What do you think is the best shot size for those wily cockbirds?

R

retrvrman

New member
I know this questions has been beaten to death, however I think it is always fun to debate back and forth.

So I will start.....I like number 5's of either Fiocchi's golden pheasant, Kent's, Federal and then Remington, Winchester and whatever else.

I like 2 3/4, don't like the number 3's as much.

I just know that you need to have a shell that has a high number of FPS (foot per second) and high DRAM (with enough powder and lead to punch thru and bring em down).....

Greg
 
Depends on how close you get before they flush. Some guys think that 7 1/2s penetrate the feathers better. I'd say use as little as it takes to knock them down and not leave cripples. But then I like my table fare pretty.

So to answer your question 7 1/2 in the breech, 6 in the magazine. (or 6 and 5, again depending on range)
 
retrvrman said:
I know this questions has been beaten to death, however I think it is always fun to debate back and forth.

So I will start.....I like number 5's of either Fiocchi's golden pheasant, Kent's, Federal and then Remington, Winchester and whatever else.

I like 2 3/4, don't like the number 3's as much.

I just know that you need to have a shell that has a high number of FPS (foot per second) and high DRAM (with enough powder and lead to punch thru and bring em down).....

Greg
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Why don't you like 3 inchers? They are indispensable to me. Of course, I've shot tons of birds with 2.75" shells with both 12's and 20's but the 3 inch shell is the cats meow. Of course you might pay with a little slower fps and we all know that speed kills but there is just something about dropping a 3 incher in the chamber on a snowy December hunt that gets me going.
 
While I shoot them for ducks (shooting over dekes of course) pheasant is more like "pass shooting" in waterfowl terms.

The 3 inch shells don't get out that fast, cost more, and I have had them jam some in my pump. They pack the lead in there pretty darn tight.

I just didn't see the results that justified spending the $$ on them...that's all...I am glad that they work for you...
 
20g, Federal Wing-Shok, 3", 5 shot, 1-1/4 oz, 1300 fps - knocks the snot out of 'em. The only ones I've ever crippled have been the ones where I've known I shot poorly. Hit a bird even close to sqare with this load, it'll drop dead.

Like the wing-shok for 12g, too - but the 20 is a helluva lot lighter at the end of a long day in the field...
 
I use Federal Premium 4s or 5s. They shoot fast and seem to be a great shell. Kent also makes a pretty fast 3" shell. I"m interested to see houw the new Prarie Cloud/Storm(?) works.
 
Calisdad said:
Depends on how close you get before they flush. Some guys think that 7 1/2s penetrate the feathers better. I'd say use as little as it takes to knock them down and not leave cripples. But then I like my table fare pretty.

So to answer your question 7 1/2 in the breech, 6 in the magazine. (or 6 and 5, again depending on range)
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Many disagree with 7 1/2's, but they do work pretty well. Opener.......I'll have high brass7.5's in the chamber and most likely 6's backing them up. I don't take shots over 40 yards and prefer to shoot the birds that are pointed.

Later in the season I like using the Remington Nitro 4 shot and I take longer shots later in the season. High velocity loads are nice if you wanna pay for em' all season. I never use 3" shells.
 
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Any Brand Will Do

I typically shoot 1 1/4 oz. of no. 5 in 2 3/4" shells. I don't care about brand. I care about price. I'm cheap! Last mid to late season I started shooting no. 6 because we were shooting at more quail than pheasant.
 
This isn't a tough question at all. How about 6's in October, 5's in November, and 4's in December?

Next question.
 
I'm a different breed I guess. I like 7 shot for my 1st shot and 6's for the second in my O/U. I do not have any luck at all with shells below 1200FPS. I just pull feathers with the 1165's and the like. Over my Brittany this 7-6 combo works very well for me.......Bob
 
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five shot all the way until january when the birds are very educated than out comes the four shot five shot combo just in case we run into late season quail
 
BritChaser said:
I typically shoot 1 1/4 oz. of no. 5 in 2 3/4" shells. I don't care about brand. I care about price. I'm cheap! Last mid to late season I started shooting no. 6 because we were shooting at more quail than pheasant.
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I second that. what ever is in my pocket.
bobby g:cheers:
 
jflewis88, I only hunt wild birds (ie not pen-raised). ND opens on Oct. 9, and SD on Oct. 16.
 
CRP said:
jflewis88, I only hunt wild birds (ie not pen-raised). ND opens on Oct. 9, and SD on Oct. 16.
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Ahhh... was going off the fact that this is a CO forum, assumed you were here. Now I see you are in SD. I'm jealous... You'll have bagged several day's worth of limits before I've even scouted!
 
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