I was just wondering what size shot do you use for skeet? I use to shoot trap but now want to try skeet. Also wad and chock if any one could help me. Also it has been a year or so since I bout any shot are the prices still high or has it came down any.

I don't reload shotshells, but I shoot plenty of shotgun and work at a shotgun range. #9 and a skeet choke is the norm for skeet shooter wanting the best scores. For the "good" people, full is used when practicing.

The size of shot has never affected scores greatly for me, ranges are close enough where most pellets are in a small area, regardless of shot size.

cridertj,
I use #9 shot for .410 and 8 1/2 for everything else (12,20 and 28). I use skeet chokes and I know quite a few AAA shooters and none of them use full choke for practice. Some of the big dogs will put in a tighter choke for the second shot for doubles but most use skeet or something close to it. My .410 choke restriction is .008 instead of .005. I use that because the load I use patterns really well with the .008 and it had some holes with the .005.

If it has been a year since you bought any shot, you are in for a bad surprise. It has gone thru the roof and you will find a bag of 25 lbs costing anywhere from $35 to $55.

quote:

you will find a bag of 25 lbs costing anywhere from $35 to $55.

Ouch, show ya how long it's been since I bought some shot. The last bag I bought $5-6. Needless to say, I don't shoot that much skeet anymore!

I got a bit itchy over buying at $22/bag when I think it had bdeen $18 a few months before. Anyway I have 50 lbs now. Some is no. 6 wehich ain't egg-zackly skeet stuff. I think I do have about 630 rounds of 12 and 20 which I bought at about $4/box and sometimes less.

I have about 5,000 rounds of 12, 20, 28 and 410 right now but it will not last me long. I went through about 25K last year. Right now I only have one bag of shot left. When the weather gets better I am going to fire up my Littleton shotmakers and build some more.

I have some lead pipe under the porch as well as some still stuck in the walls plus a couple bad batteries. With wheel weights and whatever from a tire shop I should be able to come up with enough to pour some shot. I looked up that issue briefly but forgot what was involved. Gotta do some research. Might even "boil down" some pistol bullets I don't expect to use.

Lead pipe and battery lead do not make good shot but wheel weights do. If you want the scoop on it, go to www.shotgunworld.com and then to the forums, then look for "Making your own shot" under Reloading. I have copied everything on that thread and it is close to 100 typed pages now. It is a fairly labor intensive operation. You need to flux the lead, and make ingots, then you have to have a lead maker, a tank for cooling the shot, then you wash it, grade it to size, tumble it with some graphite powder and bag it. A littleton shotmaker cost around $450 and makes about 45 lbs an hour. I have 4 of them presently (not that I am going to get any more of them.)

The best shot size for skeet is #9. The best choke is a skeet choke, or, if that is not available, an improved cylinder. (The IC choke is slightly tighter than a skeet choke.)

If you load your own, there is no good reason to load to a velocity greater than about 1150 f.p.s., especially in 12 gauge. I like 1 oz, or even 7/8 oz loads for 12 gauge, loaded to about 1135 to 1150 f.p.s. Any greater velocity than that will not break more targets but will knock you about more and tire you more quickly. I don't think there is any advantage to a 1 1/8 oz load for skeet either -- they just cost more to load and kick more.

For trap, #8 or even 7 1/2 shot is better, as is a tighter choke because the distance from gun to target is greater in trap shooting than in skeet. There may also be some benefit to loading to a slightly higher velocity for trap than for skeet.

For wads, use the wad that matches the hulls you are using, or use one of the independent brands -- I like the Claybuster clones of the Winchester wads. In 12 ga. you can get wads designed for 1 1/8 oz, 1 oz, and 7/8 oz loads. In 20, 28, and 410 the loads and wads are standardized at 7/8 oz, 3/4 ox, and 1/2 oz respectively. The Hodgdon loading manual lists the greatest number of possible hull, wad, primer, shot, powder combinations, but only for Hodgdon powders.

Shot at the range where I shoot is now about $43 for a 25 lb. bag.

My best skeet scores have been with a choke tube that is .002 bigger than the bore....just a thread protector.