No8 shot .

[Ultrastu]

Does anybody  reliably use  no8 shot (or 2.3mm )  for decoying pigeons and crows .?

I often use a no7  2.4 mm cart to good effect  but wonder if the next step down is too far . The difference being 15 % less mass  .

Cheers  

[TOPGUN749]

I would consider number 8,(2.2 mm) (2.3mm is 7.5)too small for any live shooting except snipe or rats. 7 is the smallest I would use,(2.4),and preferably 6’s.

Edited June 6, 2023 by TOPGUN749

[stu64]

I think some people use clay  7.5 shot clay cartridges on pigeon to good effect, a few vids on the tube. cost seems to be the factor.

[sam triple]

I’ve taken a crow up at the clay shoot with a 24grm Eley Amber at about 30 yds , all about placement of the shot 

[London Best]

Never tried 8’s but shot a lot of crows with 9’s in a 14 gram load from a .410. 
The idea being to keep the pattern dense in a lightly choked small load. 
They worked like a dream up to 30 yards, which is the maximum I would use them as the 9’s will have run out of energy. 
 

[muncher]

A few years ago, Motty bought a job lot of cartridges, in that Lott was loads of 28 gram 9s   We used them on decoying pigeons to good effect, in fact quite surprising how far they killed. I would say 8 s would be fine to 40 yards decoying birds. 

[Fargo]

Your prob better with small shot like 7.5/8 with any choke upto 25/30 metres.

 

[wymberley]

1 hour ago, TOPGUN749 said:

I would consider number 8,(2.2 mm) (2.3mm is 7.5)too small for any live shooting except snipe or rats. 7 is the smallest I would use,(2.4),and preferably 6’s.

^^^^^ This. With the possible exception of those who know what they're doing and understand the meaning of - and apply - "give it lore".

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, anyone on a cartridge budget use 7.5s 28 g with wads of your choice, some 7.5s are about 7 English size, 

Edited June 6, 2023 by oldypigeonpopper

[jall25]

Used a mix of 7.5s Superfast and 8 s - Eley i think they are on the crows this week and last

Coming in to decoys at 25/30 yards - lethal 

 

[Krico woodcock]

No. 8 will kill pigeons stone dead to at least 35 yards and beyond.  And if you put them through a full choke you'll hit them with authority.  I don't understand people saying it won't be effective and they haven't even tried them.  I have  shot 100's of pigeons with fiocchi f black 8.5's. Absolutely pillow case pigeons.  I have shot them with eley Olympic 9's. Put the pigeon in the pattern he'll fold. But a good Italian no7.5 is as good as if not better than any no. 6 cartridge for decoyin pigeons.  Fiocchi f blu being a good example. 

[oowee]

I was shooting a large number of very high overhead collard doves with 7.5 shot at maybe 60/70m and they were all coming down. When rock pigeons came through on same elevation only 1 out of 3 came down and some of those needed despatch. It certainly looked like the birds were on the very limit of the effective range. 

12g semi with 3/4 choke in Africa. 

 

[Old Boggy]

I`ve fairly recently gone over to No.7 shot in my 16 bores and find that they kill extremely well. Not tried 8s though..............yet.

I think it was the late John Humphreys among others who advocated small shot with open chokes on decoyed pigeons as being the perfect combination and I cannot disagree with that philosophy.

OB

[Stonepark]

2 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

I`ve fairly recently gone over to No.7 shot in my 16 bores and find that they kill extremely well. Not tried 8s though..............yet.

I think it was the late John Humphreys among others who advocated small shot with open chokes on decoyed pigeons as being the perfect combination and I cannot disagree with that philosophy.

OB

Archie Coates came to that conclusion long before John Humphreys.

[Sweet11-87]

 

All that larger shot sizes and heavier payloads do is give you a margine for error.  pigeons being pigeons they come at all angles form all directions at all speeds in all sized groups as we know. 

The more experienced and straight up better pigeons shooters than me will do fine im sure. but for me 8s and 9s are really not giving allot of room for wary birds, range estimation or challenging shots so i stick with 6s  and i dont mind saying that.

 be honest with yourself and be asking can i kill pigeons reliably with 8s not will 8s kill pigeons reliably becasue for me its 2 different answers, and the fact youve brought it to the forum tells me youre not sure either.

[Ultrastu]

I've brought it to the forum as I've never shot 8s  2.3 mm  before .

I did try a box of .410  9s and  I did get few kills but they were all inside 25 yds 

U usually prefer a 2.4 mm pellet (uk no7 )  for pigeons and no6  uk  2.6 mm for crows . But I had the chance of  a slab of no8 today .

I turned it down in favour of the 7s  

Sticking to what I know works .

