motty

There are many good areas all over the country that will give good shooting. What area are you in?

A pigeon a minute really isn't that much. I have recently had shooting where you could easily shoot 6 a minute at times. If you haven't experienced pigeons coming in thick and fast, then that is a shame.

Glad you are finally getting into them!

If I was decoying, I would be embarrassed to fire 300 cartridges for 150 birds, unless they were not decoying at all.

Most steel shot comes from China.

I don't know the answer, but I do know that I will have very little rape to shoot this year. Another 4 of my farmers are giving up growing it.

That is a completely reasonable and believable figure. Yes, some people do lie, but then there are some that just can't or won't accept it when others have done well. I have been called a liar about numbers in the past. I would have no reason to lie.

A good deed done, at the expense of a greater bag. Nice work!

I'm with you on that. I'm all for these developments, but I'm not paying those prices.

This is what I have. Good kit for a decent price.

Loading your own is the best bet.

I don't enjoy the heat as such, but will ensure a scorching day if the barrels are also kept hot!

Whatever the chamber length, a 32gm no.3 placed correctly will take care of a goose at sensible range.

You sound very keen. Long may that last.

I use full, but it is up to you what you use. Your requirements may differ to mine.

I would shoot tighter, but the choice is yours.

I imagine you might choose 3s or 4s to shoot in your gun. If the gun was mine, I would leave It as it is and use 3s or 4s.

I know that Anthony Poolman uses maybe 500+ steel cartridges a day when pigeon shooting. He uses an o/u. I have seen pictures of apparent damage that have turned out to be fake. I have also never heard of anyone to have suffered damage to their guns through using steel. Considering I know a lot of wildfowlers, if steel was really that bad for guns, I would surely have heard about some issues by now.

I think it is hit and miss around here. Some really good crops have been seen, but also some awful ones. I saw one field of rape that I couldn't believe the farmer would bother to put the combine over. I doubt the seed would have covered the diesel cost! Many of the spring barley crops I have seen look as good as any other year. Hopefully plenty will be scattered on the ground when cut!

Yeah, I think some maybe don't realise how much driving and looking can be involved in finding birds and planning a shoot. I will sometimes look at the same field 3 times in a day to see what is happening. It used to be easier to check farms because I would go past several to and from work, but my work area has changed so I can't do it anymore. It has cost a lot in diesel recently, but it is all worth it in the end. The rape stubbles have been slightly disappointing this year and it will be even worse next year. Another 4 farmers have told me they are growing none at all. That will only leave me with about 3 farms that will grow any! Unfortunately not, but I may film some more soon. It can be distracting sometimes, and your shooting is compromised a bit by concentrating on the camera. I will have to upload some film from earlier this year, and even some from last year that I haven't yet edited. Also, Chris Green has again shown an interest in coming up to film some shooting. Maybe that will happen this year.

There have been several young ones in the bag, but not huge amounts. I normally see more youngsters in September. Sometimes a third of the bag can be juveniles. I would rather shoot older birds, but if youngsters keep coming I will shoot them.

I agree they are different. I probably wouldn't entertain using such large shot through my guns (Perhaps excepting my 10 bore with .705 Terror, a choke which is said to be almost indestructible), but i have used 4.3mm in my fixed full choke kestrel s/s 10.

Post some of the pictures and let us see.

Most of the pictures on the internet of guns damaged by steel shot are bull/fake/erroneous.

It is always up to the individual what they deem suitable to put in their guns. I have used (and seen many others use) cartridges in a lot of guns that the "experts" say should not be used. I know no-one that has ever experienced a problem with putting HP steel through their non steèl proofed guns. I would have no issue putting 3s through any choke, provided the gun hasn't got wafer thin muzzles. I have said several times before that I own three 10 bores. None of them have steel proof. I have put some big, fast steel loads through them all. They show no obvious signs of wear or damage. My mate has recently put some F steel (5.5mm) through extended full chokes. No damage occurred.