ideal shotgun round for grouse?

For myself the ideal shotgun round for grouse is the 28 gauge.For myself I find 7 1/2 or 6 as my choices for shot size.
 
Started out upland bird hunting with a Stevens single barrel in .410 when I was 9 or 10 years old. Then went to a Winchester Model 97 then a Model 12 which I thought were much better choices. Last week finally wised up and bought a really nice Husqvarna SxS 12 gauge from Trade Ex. Talk about a gun that is an extension of my arm,it's light,fast handling and points unbelievably quick and smooth. World of difference,to say the least!
 
martinbns said:
I like my 20 guage with #6 shot. My gun is a sxs with the back trigger on IC and the front trigger on modified.
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That is EXACTLY what I use too. I have a 20 ga Stoeger Uplander SXS, double trigger, 24'' barrels and a straight grip stock. I use 2.75 '' #6 Winchester high brass game loads. My back trigger is on an IC and front is on a Mod.
 
I also like light , fast swinging O/U guns in either 20 or 28 guage.
410 and 12's are at both ends of the spectrum but I have used them - the 20 seems to be about my favorite guage , in a gun the weighs about 6lbs .
I my messed up shoulder handles a skeet load of 9's okay even with the light weight of these guns.....
Cat
 
One of my friends likes a 2 3/4'' shell with a magnum load and #8 lead shot on top. He wants those pellets to go fast and zip completely through the bird.
He says that with a fast load, he never eats pellets.
PP.
 
#5 or larger in a 12ga full choke. I prefer tight patterns with large shot. Althouh, .22lr is my prefered method.

I have also found that the high velocity steel shot seems to damage breast meat less than lead shot. But shooting chickens on the sides of roads/trails with steel makes me worry about pellets ricocheting back towards me.
 
PerversPépère said:
One of my friends likes a 2 3/4'' shell with a magnum load and #8 lead shot on top. He wants those pellets to go fast and zip completely through the bird.
He says that with a fast load, he never eats pellets.
PP.
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The reason I use a light skeet load is for lots of pellets that go just inside the skin if any hit the body, but kill easily on head shots.

I use BPI O78 wads with a 7/8oz load of 9's for my my buddy's 12 guage that make a light recoiling, high pellet count for partridge also, they get through a lot of brush but don't mess up the bird too much.
The magnum load idea is interesting , but I know many folks that blow birds up with it....
Cat
 
.12 gauge 3" 1/2" Magnum slug. It will pluck, skin, gut and cook the bird all at the same time.

OR

I personally like a .410 & .22 over under with a modified, or full coke.
 
For the longest time, I've lust for a nice little 20G SxS for the purpose of grouse hunting... Seems like a AyA No. 2 loaded with #6 shots would do just fine :)


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A 16b on a 20b frame. Like the ones Parker used to make.

Isn't the rule (Greener made it up, I believe) of gun weight that it should be 96 times the shot charge weight? A 5.25lb 16b shooting 7'8 oz of #6's would be a delightful little grouse gun.
 
Probably depends more on what part of the country you are hunting in and the corresponding coniferous to deciduous ratio & tree density, temperature, and individual hunting tactics. During the course of a normal hunting day I might do some brush busting through thick brambles, roost rousing in dense conifers, orchard hunting in relatively open areas, or just work the hardwood/softwood perimeters and/or logging roads.

No one shotgun design is ideal & for all these scenarios - shouldering & swinging ease, loads, chokes, barrel length, gun weight, & gauge can all be factors that may make or break your very fleeting opportunity at a ruffie. You've really got to select the best fit for your hunting style & geographical location.

Ironically with all the expense, prepartion & tactical decisions that one makes to prepare - an unorthodox shot 'from the hip' through a very narrow corridor is often your only chance at bringing those winged wizards back to earth in those protypical brambly-dense ruffed grouse coverts.
 
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