What do ya'll recommend for a pheasant load ?

Hammer

For most pheasant hunting , I like the best 1 1/8 oz of #6 in a 12 or 16 ga. Very late in the season I might switch to high speed loads of #5 in a full choke .

I have never seen the need for the ultra heavy loads some folks tout ; and much of the time I think many hunters are using too much choke . I think alot of the time folks are overestimating the range they are actually taking birds at........

1 3/8ths of plated 5's in an IC choke. 1 1/2 of 4's for the third shot, or the second late in the season. JMO, Dutch.

I use 1 1/4 oz #4 shot, with 3 3/4 dram behind it. I use either Modified or Full choke. Awesome combination!!

I use a 1 1/8 in 20 1 1/4 in 12 of 6 shot and can not tell the differants.

Hammer,

will you be hunting over a flushing dog or a pointing dog or neither?

Norseman,

When hunting this weekend, used a pointer which flushed them.

Hammer

I use 1 1/8 OZ of #6 shot in my 16 ga. Simply because where we hunt there is quite a few quail as well and anything more will blow a quail into a little puff of feathers. Yet, the #6's are more then enough for pheasant using a modified choke.

Best of luck,

Hammer,
double barrels, semi-auto or pump?

quote:

Originally posted by Norseman:
Hammer,
double barrels, semi-auto or pump?

Norseman,

My wife carries a semiauto 20 gauge. One son is carrying a single-shot 20 gauge. Another son is carrying a 20 gauge side-by-side. I'm carrying a 12 gauge over/under.

Hammer

I use a semi-auto Beretta, but I'm thinking about picking up an M2 and giving that a try.

We use Federal Premium 1 3/8 oz #5 at 1500 fps exclusively.
The heavy load allows you to use the most open choke you have in early season and tighten up later on if you use a single barrel.
I use an ic and im in a double for most situations.
Energy is sufficient at extreme ranges.

Most of my game shooting is over pointers so i tend to use 1 1/8th oz loads that i reload no 6 shot 26grain nobel n82 powder (old stock)g17 wad 12 grain of buffer(grex)cx2000 primer this works briliantly and out shoots anything i have tried. in factory oferings if i have to use them i use winchester superspeed 1 1/4 oz 6or if i can get them rotweil game 32 in 6

All I use for chukar and pheasant is 1 oz of 6 shot out of one of my 20 gages. This reload kills coyotes out to 40 yards! I can't see the need for anything bigger. Ron

Why isn't two ounces of #5 from a 10 gauge the proper load for pheasants ?

Seems like there would be fewer runners that way.

Hammer

I used to load a load called "The Hammer" I got from Ballistics Products. I forget what it is now. My favorite pheasant load and one with which I killed a lot of pheasants was 28.5 grains of Herco, AA Red Wad, and 1 1/4 oz. of magnum #6 shot. When I fly to Iowas to hunt, I don't carry any ammo. I fly into Cedar Rapids and go to Gander Mountain and buy two boxes of Federal's Pheasants Forever shells that are copper 5's. They do a job on the birds.

I think a lot of people overgun for pheasants because they see so many get up wild. It always seems to me the ones that are actually killed are shot at 25 yards or so, the wild ones that get up at 250 yards or so, you need a .223 not a shotgun. I believe I kill more with an IC choke than a Full, kill all the close ones rather than half the close ones and an occasional 40-50 yard bird.

Oh, I agree with the IC vs. Full choke. I do much better (and eat much better) with the IC. I do like the bigger pellets, however, and I go up a little in payload to keep the pellet count (and therefore pattern) in the ball park. JMO, Dutch.

Hammer:

What it really depends on is whether you like a 12 or 16 or 20 ga. -and when. If it's a 12 or 16 ga. then use standard load # 6s in early season. (If a 20 ga. use high base #6s) (If you're allowed to hunt pheasants long after harvest, (when they go up perhaps 35 or more yards away) then use high base #6s regardless of gauge. Some people like #4s but you have to be right on with #4s -and if the bird is closer than you realized, then whoever dresses the bird will bitch about the meat damage. Just kidding. Actually #4s are OK but they do chop up the bird if he is close in. (This ain't a goose!)

I used to shoot a lot of pheasants over my Britt. I never used anything other than factory Winchester Hi-brass #7 1/2 shot. I shot them out of a Winchester 1400 with a 22" VR barrel and the IC Winchoke tube. Never lost a bird. Never.

Hi guys,

Pheasants here seem to react favourably to 30g of lead 5's. If there is snow on the ground I'll step pto 32gloads in january but always 5's. that's inthe 12 bore.

In the 20bore dad and I use 23g Eley Classic upto Nov and then 30g Express. when it gets cold.

We account for in the region of 300 birds a season between us and Dad averages just under 2:1 kill ratio with the 20bore. 6's leave too many cripples on our high birds.

Rgds
FB

Fallow Buck

I take it when you mention 6 s you are referring to British 6 s which would be about the size of american 7 shot ?

At any rate , I have been using almost nothing but 6 s on wild roosters here for near 40 years and have found them to be pretty adequate , except for the very longest shots.

As I mentioned on another thread , I was going to try out a 28 bore this year due to a shoulder injury . We just got done with our opening weekend , and I found the little 28 worked like a charm . I used Fiocchi golden pheasant loads of 7/8 oz nickel plated 6 shot , and the W-W 1 oz. #6 loads . The W-W loads pattern better in my gun , so I will stick to those , and the 1 oz. of 6 s make the modified barrel on the little 28 a solid 40 yard killer.

