Yeah, I'm kinda with Grouse Man on this. 7, 71/2 or 8 for ruffed grouse and woodcock. 6 for preserve pheasant, huns and sharptails, 5 for pheasant. All lead.
Upland Birdshot Selection
- Thread starter Ruger 308
- Start date
Yeah, I'm kinda with Grouse Man on this. 7, 71/2 or 8 for ruffed grouse and woodcock. 6 for preserve pheasant, huns and sharptails, 5 for pheasant. All lead.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Yep same here. Winchester target loads 20 gauge 2 3/4 #7.5 shot for beating the weeds.
If I end up encountering a farmers field it's #6 game loads in the open.
I don't worry about choke SO much. Because my longer full choke barrel points like a finger extension. Yes, I have a spare IC barrel, two inches shorter at 26 inches.
But overall that longer barrel & full choke has the highest kill count. Not really sure why......but there it is for me-myself & I.
I use an old Winchester Model 37 single shot with factory lead #7 1/2 target loads. Gun is full choke, so don't even try getting close. Taken birds as far away as 40 paces.
Never, seriously, never need a second shot. There is always at least four pellets hit.
Ted
Never, seriously, never need a second shot. There is always at least four pellets hit.
Ted
Midnight Rider
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ......the Vanishing Point .
I use #6 lead as well ,no issues to date .
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Copper plated #6's are my first choice. The copper plated lead doesn't seem to drag as many feathers into the meat as lead does.
Like it seems many experienced grouse hunters here, I shoot #8 shot for chances at both grouse and woodcock, or if the woodcock have all gone south, strictly 71/2 shells in upland low brass loads. I do keep some #6 around, but they would be for long range shots at pheasant and there are no pheasant in my area except for the odd rare escaped or released bird (I believe some people at least used to try to stock them in their own fields but it seems it's just too cold here, combined with deep snow).
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
40y is generally my max when I shoot them on the road, which is how I see them 95% of the time or more. Either with a mod or full choked 14” or 20” barrels, I’ve never found any difference between short and long barrels and patterns when testing chokes at the same distances.
badgreenbird
Regular
- Location
- Dawson Creek, BC
Most of my grouse shots are pretty close... 5 - 30 yards; might drop a few flying birds out to 35 yards... I'm generally shooting IC and Modified choke
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Lead is always the way to go unless legally required to use non-toxic
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
23 inch barrel extra full turkey choke can do mysterious things with even low brass #4.
Easily rolled a bunny at 55 yards once.
If it can kill a rabbit, for sure can roll a grouse same distance.
Ususally these extended shots require you to elevate that bead times one.
Only 1 grouse so far this year, but many KM's on foot. It was a ground shot with 7.5" steel loads.
But lots of Ducks and a Goose in the freezer! We just got a bunch of snow in my area so hopefully start to get more concentration of Grouse near the remaining food sources. We can hunt them till Jan 15th in AB so lots of time left.
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
That’s one of the things I love about rifle sights on a Turkey barrel, they are adjustable.
I generally set it up so the pattern is a hair high, put the front sight on the head of the grouse/rabbit and I’m head shooting at most ranges. The shot pattern bottom half hits the head and not the meat, if I do get a pellet in the meat it’s just the odd one.
When I’m out at 40y or the odd 50y I aim for the neck/shoulders, you get the odd pellet in the meat but the pattern starts spreading so it’s never much meat damage.
i have shot ruffies and spruce hens with everything from max dram 4's to #9 skeet loads , in every gauge from 10 to 410 , black powder muzzle loaders and smokeless cartridges.
If you are on the bird they die, period.
Partridge are very easy to kill .
The birds I killed the other day I was using 7/8 oz of #7 1/5 lead running around 1190 FPS in a 16 gauge hammer gun
Cat
If you are on the bird they die, period.
Partridge are very easy to kill .
The birds I killed the other day I was using 7/8 oz of #7 1/5 lead running around 1190 FPS in a 16 gauge hammer gun
Cat
