 wads 10,700 PSI 1,325 fps


Hodgdon HS-6 33.0gr W209 primer WAA12F114 wads 10,500 LUP 1,330 fps

These should give you good results at ranges you asked about.

HS-6 is identical to the old Winchester 540 powder. It makes an excellent field load.
 
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Hodgdon Longshot powder
1 1/8 oz #5 or 6
Windjammer 8 petal wad
Win 209 primer
1420 fps

Hodgdon Longshot powder
1 1/4 Oz #5 or 6
Windjammer 8 petal wad
Win 209 primer
1385 fps

After patterning both loads I like the 1 1/8 oz load better.

Jeff
 
I used this load for a long time in my 12. Now I just buy hunting ammo.

Green Dot powder
1 1/8oz of 6
Rem Hull
CB1118 hull
Win 209.

Book says 1200fps. Killed pheasants just fine.
 
I used to reload everything, shotgun, rifle & handgun. I have since sold all my reloading equipment. Unless you are reloading for trap/sheet/sporting clays where you are going to shoot a lot of shells it's really not worth the effort. For guys that take 1 or 2 trips a year to hunt pheasants you are probably better of just buying some decent factory loads. I have a friend from Wisconsin that reloads his pheasant loads and probably only shoots a box or two a year. I have always questioned him as to why. It's certainly not cost effective and then every once in awhile he has a dud. Last year I gave him a box of Federal PF shells and he started killing a lot more birds. To try and save a couple bucks with reloads to go on a trip that is costing you hundreds of dollars in gas, motels, food and license just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But then, each to their own. :)
 
I like to reload because it is fun and I can make shells crafted to my specific needs. I have a nice old European SXS shotgun and I was able to come up with a recipe that not only met my velocity and pressure desires but after experimentation I got both barrels to pattern exactly as I want. You can't do that by grabbing something off the shelf at Cabela's.

All that being said, I'm an old school guy who killed his first pheasant in 1961, so I have some experience in the matter. I do not get the need for lead shells with velocities over 1300 fps and even that is high. I killed pheasants dead for decades with lead shells pushing shot at 1150-1200 fps. If you like the jarring recoil and it makes you believe you are hitting the birds harder, go for it. But I'll compare my dead birds to yours and I bet yours aren't deader.
 
I fully understand reloading for the fun of it and to craft special loads. I did it for years. My point was towards people like my friend that is lucky to shoot a box of shells a year. Much easier and probably cost efficient to buy a box off the shelf. And they don't need to be high velocity or something like Prairie Storm. Heck, all I've used for the past 10 years is a 16 ga. and I kill just and many birds as I did with my 12 prior to that.

FYI, shot my first pheasant in 1956. :)
 
Blood -- Glad to hear you are going back, enjoy the hunt.

First off, try to keep your shots inside of 40 yards if you want to shoot #6 lead. Yes, they've killed a ton of pheasants over the years but if your shots are out past 40 in the 40-50 yard range you mentioned then the #5 lead pellet will probably serve you better.

As for reloads, here are a couple I have used with good success on pheasants. And, here are some of my pattern numbers to give you an idea of the kind of pattern densities you can get from a 12-gauge 1 1/8-ounce of #6 lead and a 1 1/4-ounce load of #5 lead.

Patterning results from a 12-gauge Browning Citori with 28" Invector-plus barrels using Briley flush chokes (patterns average of five, 30" post-shot scribed circle, yardage taped muzzle to target, and in-shell pellet count average of five).

12 GA 2 3/4" RELOAD (RSTS, R209, GREEN DOT, WAA12)
1 1/8 oz #6 lead (267 pellets) @ ~1225 fps
30 YARDS / SK / pattern 171 (64%)
30 YARDS / IC / pattern 211 (79%)
40 YARDS / M / pattern 182 (68%)
40 YARDS / IM / pattern 195 (73%)

12 GA 2 3/4" RELOAD (WAACF, W209, UNIQUE, WAA12F114)
1 1/4 oz #5 lead (210 pellets) @ 1220 fps
30 YARDS / SK / pattern 145 (69%)
30 YARDS / IC / pattern 177 (84%)
40 YARDS / M / pattern 155 (74%)
40 YARDS / IM / pattern 174 (83%)
50 YARDS / IM / pattern 125 (60%)

Hope this helps, good luck.
 
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I have reloaded for years and find it most relaxing. For pheasants, I use WW data. AA hulls, WSF powder, #5 shot and DownRange wads. A bag of shot and pound of powder gives approx 250 rounds. That usually lasts me for several years.
 
If you are shooting a double gun shoots 6's in your open choke and 5 's in your tighter tube .

35 years of hunting pheasant suggest after you get over 35 to 40 yds 5 's are the way to go ( what Joe said )
 
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