Same size in each barrel ?

[30-6]

I always (or 99%) always use two different shot sizes in my o/u's. Say 6's bottom and 5's top or 7's and 6's, probably a physicological thing, one for close one for distance. Anybody else do the same, ? or am i just weird.

 

Lucky i don't have a semi-auto or that would ****** me up.

[la bala]

I always (or 99%) always use two different shot sizes in my o/u's. Say 6's bottom and 5's top or 7's and 6's, probably a physicological thing, one for close one for distance. Anybody else do the same, ? or am i just weird.

 

Lucky i don't have a semi-auto or that would ****** me up.

or a single barrel.

[BerettaSV10]

I use what evers in my pocket, if using the last of the left overs could be any clay cart that goes into any barrel.

[Alycidon]

Depends what you are using them against and at what distance.

 

When I started with a 12 bore some 50 years ago I used Grand Prix 6s, worked well against sitting rabbits at up to 50 yards through very very tight chokes. As I got older I bought my own guns and cartridges and for some years used a skeet gun and 7s under the Ruffer idea. Got a lot of pricked birds when shooting at 40 yards. In my 30s I changed back to 6s and 1/4 + 1/2 choke, better but still a pricked bird or two on every drive. In my 40s I changed to 5s, still mainly with 1/4 and 1/2, everything is dead in the air or missed, anything that is hit and does fly on is usually dead where it lands. So I have gone full circle in almost 50 years of driven game shooting and over 50 in general shooting.

 

These days I use 5s for everything unless I know the birds on a given shoot will not be to challenging, I then take a light SBS and some Impax 6s, I have pulled down some very long birds with that combination over the years.

 

Use what gives you confidence, under 30 yards it makes very little difference.

 

A

[kent]

My ten is half and half equivelent to full and full in lead (its a flighting tool for geese so i want maximum range). I have a skeet and skeet choked s/s 12 its used for bolting bunnies and duck at short ranges. the auto stays on 1/2 unless i know i am just going to shoot the flashes were the duck are likely to be 30yds or less when i swap to improved. you just shoot them further out if your on too tight a choke for purpose and nearer if too open.

[Windknot]

No. Life is too short. I even use the same chokes in both barrels now. I find I can miss just as well with this setup as with any other. But cutting down on my mental workload (I have a minuscule prefrontal lobe, you see) leaves me free to swear at the dog and exchange liqueur recipes with the other Guns.

 

[EdSolomons]

I can see the logic (if not the real world advantage) with driven shooting as you know your first shot should be at longer range than your second, but if your pigeon shooting it strikes me as a bit of a waste of time as you don't know what's coming next? Load up with whatever and enjoy :-)

Not sure abou most pheasants shot under 30 yards? Would have thought most folk let those ones fly on?

[The Essex Hunter]

I shot half & full for a very long time but that was influenced from my Dads era as the general guns were choked like that.

I don’t get the opportunity to shoot driven game as our little rough shoot most of the birds are going away, we take it in turns to flush out a couple of spinney’s and once in a while a cock bird will burst out the trees nice and high.

90% of my shooting is pigeons so I have converted to ¼ and extended ¼ (ported choke) in my 30” Browning.

For the pigeons I use Ely First 7.5 in fibre and the pheasants RC 6’s in fibre.

 

 

 

TEH

[hillmouse]

I have shot with a fixed choke gun for 32 years.

I have used 6's and 7's, occasionaly 5's.

I have hit some and missed some.

 

Unless your name is George Digweed, Peter Wilson, or you shoot to an equivalent standard I would guess that if you are worrying about choke and shot sizes you are probably worrying about the wrong thing.

[motty]

I have shot with a fixed choke gun for 32 years.

I have used 6's and 7's, occasionaly 5's.

I have hit some and missed some.

 

Unless your name is George Digweed, Peter Wilson, or you shoot to an equivalent standard I would guess that if you are worrying about choke and shot sizes you are probably worrying about the wrong thing.

I have to disagree with this. Choosing a correct shot size and choke can be very important. For instance, i wouldn't want to go after foreshore pinks armed with 4 shot and skeet chokes. Yes, it matters less when pigeon shooting, but still, matching up the best shotsize/choke combination for a given ability will help maximise the opportunity. For 40 yard +, a skeet choke may be a poor option. I would certainly use 5's, 6's, 7's and 8's for general decoying, but i'm confident in my ability and know my cartridge/choke combination will do the business as long as i do my bit.

 

All that said, i certainly wouldn't intentionally use different shotsizes in different barrels for pigeons. As has already been pointed out, you don't know what is going to be coming next, anyway.

[njc110381]

I used to load 30g 6 and 42g 1 when I first got my shotgun and was doing rough walked up type shooting. That way I could do most things up to close foxes. I tend to use my combi gun for that sort of shooting now but if I did still only have a standard shotgun I think I would do the same. I can think of a few occasions where a quick flick of the barrel selector got me a shot that I couldn't have considered if I was only using #6

[fuzzypigeon]

I used to do the same when decoying 28g 7.5 in one and 32g 5 or 6 in the other simply so I could take a bird that decoyed well with the lighter cartridge and any that flared n were towards the edge of the range with the heavier load but now mainly use a semi and stick with 28g 7.5 through full choke or 30g 6

[Alycidon]

I can see the logic (if not the real world advantage) with driven shooting as you know your first shot should be at longer range than your second, but if your pigeon shooting it strikes me as a bit of a waste of time as you don't know what's coming next? Load up with whatever and enjoy :-)

Not sure abou most pheasants shot under 30 yards? Would have thought most folk let those ones fly on?

 

30 yards is being generous, have a look at the BASc and GC web sites. I peg my drives 50-60 yards apart, thats longer than just about any other shoot I have shot on and I have seen and shot on a lot. Even so a maximum shot will be 30 yards unless you are tiding one up behind the next peg. I have stood on pegs on a commercial shoot that were under 30 yards from my next peg, 4 guns could reach anything I missed. Luckily I was shooting in a very experienced line and we all agreed that anything coming straight to you was shot only by the next peg, that keeps you on your toes. We did not go back.

 

A