Cartridge choice

[Stonepark]

Justcartridges are currently doing a couple of inexpensive loads in their Bin ends.

 

Just Cartridges CSP 12Ga 28gm Fibre 6.5 Great value grouse, partridge, pigeon and clay shell!	£211.00	£110.00	£60.00	£6.75
NEW: Just Cartridges Classic Pigeon 12Ga 30gm Fibre 6 Fantastic value pigeon and game cartridge!	£219.00	£115.00	£63.00	£7.00

[wymberley]

26 minutes ago, Stonepark said:

Justcartridges are currently doing a couple of inexpensive loads in their Bin ends.

 

Just Cartridges CSP 12Ga 28gm Fibre 6.5 Great value grouse, partridge, pigeon and clay shell!	£211.00	£110.00	£60.00	£6.75
NEW: Just Cartridges Classic Pigeon 12Ga 30gm Fibre 6 Fantastic value pigeon and game cartridge!	£219.00	£115.00	£63.00	£7.00

Can't see the first lot hanging about. Cracking pigeon load, same pellet count as 32g of 6s and with not much energy loss.

[Whitebridges]

Going back a few years when the drill used to spill seed all over the seed bed and OSR was a new crop and hard weather meant brussel sprouts were devoured in earnest , decoying pigeons was easy ! We used to stuff our barrels with pretty much anything going. Why? The birds used to be gagging for it and pitched right in to the pattern which was nothing more than one foot lengths of grey guttering with white chalk stripes at the front end. Cartridges were usually Sellier & Bellot , Baikal or sometimes Eley Grand Prix. We rarely paid for cartridges, the old boy that taught me the basics said we needed to shoot 20 birds dead for a box of 25 then the farm would be happy. So we waited and waited and shot most birds on the ground when we would kill good numbers for one shot. If they got really close we would stand up and clap / shout and wait for them to get 25 yards out and kill half a dozen or more sometimes with one cartridge. We used a Webley Snipe single barrelled because we had nothing else.     

In the meantime the world and for that matter the wiley woodpigeon has moved on, so have our expectations on gun and cartridge performance.    

        

[wymberley]

16 hours ago, Whitebridges said:

Going back a few years when the drill used to spill seed all over the seed bed and OSR was a new crop and hard weather meant brussel sprouts were devoured in earnest , decoying pigeons was easy ! We used to stuff our barrels with pretty much anything going. Why? The birds used to be gagging for it and pitched right in to the pattern which was nothing more than one foot lengths of grey guttering with white chalk stripes at the front end. Cartridges were usually Sellier & Bellot , Baikal or sometimes Eley Grand Prix. We rarely paid for cartridges, the old boy that taught me the basics said we needed to shoot 20 birds dead for a box of 25 then the farm would be happy. So we waited and waited and shot most birds on the ground when we would kill good numbers for one shot. If they got really close we would stand up and clap / shout and wait for them to get 25 yards out and kill half a dozen or more sometimes with one cartridge. We used a Webley Snipe single barrelled because we had nothing else.     

In the meantime the world and for that matter the wiley woodpigeon has moved on, so have our expectations on gun and cartridge performance.    

        

Those were the days! I'm sure my Snipe was by BSA and I was as pleased as punch when I upgraded to a Greener GP. This was just the job (weight) for yomping over the Dallas moors after the hare. Do you remember the LP record sleeve decoy pattern in the Shooting Times? It was marked in squares so you could upscale it and cut out the shape from said sleeves which were usually grey on the inside. Once cut out you folded/bent them inside out and secured them with a clip which you also fashioned from any available wire leaving a long tag as a ground spike. Used to use the Grand Prix until they brought out the HV version which was OK but then they did something to them when the plastic wads appeared which wasn't OK so changed to Rottweil 6&1/2s and stayed with them for ages.

