Compare these four 16 ga. shells
Compare these four 16 ga. shells
Okay, quick background: Young dog, inexperienced, just had her first bird (a chukar) shot over her last week.
Almost all her training birds before that were also chukar.
Going to a preserve in a week and they tell me the cover is very heavy and thick because it hasn't died yet. So they recommended pheasant instead of chukar, that the chukar will have trouble flying well out of the cover.
I want to take my 16 ga. for a couple reasons. It's the gun my dog was okay with last week, and it's also the gun I shoot the best with. In the interest of setting my dog up for success, I'll take the 16 but I have questions about which ammo to use.
If I go with pheasant, should I use the #5? Or am I thinking that just because there's a pheasant on the box?
Advice on chokes also appreciated. My choices are: skeet, light modified and improved modified.
Also, I can't tell if that Express Long Range is lead or not. I use an old Model 12 and am under the impression I should use the softer lead loads.
Almost all her training birds before that were also chukar.
Going to a preserve in a week and they tell me the cover is very heavy and thick because it hasn't died yet. So they recommended pheasant instead of chukar, that the chukar will have trouble flying well out of the cover.
I want to take my 16 ga. for a couple reasons. It's the gun my dog was okay with last week, and it's also the gun I shoot the best with. In the interest of setting my dog up for success, I'll take the 16 but I have questions about which ammo to use.
If I go with pheasant, should I use the #5? Or am I thinking that just because there's a pheasant on the box?
Advice on chokes also appreciated. My choices are: skeet, light modified and improved modified.
Also, I can't tell if that Express Long Range is lead or not. I use an old Model 12 and am under the impression I should use the softer lead loads.
Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
The Fiocchi is a great load on wild phez so certainly adequate on preserve birds. Honestly, all of those loads would likely handle preserve phez ok. I would probably take the Rem Express with the improved modified for this situation. It should be lead or it'd have otherwise printed all over it.
- Big Dave
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- Location: Northwest Missouri
Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
I would save the Golden Pheasant for wild birds, they are more than you will need on a preserve. I would shoot the skeet tube and 7 1/2's on preserve pheasants or the light modified if it was windy.
Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
I never check the wildness of the bird I am shooting. But for pheasants I like 4's to 6's so I will use a six as the first shot followed by a 5 or 4. But any of them will kill a bird but think you are better with something in that range and an open to improved cylinder for choke.
Ezzy
Ezzy
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207
It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!
Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207
It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!
Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.
- Big Dave
- Rank: 2X Champion
- Posts: 411
- Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:44 am
- Location: Northwest Missouri
Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
Ezzy,
You will rarelyl find a wild bird on a preserve and pen raised birds are not as fast or tough as the wild ones. I don't really have to test or check for it, I use more open chokes, smaller payloead and often smaller shot when shooting at pen raised birds.
P.S.
I frequently shoot a 16 gauge at Pheasants and use the Golden Pheasants or Remingtons shown in #6 when hunting wild, not pen, birds.
You will rarelyl find a wild bird on a preserve and pen raised birds are not as fast or tough as the wild ones. I don't really have to test or check for it, I use more open chokes, smaller payloead and often smaller shot when shooting at pen raised birds.
P.S.
I frequently shoot a 16 gauge at Pheasants and use the Golden Pheasants or Remingtons shown in #6 when hunting wild, not pen, birds.
Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
So very true but when hunting with a pointing dog the shots are always the same distance and any shotshell will kill a bird when hit well and fairly close. I like bigger shot as I prefer less pellets in the meat and they will penetrate feathers better. But most of the birds that I kill at least has a leg or wing or both broken and unless they are flying straight away the head is vunerable.Big Dave wrote:Ezzy,
You will rarelyl find a wild bird on a preserve and pen raised birds are not as fast or tough as the wild ones. I don't really have to test or check for it, I use more open chokes, smaller payloead and often smaller shot when shooting at pen raised birds.
Though I agree with you about the birds, I see no real difference in them when they are pointed and I flush them. The biggest difference is many times the length of the tail.
Ezzy
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207
It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!
Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207
It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!
Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.
Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
Consider yourself lucky that you have those choices of shells, I would have to spend half the day getting them in NJ where I live. I pretty much stick with the Remingtons or Winchesters because there is a "bleep"'s nearby.
But "bleep" is a crap shoot anyway for ammo. Never know what's in stock or if someone is there or willing to unlock everything. When you pay for them people look at you like a leper. Suburban moms literally move their kids away from you in line.
But "bleep" is a crap shoot anyway for ammo. Never know what's in stock or if someone is there or willing to unlock everything. When you pay for them people look at you like a leper. Suburban moms literally move their kids away from you in line.
Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
I agree totally with you about buying ammo at "bleep"'s. Although I do go there for fishing stuff and if they have those Remington Game Loads when I'm there I will always pick up a few boxes. I have more of those than any ammo for any other gun I own.mcbosco wrote:Consider yourself lucky that you have those choices of shells, I would have to spend half the day getting them in NJ where I live. I pretty much stick with the Remingtons or Winchesters because there is a "bleep"'s nearby.
But "bleep" is a crap shoot anyway for ammo. Never know what's in stock or if someone is there or willing to unlock everything. When you pay for them people look at you like a leper. Suburban moms literally move their kids away from you in line.
The Remington Express I picked up at a shooting range a while back because it was the only 16 ga. they had.
The Winchester X and Fiocchi I picked up a box each at Gander Mountain the other day for this coming weekend. So while it looks like I have a lot of options, it took me a while to collect them and three of the four I only have a single box of!
Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
Hey first post using my new avatar, lookin' good if I say so myself! If I didn't know better I'd say that looks a little bit like a bird dog in that picture!
Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
NJ has nothing but "bleep"'s, no Cabelas, no Bass, no Gander Mountain, no Academy, nothing
- Ruffshooter
- GDF Junkie
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Re: Compare these four 16 ga. shells
Preserve or wild Pheasants, 6 or 5 high brass, (CHuckars would be 7/12 high brass) Reminton Express (led) have never failed me. But when on public/state/federal/land one must check the regs ususally need to use non toxic shot. I have used the Fiochi but not in Pheasant, seemed reliable enough.
The best part of training is seeing the light come on in your little prot'eg'e.
Rick
Rick