First time hunting small birds / partridge

Big Bad said:
Yes, the term seems to have fallen out of favour, but when upland hunting I only shoot 'low brass' shells, literally meaning the brass is low cut but more importantly meaning the powder and shot loads are modest. I bought a whole case of these in shot size 7 1/2 when I found they patterned well in my old Browning BSS, but 40 years later am still shooting out of it. Reason I went that way was mainly that some authority I had read persuaded me that high brass (high powder load) shells will blow a hole through their own shot column, the shot column being practically the be all and end all in wing shooting. I guess the present day equivalent are 'club' shells, but my low brass ones are labelled for upland, giving me that tiny mental edge. :)
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Shotgunners have not been arbitrarily been able to determine the powder and shot charge by the height of the brass for many years, I'm not sure how long , but I think t pretty much went out with the advent of plastic hulls or shortly afterwards. I have seen several European shells in the past as well as North American ammo with very powerful, low brass shells, depending on the manufacturer!

As far as hand loading goes as well, it is not always the case either ( no pun intended)
My all time favorite 28 gauge load that I have used for pheasants and ducks as well as geese in a low brass Cheddite hull is 30 grains of H110, a BPI HV28 wad, and a shot charge of 7/8 oz of #7 nickle plated lead or (for waterfowl over decoys) #4 Bismuth .
The same powder charge can be used in the original AA hulls but with only 3/4 oz of #9 shot.
The choke itself will determine whether or not the load will work well.

When I am hunting up in my home turf with a 28 for Sharptails and partridge however, I prefer a lighter shot charge for them, and use my skeet load with a Winchester AAHS hull, 14.5 grains of Longshot and a wad like the BPI SG28 and 3/4oz of shot.
There is simply no need to throw a big charge of shot going 1,400 FPS if you are hunting over good dogs , which we do.
The big caveat however, is not WHAT you are shooting, but HOW you are shooting it! LOL
I can't speak for anyone else, there is absolutely no excuse for me to not practice as much as I can to keep my edge up as far as killing birds on the wing goes, or blame anything but my lousy shooting when it comes to missing a bird!
Cat
 
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I tend to use a sxs in 20 guage, one barrel with improved cylinder choke and a 7.5 shot in it, the other with improved modified and number 5 shot in it, depending on the situation when I see the bird I pick the proper load and choke. The last month of the season when birds tend to hold tight due to how cold it can get I switch to a 22lr with a scope for head shots
 
Big Bad said:
Yes, the term seems to have fallen out of favour, but when upland hunting I only shoot 'low brass' shells, literally meaning the brass is low cut but more importantly meaning the powder and shot loads are modest. I bought a whole case of these in shot size 7 1/2 when I found they patterned well in my old Browning BSS, but 40 years later am still shooting out of it. Reason I went that way was mainly that some authority I had read persuaded me that high brass (high powder load) shells will blow a hole through their own shot column, the shot column being practically the be all and end all in wing shooting. I guess the present day equivalent are 'club' shells, but my low brass ones are labelled for upland, giving me that tiny mental edge. :)
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I have a flat of Winchester AA's in 8 that has the price marked on the side: $65.

Edit: 12G
 
iron cat said:
I dunno about you guys, but we are less than a month away from bird season and I for one am getting anxious waiting and so are these two criminoids!!LOL
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I go to bed at night thinking about what gun should I take out opening day.
The 1100 20 Gauge LW or do I take out the 1100 28Gauge LW?
Then do I use the 8's or the 7-1/2's??
So many choices , two guns and only a few days to get it worked out.
Oh, whats the best gun oil to use on opening day?
Frog Lube or G-96 2025 vintage ?
 
First, I am assuming when the OP identifies partridge, we are talking about Ruffed and Spruce Grouse. These birds are so much easier to hunt with a 17 or a 22 rimfire to knock their heads off and get a clean carcass for the kitchen.

As for the shotgun, most premium loads are great but the 2.75" cheap stuff does just as well. The only premium loads I ever really liked is the Remington Pheasant loads as they had a bit more punch but I only carried these when I was hunting in high winds. My preference for wing-shooting on uplands is a 20 gauge, over/under, with 6 shot as it gives a nice balance of pattern spread and impact at a reasonable distance. That is my preference, but there is nothing wrong with pumps, semis, singles, or side by sides in anything from 410 to 12. I am careful to not shoot too quickly, allowing the birds get a bit of distance so they are only being hit by a few pellets. I found lighter shot either tore up the birds if the hit was too close or it resulted in poor hits and running or lost birds. I also found that heavier shot also made a mess of the birds.

For the OP, find your preference for a style and geometry of gun, the gauge, and the shot to match your style, terrain, and quarry.
 
Hungarian grey partridge or ruffed grouse? Partridge 7.5 to 8 early season. 7.5 to 6 late season.
For Ruffed grouse the sportsmen I hunt with donā€™t allow potting them. Flushed and shot or not all. Early season 7.5-8 and late season number 7 is great. Number six is okay for long shots but more pellets helps were brush and trees are involved.
 
First, I am assuming when the OP identifies partridge, we are talking about Ruffed and Spruce Grouse. They are so much easier to hunt with a 17 or a 22 to knock their heads off and get a clean carcass for the kitchen.

As for the shotgun, most premium loads are great but the cheap stuff does just as well. My preference for wing-shooting on uplands is an over/under with 6 shot as it gives a nice balance of pattern spread and impact at a reasonable distance. I am careful to not shoot too quickly, allowing the birds get a bit of distance so they were only being hit by a few pellets. I found lighter shot either tore up the birds if the hit was too close or it resulted in poor hits and running or lost birds. I also found that heavier shot also made a mess of the birds.

For the OP, find your preference for a style of gun, the gauge, and the shot to match your style, terrain, and quarry.
 
I try to concentrate on how I am shooting the birds, not what I am shooting them with.
We can run into Sharptails and ruffies in the same hunt , or in this case Huns and roosters!
No time to switch ammo when the doggy is putting them up out of the trees, then flushing a bird out of a hedge row in the next minute!
https://imgur.com/FzK81vK
Cat
 
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