I should probably have picked up a couple of boxes to try .maybe next time .thanks for all the replys much appreciated  .

I have to say I'm not a fan of larger pellet sizes .no5 and bigger  certainly  not for my pigeon shooting .

[Fellside]

As others have mentioned, 7 1/2 (2.3mm) work within limited ranges. Personally I have found 25 to 30 yards to be my own personal limit with these - beyond which too many birds are wounded. Having said that, the vast majority of decoyed pigeons are shot within that range. As for using smaller shot……hmm….not sure I would. Each to their own however. On the other hand I have found UK 7s (2.4mm) devastating on pigeons and crows out to 40 yards or more. There you go, my two penneth for what it’s worth. 

[wymberley]

1 hour ago, Sweet11-87 said:

 

All that larger shot sizes and heavier payloads do is give you a margine for error.  pigeons being pigeons they come at all angles form all directions at all speeds in all sized groups as we know. 

The more experienced and straight up better pigeons shooters than me will do fine im sure. but for me 8s and 9s are really not giving allot of room for wary birds, range estimation or challenging shots so i stick with 6s  and i dont mind saying that.

 be honest with yourself and be asking can i kill pigeons reliably with 8s not will 8s kill pigeons reliably becasue for me its 2 different answers, and the fact youve brought it to the forum tells me youre not sure either.

Nothing wrong with 6s, but if you're decoying pigeon you could try 7s (true 7s) - you know you want to and may just be surprised. Large shot/loads suffer from the law of diminishing returns and on the grounds that pattern fails before energy that combination does require some choke whereas 7s, not so much which paradoxically gives you a better margin for error.

[gmm243]

I shoot all my decoyed pigeons and crows with Olympic Blue 7.5's through improved cylinder in my 1187. Never had issues within sensible ranges.

Have also used 8's on occasion and never noticed a massive difference but again at sensible decoyed range. I use 7.5's and 8's for the majority of my snipe and woodcock shooting and never had any issues when the chance of a duck or pigeon appears.

[enfieldspares]

There is a paragraph in one of those books by maybe Gough Thomas, Colin Willock, Robert Churchill of whoever that recounts exactly the same as GMM243 says above. Out snipe shooting, put up a duck, shot it dead. With English #8. Pattern fails before penetration and if any size shot is put into AND PENETRATES THROUGH TO the right place...the head, the neck vertebrae or into the lungs or the heart a dead bird will result. The only concern I'd have with English #8 isn't pattern it is penetration AND if what is shot be riddled with shot should it be something I am shooting that I'll later eat. For magpies (and crows) I'd reckon that English #8 is a real killer.

Edited June 7, 2023 by enfieldspares

[Fargo]

2 hours ago, enfieldspares said:

There is a paragraph in one of those books by maybe Gough Thomas, Colin Willock, Robert Churchill of whoever that recounts exactly the same as GMM243 says above. Out snipe shooting, put up a duck, shot it dead. With English #8. Pattern fails before penetration and if any size shot is put into AND PENETRATES THROUGH TO the right place...the head, the neck vertebrae or into the lungs or the heart a dead bird will result. The only concern I'd have with English #8 isn't pattern it is penetration AND if what is shot be riddled with shot should it be something I am shooting that I'll later eat. For magpies (and crows) I'd reckon that English #8 is a real killer.

Used to use fitasc loads of 36g 7.5 for shooting crows and was lethal

[GingerCat]

7.5 works so can't see why 8s won't at sensible ranges. I tend to shoot 6 as I find it hard to get 7's and don't shoot enough clays anymore to buy 7.5. That said I haven't shot for a long while so may not bother anymore. 

[London Best]

59 minutes ago, GingerCat said:

I haven't shot for a long while so may not bother anymore. 

I haven’t touched a shotgun since January, but there is not a chance in hell of considering giving up.

[Fellside]

15 hours ago, GingerCat said:

7.5 works so can't see why 8s won't at sensible ranges. I tend to shoot 6 as I find it hard to get 7's and don't shoot enough clays anymore to buy 7.5. That said I haven't shot for a long while so may not bother anymore. 

Yes agreed - proper UK 7s are hard to find. I’ve found that often the Italian 7 1/2 trap loads are UK 7s (2.4mm). If you look on say a Fiocchi box they often give the pellet diameter in mm. 

P.S don’t give up….! 

[the hitman]

To answer the OP’s question- yes you can shoot pigeons with No8 shot, and with confidence.

I use 7.5 shot for decoying through 3/4& 1/2 choke.

I have often notice that I have less runners with this combination than I had when I used 32g No5 & 6 shot many years ago.

 

Edited June 9, 2023 by the hitman