Anyone still use no.7 shot for pigeons?

[Jay_Russell]

Leech and sons.....Eleys

 

TEH

Cheers only 20 mins from me, didnt even know they were there

[Alycidon]

I used to use 7.5s years ago but got a lot of runners. Friend of mine still does and he gets more than his share of wounded birds.

 

The problem comes once you get over 30 yards, pellet energy is well down but to a degree is compensated by multiple hits, providing you get those hits. Major JOHN RUFFER recommended True Cyl and 7s for pigeons, I used them for some years in a skeet gun and while they would usually knock birds down if I did my bit I had a lot of walkers. Tight chokes and 7s or 7.5 who still limit you to 35 yards or so due to pellet energy retained. the same combination with 5s would be good for 50 yards.

A

[motty]

I used to use 7.5s years ago but got a lot of runners. Friend of mine still does and he gets more than his share of wounded birds.

 

The problem comes once you get over 30 yards, pellet energy is well down but to a degree is compensated by multiple hits, providing you get those hits. Major JOHN RUFFER recommended True Cyl and 7s for pigeons, I used them for some years in a skeet gun and while they would usually knock birds down if I did my bit I had a lot of walkers. Tight chokes and 7s or 7.5 who still limit you to 35 yards or so due to pellet energy retained. the same combination with 5s would be good for 50 yards.

A

I find that I don't have to limit myself to 35 yards with 7s and even just half choke. I get my fair share of 50 yarders.

[Guest stevo]

I still cant get my head around this choke business even after all these yrs , I used to sit there and be forever changing my chokes after a **** shot thinking its the chokes fault , so for as long as I care to remember all I use is full , every now and then I play with a 3/4 just for a change , but the full normally goes back in after a couple of shots haha . I find with that combination two things happen , one ...I stop thinking about chokes and just enjoy my shooting , two .. pretty much an ounce of any shot size with a full choke will knock pigeons out of the sky out 50 yrds . at the moment for crows/rooks im hooked on RC2 in a #6 ( English 5.5 ) I love em

Edited November 22, 2014 by stevo

[BIG 5]

6's or 7' ens. does it really matter? For pigeon just point the gun in the right direction.

[Dr D]

It depends how far out they are. I used to shoot skeet and and 7.5 over decoys. I was disciplined and only shot birds in the pattern.the blunderbuss effect meant I missed very little. Now I take alot more rangey shots with modified choke and 6s. I dont think it has improved the bags, but I find it more fun.

[JDog]

I still cant get my head around this choke business even after all these yrs , I used to sit there and be forever changing my chokes after a **** shot thinking its the chokes fault , so for as long as I care to remember all I use is full , every now and then I play with a 3/4 just for a change , but the full normally goes back in after a couple of shots haha . I find with that combination two things happen , one ...I stop thinking about chokes and just enjoy my shooting , two .. pretty much an ounce of any shot size with a full choke will knock pigeons out of the sky out 50 yrds . at the moment for crows/rooks im hooked on RC2 in a #6 ( English 5.5 ) I love em

 

Surely you cannot be approaching some sort of agreement with an old **** like me and my post no.16 on this thread?

[Guest stevo]

 

Surely you cannot be approaching some sort of agreement with an old **** like me and my post no.16 on this thread?

haha Its a funny ol world JDog

 

if was a clay shooter then yes I can see what the fuss is about ,as anything in a competition that can give you a fair advantage is a plus in my book ,

where as, when shooting live quarry I have only one real requirement , I don't like too many variables ........ Decent shell . Tight choke . the only bit that can fail with that combination is me .

Edited November 23, 2014 by stevo

[wymberley]

Elsewhere on here is detailed what some consider a 'baggable bird' - a broken wing and death within 5 minutes. Fortunately, we don't subscribe to that definition, but use that of the late Gough Thomas which has never been bettered - "the maximum effective range of a gun in relation to a given kind of game is the greatest range at which it is reasonably certain that a clean kill will be made by a truly aimed shot". It is not reasonable to expect this if a bird is not hit with sufficient pellets. Relying purely on one to hit a vital spot is not how a shotgun is designed to kill. Neither is it reasonable to hit a bird with any amount of pellets if none have the energy required to penetrate sufficiently. When it comes to a pigeon, provided a minimum of some 100 pellets having approaching 1ft/lb of energy are contained within the central 20" of the pattern then the objective is achieved. Consequently, it matters not in the least whatever cartridge load one uses provided these criteria are met at one's self imposed maximum range.

[Salop Matt]

30 gram 6`s (fibre) has been my standard cartridge of choice for all my pigeon work now for years !

 

Unless decoying in really well I wouldnt have the confidence in a 7.5 shot size, but each to there own.

 

ATB

 

Matt

[ShropshireSam]

I recently tried some 71/2 clay shells as was running low on my usual 6 shells. I found I had a better kill rate with very few wounded when shot in decoying range (ie less than 35 yards). For decoying I will stick to the 71/2 as about £6 cheaper for a slab and revert to the 6 shot for flightlines and roost shooting.

[Westley]

5's or 6's through Full.

 

Do you eat a lot of pigeon soup then ?

[motty]

 

Do you eat a lot of pigeon soup then ?

I don't understand.

