"most universal Shot size"

[paulvallandigham]

If you were asking this same question of modern shotgun shooters, with choked guns as the NORM, and higher velocities were available due to the use of smokeless powders, the answer would most likely be #6 shot.

However, since most BP shotguns are Not Choked, and your velocity is not anywhere near what you get with smokeless powders, Going up in size to #5 shot gives you more pellet ENERGY in patterns out to 35-40 yards. Because we are not restricted by chamber or cartridge length to using only a limiter amount of shot in our barrels, you can add a bit more shot pellets to the load you use to help compensate for the lack of # of pellets by using #5 shot( 170 pellets per oz.) instead of #6( 225 pellets per oz.).

BrownBears' comment about getting more "pass-thru shots on snowshoe rabbits is relevant and important( when using #5 shot vs. #6): LIke most birds you are likely to hunt, rabbits, and squirrels are thin skinned animals, and small in size. While I was trained to "FEEL: the east I am preparing to eat, and remove any shot pellets I find still in the birds, etc. many hunters do not do, or perhaps know how to do this. NO one wants to bite down on a piece of shot during their meal. It happens in spite of our best efforts, but its no fun. You can do damage to dental work.

Therefore, using a pellet size sufficiently large to pass completely thru the body of a small game animal not only insures damage to internal organs to cause rapid death, but eliminates the chance of biting down on a piece of shot.
Ya got to "get-'em" before you can eat-em".

With a smokeless powder shotgun, I have taken pheasants with loads using #7 1/2 shot, #6 shot, #5 shot, and #4 shot. I prefer to use #5 shot now, and no longer use the others.

Particularly when I don't have a dog to retrieve or point the birds, I need #5 shot to anchor them hard, so I can find them where they fall. Standing corn and soybean fields can be difficult places to find your birds. I have had too many cripples get away with smaller sized shots, and no retrievers to find them and run them down. :hmm: :thumbsup:

 

[hawk]

I like #5 and #6 for rabbit, turkey, squirrels, grouse and pheasant.they seem to do the deed ok.

 

[bnail]

thanks for the info Paul! :thumbsup: that's a virtual disertation to a layman like me!

All I need to do is assemble a shot kit like Stumpkiller's and a get me some #5 and #6 Shot.
I take it Cold shot is good enough?

 

[paulvallandigham]

I use Magnum shot, when I can buy it. #5 is not commonly stocked for most retailers dealing with modern shotgun shooters. However, if you haunt Skeet, Trap, and sporting clays ranges-- and you should---- they will either have it, or order it for you with their next volume shipment. I used to buy it in the 25 lb. bags. Now, with the cost of shot so high, I reserve the #5 shot for hunting only, and shoot cheaper #7 1/2 or #8 shot for practicing on clays. You can buy 5-7 lb. bottles of #5 shot shipped to your door from Ballistic Products. That will normally be sufficient to hold you thru a hunting season. It will cost you more per lb. than the more commonly used smaller shot sizes, so spend your money wisely. Check Hornady's website for their prices, too. The ideas( and photos) oif the gear people have made here are obviously good " short cuts". But, understand: rarely will you be totally satisfied with someone else's idea of how to do things.

In fact, I have changed the things I carry, and how I carry them, so many times that I now wish I had someone taking pictures so I could remember when and how often, and what I have changed over the years. All I can tell you is that I started out with this sport looking like a pack mule with all the "stuff" I carried into the field. I am down to carrying very little "stuff" with me into the field anymore. I am going to cone the muzzles of my rifles, so I can forget my short starter.

For example: I now carry pre-measured powder charges in tubes, and leave my horn safely back at the truck. It doesn't get banged up, or hung up on brush in the field that way.

I have a priming horn when I am shooting flint, and capper when shooting percussion, but those go in handy pockets for quick use.

I am making ball blocks now, to carry PRBs for the field, rather than a bag of balls weighing down my hunting bag.

I can leave my adjustable powder measure back at the truck, too.

That leaves wads, and cleaning patches, and a couple of jags which can be carried in a small belt pouch I bought years ago from Log Cabin, a company in Ohio.

It will also carry my flint wrap, with extra flints, and my flinter's tool, along with that ball block, and those tubes of powder charges.

I usually take a bread wrapper, in my cargo pocket to put the trash I pick up in. That makes for easy disposal, in the first burn barrel I see.

Most of the gear3 stays back at my truck. I do take it from home, because its of no use to me back there. But, most of my gear rides in the truck, not on my hips, back and shoulders.