My buddy and I shoot over pointers and have used Winchester High Brass Game loads #5 shot in 20ga. Most shots are close but this load performs well on the longer shots as well.

SD,

the 28 is a very under rated gun. I moved to a 20b about 6 years ago and dad thought I was nuts that 20's werre toy guns.... I forced him to try it one day on the pigeons and gave him 175 shells. He finished with a bag of 120+ pigeons and a few spare shells!!! the next week he bought a pair and took one to Cyprus so he can shoot with the same gun wherever he was.

I'm now looking for a 28b for me and I think the 32" barrelled Beretta may be the way to go.

Small guns are so muych more satisfying.

Started using 4's didnt think it worked well went to 2's that was about the same but tore up a lot of birds. Switched to 6 and 7 after reading an article about more shot better chances of connecting with the head ect. Never regretted it use 6 now and 7 they work great.

Swift Shot,

Success with a Shotgun depends on multiple pellet strikes and a recent report states that on average 9 pellet strikes are required to effectively kill a target. Looking at pattern densities that is why the 6's and 7's were an improvement for you.

I like the 12g 5 shot 2 3/4 its cheep and reliable. You have to take your time on the close ones, but its still good enough for the long ones. What would you use if you had to use steel as we do on public ground in Iowa?
I thied 6 and 4 with out much secsess. my choke is IC

JJohnson,

I've used Lyvale 32gram 4's in steel but find them lacking a little punch. I shot some pheasants on the last day of the season here with this shell and was glad I had the dog as I had a lot of cripples to finish off.

When I used the 36gram 3" #4 shell by the same manufacturer I could use it almost with the same confidence as lead. I would add that I have only used steel shot here on Ducks apart from the one off I mentioned.

To be honest the biggest problem with these shells IMHO is that the big shot size you need, tends to bash the meat up a lot more. Also because Steel is 30% (i think) lighter than lead, you have that many more pellets and a denser pattern at a given range.

Can you use something like Tungsten Matrix or Combi shot? 32gram of TM #5's will turn you into the limiting factor rather than your cartridge. It is too expensive here to use on pheasants but we are not allowed to shoot lead at ducks....

Incedentally,

My freind came to our shoot on Saturday and he is a collector of old guns. He leant me an 1850's SxS Holland & Holland Hammergun in 16bore with 30" damascus barrels. Apart from the fact that I kept forgetting to cock both hammers and use the seccond trigger I still managed to kill a few birds!! The Dog couldn't understand why I was not shooting at birds coming over!!! We finished up with 68 head for the day split betweeen duck and pheasants.

Rgds,
FB

I use 1 1/8 oz of #6 shot in a 16 ga. with IC/Mod chokes in early season. In late season with birds flushing further out, I usually switch to #5 shot thru Mod/Full chokes from the same gun.
Best advice:
1) use top quality lead
2) pattern test your loads
3) when you find a good one in your gun, stick with it.

I hunted in Southern Idaho yesterday. Most were pretty spooky and flying aways out. I wish I had some of the Winchester Double Magnum Copper Coated Lead. It might have helped me out.

quote:

Originally posted by sierrabravo45:
I hunted in Southern Idaho yesterday. Most were pretty spooky and flying aways out. I wish I had some of the Winchester Double Magnum Copper Coated Lead. It might have helped me out.

Sent your dogs up on the other side of the field and have them come to you ...the bird's will come to you that way you can shoot left or right not over the dogs .

Snake river islands 15 years 3 month a year...
It works .

Martin

I just got back from a week long hunt in N Dakota/South Dakota. We were 6 miles from the border and hunted both states almost every day. We had our best knock down and out shots with copper coated 5's. Both in 12 gauge and in 20 gauge.

I have used a 12ga in the past, 1 1/4 oz #5 copper, 28.5 grs Herco, Rem RP-12 wad, AA hull. Used that exclusively on decoyed geese. Don't hunt geese anymore so I quit using my 12 ga. I now use nothing but my 20ga Lightning. Fiocchi Golden Pheasant loads, #5 nickel in 2 3/4 and backed up with a 3 inch. I have been to SD twice so far this year, will head to Kansas on Friday and back to SD the following weekend with a follow-up or two in the coming weeks.

12 ga 1 1/4oz copper plated #5 Will Not kill coyotes at 40 yards but will kill pheasants at 50yards. If the birds are holding well for pointing dogs 1 0z. of #6 is all that is needed.

I have used #5 shot on pheasant for over ten years now. I have had very few birds that ever moved when they hit the ground using 5's. I'm using 26.5gr Herco, Rem SP-12 wads in a STS hull. Seems to work well.

I use a premier or sts case with 1&1/2 oz of magnum # 5s, a winchester red wad, WW209, and 28 grains of longshot. It's a bit much for close shots but it works well on the wild ones and I just let the close ones get out further before I shoot. I use a modified or improved modified in my extrema. This load chronies at 1250 fps but I have a 1&1/4 oz longshot load that I've clocked over 1400. I prefer the 1&1/2 load because it patterns well and matches the speed of my practice loads.

Jim, you are making me incredibly envious. We had one week of hunting and the dog and I were wore out. A few days at home and both of us are ready to go back. The two day drive is not fun for us.

Just got back from Nebraska, hot and dry but we found roosters and more covies of quail than in the past. Had a very good hunt.

wow no votes for 1 1/4 oz #4 shot, ic

I use 1 3/8 oz of #4 or #5 in DoubleAA Hulls with an SP12 wad and 36gr. of Blue Dot. This load is a fantastic shooting one in my 1100 Rem. Mag.

Hawkeye47