Shot size for smooth bore

[kendrolet]

I have a .56 cal smooth bore and want to try and use shot. I want to hunt squirrels and turkey and I'm sure I need 2 different size shot. Question is WHICH 2 sizes! :rotf: I saw that Knight has #6, #5, and #4....
any help is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Well most start banging on about pellet energies 'n all but I don't buy all that poop. I keep my pellet count up as much as poss and rely on the accumlative effect that all the real shotgunners know about.

English 7&6 for me....is that your 6&5???

Never can remember.

In my 410 days, 8&7,1/2s was all I used and it was always the two in the rabbits head that stopped him :thumbsup:

B.

 

[mzloder]

In a .56 bore I would want as high a pellet count as I could have. At the ranges where your gun would be most effective I would use #6 or #7-1/2 shot.

 

[Spikebuck]

From personal experience I know #6's will do the job very adequately on both squirrels and turkey at the ranges we're talking about. I also just watched Flintlocks and Squirrels and Brian Beckum was using 7 1/2's on squirrels and it was quite effective as well. Not sure I'd use those on turkey, though. Do some penetration testing using soup cans and see what happens at various yardages with different shot sizes.

 

[Black Hand]

All I've used is #6 for small game & turkeys.

 

[ghostdncr]

I buy #6 in the 25lb bags and have never been at want for anything more. My .56 and .75 both work great with it, providing I use all the appropriate wads in the correct order. I've only shot squirrels with the .56 but it's done a fine job. This spring will be the .75's inaugural turkey season, so "fingers crossed" and all that.

 

[Patocazador]

6's will work with both IF the turkey is closer than 30 yards (25 is better). Personally, I like 7 1/2s for squirrels, quail, doves, and rabbits and 4s or 5s for turkeys.

 

[excess650]

I prefer larger shot for better penetration. Back in the day I used #2 for squirrels and never had to pick any out. They went straight through and killed 'em right now!

I have several bags of copper plated shot #4-#6, a bag of magnum #5s and another bag of magnum #7-1/2s.

Keep your pellet count up by loading more shot than powder.

 

[satx78247]

For whatever my experience is worth, I use #6 (American) shot for everything up to foxes.
(Except where lead shot is unlawful)

BTW, in my experience BIG tom turkey's all too often seem "shot proof" in the body, so I go only for HEAD shots, whether using a small-bore rifle or a shotgun. = # 6 shot works FINE for those shots.

yours, satx

 

[Wes/Tex]

Being an odd sort I go for 3-5-7-9 when it comes to shot. Would even buy #1 if I could find them. Why...who knows, just what Britsmoothy would call a 'daft bugger'! :rotf: Sort of the old, "There is no reason, it's just company policy"! :v

 

[silly goose]

I've been getting along with #6's for bunnies and turkeys.

 

[Lonegun1894]

In my .54 Smoothbore, I use three shot sizes. #6 birdshot, #4 buck (.24"), and .520" PRB. The #4 buck I have been playing with, but don't get reliably good patterns for hunting, so those have not been tested on game. The #6 shot works great on small game and birds, and I have not taken a turkey yet, but will be loaded with the .520" RB when I go after them and going for a body shot.

 

[BrownBear]

...and never had to pick any out.

That's a big factor for me. You always miss some in the picking, and I hate trips to the dentist. It would be an even bigger factor if we were forced to use nontox for small game around here.

Shot a lot of squirrel in my days before Alaska, and they're tough compared to a lot of other small game, especially that skin. In modern guns I settled on #5's for full penetration at all ranges. I left a lot of shot behind in the meat with #6.

Snowshoe hare are cream puffs in comparison. I get full penetration from #6 in modern guns but leave some #7 1/2's behind. But a muzzleloader leaves #6 behind, so I use #5's.

Guessing about shot from a ML for squirrels, I'd bet on having to use #4's to get full penetration, if the comparison between modern guns and MLs holds true for them like it does for snowshoe hare.

One thing for sure- I'd buy smaller quantities of several sizes, then see which is which in a ML- both patterning and penetration. No sense buying whole 25# bags of a shot size that turns out to be wrong.

 

[Toomuch51]

Not .56, but we have sold many .50 Green Mountain drop-ins for T/C and most of our feedback has had tremendous results with #5 shot. This seems to work exceptionally well with regards to range, shot density and penetration.
This should get you in the ballpark but if you have friends with loose shot try a few different loads if they will loan you a few scoups.

Toomuch
-------
Shoot Flint

 

[Stumpkiller]

I like #5 for bunny and squirrel and #6 for grouse. #5 works on grouse as well but mine are straight cylinder and I need that added pellet density.

 

[kendrolet]

Thanks everyone! Great info.....now for the BIG question! WHERE can I get it? Have looked some online but I must not have the right key words. :idunno:

 

[pmwest]

I like #5's in my 56 for squirrel. I use ¾ oz. loads with equal volume of FFg separated by lightly oiled felt wads. Most shots are less than 25 yards and rarely leaves any shot in the meat.

Try here for shot: RotoMetals shot page

 

[ghostdncr]

Thanks everyone! Great info.....now for the BIG question! WHERE can I get it? Have looked some online but I must not have the right key words. :idunno:

I got my last bag at Cabela's. Before that, Gamaliel (Guh-MAYL-yuh) Shooting Supply: GSS

If you'd like a cheap way to test different sizes of shot, hit your friends up for a handful of modern shotshells with the sizes you'd like to try and just cut the ends off to release the shot. That's how I did it and found it to be MUCH cheaper than buying a 25# bag and seeing how that size worked. :haha:

 

[Stumpkiller]

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/
http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Chilled-Lead-Shot-5-25-lbs/productinfo/030CL05/

 

[tralfae]

I agree with the posters on penetration, particularly for squirrels. 5's are a great all around shot size. And I like nickel plated shot for the penetration. Its more expensive, but I don't target shoot much with my shotgun. Head and neck shots for turkeys are a must. As one poster said, keep you shots 30 yd or less and nickel plated 6's are great. Will shot through a soup can at 30 yards with a nominal powder load (80 gr of 2F).