You will find it amazing how many pockets you have in all the shirts, jackets, vests, etc. that you wear on a chilly fall day in the field or forest. :grin: :thumbsup: And the process of reducing what you carry into the field will continue as long as you are alive. :shocked2: :blah: :surrender: :thumbsup:

 

[Idaho Ron]

For quail I use 7 1/2 or 8's.
For everything up to sage grouse I use 6 shot.
Early season Sage grouse are ok with 6's after the season has been on a while for Sage hens and Sharptails to might go to #5's if they are getting up WAY put there.

6 Shot is by far my favorite shot. Lead 6's will take any bird or rabbit on this continent. I have even killed coyotes with 6 shot. Ron

does that go for Snowshoe hares as well?

I'll let Ron speak for his own snowshoes, but #6 does quite well on killing them up here. My problem with #6 though, is that fewer and fewer of them penetrate completely as you get past 20 yards, leaving them behind to remove or chew on. I get complete penetration with virtually 100% of #5's to 30 yards. Strictly a matter of cleanup, rather than any doubt that the #6's will kill cleanly.

Ron?

I don't hunt snowshoes here we just don't have them in the desert. We do have whitetail Jack rabbits. these are huge hares. They can get to be 8 pounds. When I hunt these rabbits it is for the pelts. I sell the pelts to a local taxidermist. I also trade them to the taxidermist. When I shoot them I either use a 22 or I use 6 shot and try to line up the shot so I have brush in the way. I try to keep the pattern down to keep the pelt in good shape. Your thought about pass through is interesting. I would think that pass through could happen at some ranges and at longer rang it might not. Hunting pellets in a carcass is always something we have to do. Here is a picture of my son with a couple of whitetails. I am also adding a link to what they are. Ron
http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/mammals/Lagomorpha/Leporidae/Lepus/Lepus-townsendii.html

 

[Stumpkiller]

I take it Cold shot is good enough?

I get Lawrence chilled shot (from Ballistic Products).

 

[Mike Brooks]

I use #4's for everything except doves which I use 7 1/2's.

 

[Bretwalda]

I have found Nickel plated shot from Ballistic Products workn best for me when hunting small game here in Ohio...I use the 5.5's...this size has a good pellet count and ample weight for penatration...the nickel shot seems to "slide" better through game than other lead and it is not easily deformed. It is not cheep, but I do very little hunting as I primary enjoy a "walk in the woods" with my gun! :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

I have found Nickel plated shot from Ballistic Products workn best for me when hunting small game here in Ohio...I use the 5.5's...this size has a good pellet count and ample weight for penatration...the nickel shot seems to "slide" better through game than other lead and it is not easily deformed. It is not cheep, but I do very little hunting as I primary enjoy a "walk in the woods" with my gun! :thumbsup:

Interesting. And valuable feedback! I have an unopened bag of their nickel plated 5's staring at me right now, just waiting for me to get the time to put it to work.

Thanks! :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

For what it's worth, when doing load development for my turkey load, I tried magnum hard lad shot, copper plated lead shot, and nickel plated lead shot.
I ended up staying with the magnum hard lead shot as the others didn't make any difference.

Decades ago, when Winchester made its true copper "plated" shot, nothing could touch it...I still have about 10lbs of of it in #4s and hoard it carefully as it hasn't been made for a long, long time.

The copper and nickel plated shot generally available today is a very cheap version...not much more than a colored "wash" applied over pure soft lead shot and I found it very disappointing stuff. I saved it to burn up on the skeet range or something but I don't bother hunting with it.

 

[bnail]

I use #4's for everything except doves which I use 7 1/2's.

Mike, how would that worn in, say, a .62 Fusil with a 48" barrel?
or a 38" Brown Bess?

 

[bnail]

Why even bother with a plated shot?
is there that noticible of a diference?

 

[BrownBear]

Why even bother with a plated shot?
is there that noticible of a diference?

The old Winchester copper plate and the early nickel plated stuff certainly patterned a lot better than plain chilled or hardened in my guns. Long lamented, but never equaled. I ordered my bag of nickel to fill out weight limit on an order and just to try it. No room for a 25# bag of anything, so went with the smaller. But like I said, it's still waiting for me to haul it to the range.

As are lots of things right now! Winter has arrived in the last few days, and it's cut into lots of plans.

 

[Jason Lewis]

I also use BPI's nickel plated shot, i prefer 6's on pheasants and anything else in that size range. for turkey's i up to the 5.5's and bump up the shot charge a little. it works very well for me. the last pheasant i shot this season had twelve pellet wounds, 8 passed totally through, the other 4 were just under the skin on the exiting side. little to no deformity among the recovered pellets.