You're spot on though, the world has moved on. For my money - which at the end of the day is what it boils down to - my expectations would be to still be able to buy what was previously available and which worked well for decades. I'm all in favour of progress and technology and if people feel the need for super dooper fast cartridges which pattern like doughnuts through barrels of any given internal dimensions/shapes they should be available for those wishing to shoot to 100 yards, but not, I think, at the expense of things that have worked perfectly out to 50 yards or so.

[pinfireman]

Why buy when you can reload shells to suit your preferred target? And, if you are careful with your purchasing, you can save a little as well, especially in the small bores!

[Whitebridges]

On 04/12/2018 at 12:21, wymberley said:

Those were the days! I'm sure my Snipe was by BSA and I was as pleased as punch when I upgraded to a Greener GP. This was just the job (weight) for yomping over the Dallas moors after the hare. Do you remember the LP record sleeve decoy pattern in the Shooting Times? It was marked in squares so you could upscale it and cut out the shape from said sleeves which were usually grey on the inside. Once cut out you folded/bent them inside out and secured them with a clip which you also fashioned from any available wire leaving a long tag as a ground spike. Used to use the Grand Prix until they brought out the HV version which was OK but then they did something to them when the plastic wads appeared which wasn't OK so changed to Rottweil 6&1/2s and stayed with them for ages.

You're spot on though, the world has moved on. For my money - which at the end of the day is what it boils down to - my expectations would be to still be able to buy what was previously available and which worked well for decades. I'm all in favour of progress and technology and if people feel the need for super dooper fast cartridges which pattern like doughnuts through barrels of any given internal dimensions/shapes they should be available for those wishing to shoot to 100 yards, but not, I think, at the expense of things that have worked perfectly out to 50 yards or so.

Thank you for your reply wymberley. The gun in question was BSA, my mistake. No sorry i can't recall the LP Sleeve dec. I hope other PW members can?

As far as my own personal pigeon shooting is concerned i think i've upgraded. Prime reason is birds do not decoy like they used to. I've shot a few decent bags over the last year or two and a lot of the birds were close to the pattern but not pitching in to the pattern. I'd like to think i've got half an idea about setting up a realistic pattern of decoys but a lot of my shots these days are 40-50 yards. Maybe over 60%? So i'm using a lot more choke in my 12g o/u usually 1/2 and 3/4 sometimes full 32g no 6. Flighting birds and roost shooting i prefer the gamebore extreme pigeon 34g no5. Years ago i'd bulk at the thought of this as we used to use open chokes and light loads but i'm happy to make the change because my results and birds in the bag have moved in a positive direction.          

   

[Old Boggy]

On 5 December 2018 at 18:52, Whitebridges said:

Thank you for your reply wymberley. The gun in question was BSA, my mistake. No sorry i can't recall the LP Sleeve dec. I hope other PW members can?

As far as my own personal pigeon shooting is concerned i think i've upgraded. Prime reason is birds do not decoy like they used to. I've shot a few decent bags over the last year or two and a lot of the birds were close to the pattern but not pitching in to the pattern. I'd like to think i've got half an idea about setting up a realistic pattern of decoys but a lot of my shots these days are 40-50 yards. Maybe over 60%? So i'm using a lot more choke in my 12g o/u usually 1/2 and 3/4 sometimes full 32g no 6. Flighting birds and roost shooting i prefer the gamebore extreme pigeon 34g no5. Years ago i'd bulk at the thought of this as we used to use open chokes and light loads but i'm happy to make the change because my results and birds in the bag have moved in a positive direction.          

   

I also had a BSA Snipe. Think it was full choke but choke didn't mean anything to me in those days,  (early 60s) you just got on and shot it. Paid £8 for mine S/H.

I recall that it was an ejector but ejected when the gun was opened whether the cartridge had been fired on not. Being single shot, somehow made you concentrate more. They had an aluminium or some sort of alloy action, so wonder how long they lasted or if there are still some about. Selling & Bellot being the cartridge of choice being obtainable in packs of 10.

OB

 

Edited December 7, 2018 by Old Boggy