Choke for grouse

Proutfoo

Proutfoo

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
12   0   0
Location
Stalag 13, Québec
DISCLAIMER: Anyone reading while sipping any beverage, please swallow now as I have never gone hunting before and my question may be humerous to you - keyboards beware.

I took my shotgun to the range today (870 with 28inch bbl) to check the pattern at different ranges. At 30 feet the pattern is about handball sized, but at 75 feet it is about the size of a beach ball. I don't want to be spitting lead into the plate constantly...:runaway:

I am using a modified choke that came with the gun. I usually just fool around with this gun, shooting trap and sometimes blasting slugs downrange to blow off steam.

I assume that a full choke will tighten up the pattern? What do you guys use to hunt grouse (other than .22lr snipers with their headshots)? I am going with my father in law and he has done this zillions of times, and he told me to just aim for the head; well I went to the range today to see exactly how this is going to work, thus the question... :rolleyes:

And I also assume shooting rifled slugs out of a full choke would not be recommended, should I forget to take it out of the barrel after "the hunt" :redface:
 
Aim high and the bottom of the pattern will strike the head and neck.I hunted grouse for many years with a full choke 12 guage using 7-1/2 shot and never had a problem with shot up grouse.If you hold dead on the bird,you will have more meat damage reguardless of the choke ,guage or shot size that you use.
 
In my 870 if found IC to be too tight and went to a SKEET tube. It worked great!

In my CZ sxs I use Sk/IC tubes. Another idea would to be to buy a plain bbl for you 870 and have it cut back to 22" or 24" with no choke at all. This set up works great and is alot handier than a 28" bbl.



.
 
Are you shooting them on the ground, in a tree or in the air?

If on the ground or a tree branch then using a tight choke and aiming slightly above is fine. There are however few shotgunners than can reliably take the head off a grouse in flight with a tight choke.

Where I hunt grouse they are skittish and flush hard so I use a skeet choke with a light 7/8s load of either #7.5 or #6 shot. Less shot and more open chokes means not too many pellets in the bird.
 
SuperCub said:
In my 870 if found IC to be too tight and went to a SKEET tube. It worked great!

In my CZ sxs I use Sk/IC tubes. Another idea would to be to buy a plain bbl for you 870 and have it cut back to 22" or 24" with no choke at all. This set up works great and is alot handier than a 28" bbl.



.
Click to expand...

Hey SC ;) Thanks for the info. How much tighter is a FULL than a SKEET? Is there some sort of lineage pattern I can look at to see the various expected patterns with different chokes?

can one reliably shoot clays with a full?

Claybuster said:
Are you shooting them on the ground, in a tree or in the air?
Click to expand...

Probably on the ground. I have yet to go for the first time :redface:
 
MC will do you fine, if your ground sluicing, you will be about 50' away on average for your shots, put the bead above or on the head and squeeze, if on the wing, you will be thankfull you left the choke alone.
 
Proutfoo said:
Hey SC ;) Thanks for the info. How much tighter is a FULL than a SKEET?
Click to expand...
Skeet and full are at the opposite ends of the choke spectrum.

If you gonna shoot flying birds, and you should try, open chokes are the way to go. I always thought head shots with a shotgun to be a bit wierd, but then that's just me. If I was gonna do head shots, I'd use a 22. The birds here in NB don't hang around long enough to be sniped at.



.
 
SuperCub said:
Skeet and full are at the opposite ends of the choke spectrum.

If you gonna shoot flying birds, and you should try, open chokes are the way to go. I always thought head shots with a shotgun to be a bit wierd, but then that's just me. If I was gonna do head shots, I'd use a 22. The birds here in NB don't hang around long enough to be sniped at.



.
Click to expand...

how far away on average do you shoot them from? I don't want to do the .22lr head shot thing either.

are you getting any pellets into the meat?
 
Partridge hunting is a conundrum.

If you destroy one with a shotgun, you will swear them off and go with a .22

You miss one with a .22 and you will swear that's the last time you take a .22 partridge hunting.

Whatever you decide to do with a shotgun, make absolute certain you know where the pattern is at various distances to minimize meat damage.
 
Fall Guy said:
Partridge hunting is a conundrum.

If you destroy one with a shotgun, you will swear them off and go with a .22

You miss one with a .22 and you will swear that's the last time you take a .22 partridge hunting.

Whatever you decide to do with a shotgun, make absolute certain you know where the pattern is at various distances to minimize meat damage.
Click to expand...

Reason why combo guns are still around :D
 
On the wing ... a double choked Cylinder & Imp. Cyl. or Skeet & Lt. Mod.
works just fine with either 7/8 or 1 oz of 8's. Same guns work equally well for woodcock & quail. Imp. Cyl. & Mod seems better for Pheasant, Huns & Sharptails which tend to get up a litlle further out. Favour a heavier load of 6's for Ditch Parrots & Sharpies.

Sorry, can't help as to on the ground or in a tree - just another one of those wing-shootn' fanatics.
 
Shotgun choke

Hunted birds for years over springer spanials,with my uncle who warned me never to shoot at birds on ground , was affraid his dog would get shot, always used skeet and 7/1/2 shot, lots of birds where full of pellets,
Now with no dog I used a 410 pump with 1st shell # 6 and then #4 i have killed birds at 50+ yards in air and often the breast a clear of shot, and some times the pellets go right through, if in close on ground you can head shoot the birds, for me its the best gun for birds
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom