3" mag shotshells
Question:
Seems like an overkill in most situations, IMO. I use 2 and 3/4" #6 high-vilocity shells in the early/mid season. Then I switch to 2 and 3/4", #5 Fiocci Golden Pheasants (Nickel-plated lead that cares a nice punch) for the late season. With a 3" shell you’ll have to wait longer for the birds to fly out. That’s a problem I’d rather not deal with- I’m not near a good enough shooter!! Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
has anybody ever used 3" mag #6 shot on pheasants? 12ga is what I bought. any disadvantages or advantes to these? just though I would try them instead of the regular 2 3/4" shells. Thanks, Mike Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
I used them on Pheasent and was very pleased with the results. I also use them on Chuckar. If your too close, they will eliminate alomost all edible meat on a chuckar. You have to learn to wait on the shot so the bird gets far enough away that you don’t pulvarize it. But on Pheasent, they should not destroy too much meat. Most gunners who have been upland hunting for a while, especially the triailers, will tell you there is no advantage to a Magnum load of any size. It’s all advertising to get people to buy bigger and better, they say… I can tell you that when I shoot 2 3/4 in 6’s I bring home less birds than I do when I shoot 3", 6’s. Do the math. I like mags! Happy Hunter
> has anybody ever used 3" mag #6 shot on pheasants? 12ga is what I > bought. any disadvantages or advantes to these? just though I would > try them instead of the regular 2 3/4" shells. > Thanks, > Mike > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
>has anybody ever used 3" mag #6 shot on pheasants?
Sounds like a bit of overkill to me. The mag will give you more shot, but depending on the exact load may be a bit slower. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
John Galt wrote > has anybody ever used 3" mag #6 shot on pheasants? 12ga is what I > bought. any disadvantages or advantes to these? just though I would > try them instead of the regular 2 3/4" shells. >The longer shot string does you little if any good. Who
actually leads a bird >too far?
Well, I do at times. <g> But your point is correct. If you do the math/geometry I think you’ll find that even with a 12 foot long shot string and a 40 mph crossing bird, the entire shot string goes past the bird in the time it takes the bird to travel about 6 inches. The idea of using a long shot string to get birds you over-led is a falacy. >If you aren’t killing the pheasants ‘dead enough’ try a better quality of >pellet. Get some extra-hard premium shot instead of the normal ’sale’ ammo. >The hard shot resists deformation and keep a better pattern.
Mike, I’d say your problem is not shot hardness most likely, it is that you "fringed" the bird with your pattern, either out of inaccurate shooting or being choked too tight. Don’t feel bad, shooting a shotgun well does not come easy to 99% of the people who try it. The solution is quality practice. Start with skeet, then go to 5-stand or sporting clays to best simulate bird hunting shots. Getting someone who knows how to shoot well to give you some instruction. Get to where you can center the bird in your pattern and a 7/8 oz. 20 ga. load of #7-1/2 will drop a big rooster 40 yards away like a bolt of lightning. >And, shoot for the head. Too many hunters ‘aim’ at the bird and that long >tail causes them to shoot behind the bird. Concentrate on the head, not the >whole bird, and you’ll get better kills.
Good advice. Cush Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> has anybody ever used 3" mag #6 shot on pheasants? 12ga is what I > bought. any disadvantages or advantes to these? just though I would > try them instead of the regular 2 3/4" shells.
Try them, by all means, but I see no reason why you want to put up with the increased recoil (and increased purchase price) for no benefit. You can get equal muzzle velocity from 2 3/4" shells, and there is no reason to go with the increased shot capacity. We tend to forget that the shot occupies a volume, not an area, and the increased volume of shot merely results in a longer shot string. The longer shot string does you little if any good. Who actually leads a bird too far? You’ll find that an ounce to 1 1/8 ounces of shot gives you a nice short shot string, so all your pellets are in a dense, killing cloud. As you put in more shot, the string gets longer and longer, and individual pellets banging against each other on the way out make (my guess as to the cause of) the shot strings longer than you would expect of the seemingly minor addition of a few more pellets. If you aren’t killing the pheasants ‘dead enough’ try a better quality of pellet. Get some extra-hard premium shot instead of the normal ’sale’ ammo. The hard shot resists deformation and keep a better pattern. And, shoot for the head. Too many hunters ‘aim’ at the bird and that long tail causes them to shoot behind the bird. Concentrate on the head, not the whole bird, and you’ll get better kills. Hope this helps. — I do not exist to serve the state. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
