Game cartridges choice and why ?.

[Ferret664]

This is a subject that always fascinated me . What are peoples choices and why ? I only shoot a few beaters days and keepers days (obviously with covid not this year unfortunately but here's hoping to next season)  and am on the Herts/Essex border so birds aren't that high . I generally use a 30g 6 normally clear pigeon but I switch between high pheasant extreme 32g 5s depending on which drive . I always shoot as a walking gun as I like to work my dogs and on one shoot there is very big wood and I use the 32g 5s there to great effect.  I pick my birds very carefully and I find shooting through the branches they work a treat . It's a big wood and there's several drives in it so I use the 32g there apart from that I always use 30g 6s as the other places are smaller woods , cover crops ect ? My question is do other people take different cartridges for different drives on the same day ect ? I know some.will say just shoot the 30gs all the time but in that wood I've taken some absolute beauties which I think are a result of the heavier cartridges through thick tree canopy . I shoot a sxs choked 3/4 and full so and very picky with what I shoot at anyway.  

[London Best]

Personally, no, I never take different cartridges for different drives on the same day. I couldn’t be armed with carrying two sorts and swapping over. If the day is mostly partridge I take 7’s, if mostly pheasants I might take 6’s so as to not put so much lead in pheasants. Always 28 gram (in 12 bore). All depends on what I have available. Both seem to work just fine. Little or no choke in my guns.

[soulboy1957]

30g lyvale supreme 6's for all game, stick to one cartridge, i know what they can do, how much lead etc. 

[Scully]

My go to cartridge for game are SIPE 32g 5’s. I use them for every type of game I shoot as I can’t be bothered with changing cartridges, no matter whether it’s early or late season, or chokes come to that, which are 3/8ths and 5/8ths. 
I am a big fan of Gamebore Clear Pigeon 32g 6’s, and used these exclusively in the past for game and especially bolting rabbits. I used them on Hare drives and in the hide too, until I discovered the SIPE. 
I think it’s a matter of confidence really, and had the best days shooting of my life on high driven game with the SIPE and so have used them ever since. I don’t use SIPE out of season, and in a hide will use just about anything I can get my hands on really. I once had a clear out and found an unopened slab of Clear Pigeon under a bed, which was a bonus! 🙂
Saying all that, I have had some fabulous kills with the Clear Pigeon on game, but just seem to be more consistent with the SIPE. Two of my most memorable pigeons were with SIPE also, whilst stood at a peg. 

[Ferret664]

27 minutes ago, Scully said:

My go to cartridge for game are SIPE 32g 5’s. I use them for every type of game I shoot as I can’t be bothered with changing cartridges, no matter whether it’s early or late season, or chokes come to that, which are 3/8ths and 5/8ths. 
I am a big fan of Gamebore Clear Pigeon 32g 6’s, and used these exclusively in the past for game and especially bolting rabbits. I used them on Hare drives and in the hide too, until I discovered the SIPE. 
I think it’s a matter of confidence really, and had the best days shooting of my life on high driven game with the SIPE and so have used them ever since. I don’t use SIPE out of season, and in a hide will use just about anything I can get my hands on really. I once had a clear out and found an unopened slab of Clear Pigeon under a bed, which was a bonus! 🙂
Saying all that, I have had some fabulous kills with the Clear Pigeon on game, but just seem to be more consistent with the SIPE. Two of my most memorable pigeons were with SIPE also, whilst stood at a peg. 

Its funny isn't it how a good day can make you change cartridge.  I only tried those extremes 2 years ago and had a great day in that wood taking the best pheasant I have ever shot and some real lovely crosses through dense canopy and haven't looked back since(actually had my best ever.season that year as well )  but like I say everywhere else I just use clear pigeon 30g as I know they're far too much cartridge for anything else round here apart for that one wood ..

[Scully]

13 minutes ago, Ferret664 said:

Its funny isn't it how a good day can make you change cartridge.  I only tried those extremes 2 years ago and had a great day in that wood taking the best pheasant I have ever shot and some real lovely crosses through dense canopy and haven't looked back since(actually had my best ever.season that year as well )  but like I say everywhere else I just use clear pigeon 30g as I know they're far too much cartridge for anything else round here apart for that one wood ..

It is. I had used them some time before that memorable day to be honest, but not exclusively. I just found that whenever I used them, everything I hit was simply  dead in the air, so decided to use them on a more regular basis, but it was specifically that day that sealed my devotion to them. 
They obviously suit my gun and those chokes to a t. 
Most of my mates swear by Black Gold; they sound very similar to SIPE, but I’m not prepared to try them. I like the SIPE very much.