[wymberley]

I don't understand.

+1

[ditchman]

5's or 6's through Full.

 

 

saves plucking them !

[lakeside1000]

These days I tend to stay with 28 gm 6's, but for many years I used 7's or 7.5's in 28 gm and had some good success through 1/2 and 3/4 chokes, the only reason I moved to 6's was I tend to shoot more long range birds with high velocity cartridges, my favourite is Kent velocity @ 1400 fps, 50 to 60 yard birds are regular and rarely pricked or runners, I found 7's out beyond 30 to 35 yards resulted in many more birds losing feathers but still flying, cartridges are always a matter of opinion , Its really about what performs best for you.

There is always the argument about load size, 21 and 24 gm are fine for clays, 28 and 29 gm for most pigeon shooting , especially when there are a lot of birds about and the barrels rarely cool down, I find 32 gm loads too heavy for pigeon but fine for pheasants at range,and of course crows !! carrying large selections of cartridges is not practical so staying with your favourite will only increase your confidence and ability to hit harder targets. and finally fibre wad whenever possible, only resorting to plastic on clays or when I cant get anything else.

[wymberley]

 

 

saves plucking them !

Probably not and certainly not if you 'give it lore'.

[motty]

These days I tend to stay with 28 gm 6's, but for many years I used 7's or 7.5's in 28 gm and had some good success through 1/2 and 3/4 chokes, the only reason I moved to 6's was I tend to shoot more long range birds with high velocity cartridges, my favourite is Kent velocity @ 1400 fps, 50 to 60 yard birds are regular and rarely pricked or runners, I found 7's out beyond 30 to 35 yards resulted in many more birds losing feathers but still flying, cartridges are always a matter of opinion , Its really about what performs best for you.

There is always the argument about load size, 21 and 24 gm are fine for clays, 28 and 29 gm for most pigeon shooting , especially when there are a lot of birds about and the barrels rarely cool down, I find 32 gm loads too heavy for pigeon but fine for pheasants at range,and of course crows !! carrying large selections of cartridges is not practical so staying with your favourite will only increase your confidence and ability to hit harder targets. and finally fibre wad whenever possible, only resorting to plastic on clays or when I cant get anything else.

I can't believe that anyone can kill pigeons stone dead with 6s at 60 yards, but then wound a lot more with 7s at 35+ yards. This makes absolutely no sense.

[Guest stevo]

I think some people need to be putting tape measures on there Christmas lists ............

[Scully]

I've shot and killed some pretty far out birds with 32 grm no6 Clear Pigeon through full choke, but don't think I've ever shot a 60 yarder, though once shot and killed in the air a verified 54 yd jackdaw with 32grm no5 SIPE through 1/4 choke. I put it down to a fluke pellet but I didn't admit that to mate!

I found Kent Velocity quite 'thumpy' through my o/u after a while, but ok in my auto.

[Hamster]

I can't believe that anyone can kill pigeons stone dead with 6s at 60 yards, but then wound a lot more with 7s at 35+ yards. This makes absolutely no sense.

I think some people need to be putting tape measures on there Christmas lists ............

[Mentalmac]

I've shot and killed some pretty far out birds with 32 grm no6 Clear Pigeon through full choke, but don't think I've ever shot a 60 yarder, though once shot and killed in the air a verified 54 yd jackdaw with 32grm no5 SIPE through 1/4 choke. I put it down to a fluke pellet but I didn't admit that to mate!

I found Kent Velocity quite 'thumpy' through my o/u after a while, but ok in my auto.

Not to start an argument or anything such like and just down to my own ignorance - but how do you verify the yardage exactly to 54 whilst in flight? I only want to know to settle my curiosity.

[Scully]

Not to start an argument or anything such like and just down to my own ignorance - but how do you verify the yardage exactly to 54 whilst in flight? I only want to know to settle my curiosity.

Sorry I haven't replied; forgot all about this thread. The jackdaw appeared from behind a small Ash tree and I shot it while it floated over the top branches; it just folded and dropped through the branches of the tree and landed at its base. Mate pinged the tree with his rangefinder and it read 54 yards.

[JDog]

Not to start an argument or anything such like and just down to my own ignorance - but how do you verify the yardage exactly to 54 whilst in flight? I only want to know to settle my curiosity.

 

 

You do not. But compliments of the great Greek philosopher Pythagoras it is relatively easy to estimate how far the bird actually was when it was shot. Assuming that it was flying across you and it was 20m high when shot and it was 54m from you when picked dead then it would have been just over 58m away from the gun when it was shot. A bird picked at 60m when it was shot at 40m high would have been 73m from the gun.

 

This of course is over simplification and cannot account for those people who cannot judge distance very well. There are quite a few of those on this forum.

[The Essex Hunter]

 

 

You do not. But compliments of the great Greek philosopher Pythagoras it is relatively easy to estimate how far the bird actually was when it was shot. Assuming that it was flying across you and it was 20m high when shot and it was 54m from you when picked dead then it would have been just over 58m away from the gun when it was shot. A bird picked at 60m when it was shot at 40m high would have been 73m from the gun.

 

This of course is over simplification and cannot account for those people who cannot judge distance very well. There are quite a few of those on this forum.

 

Hear Hear.............

 

 

TEH