No 4 shot and grouse

blasted_saber

blasted_saber

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Good afternoon, Ive got a bunch of old 12g Imperial high brass #4. Looking for advice on its use for grouse. Im not worried about patterning so much as damage to the bird. Typically I use use 6 or 7.5 but need to find a use for this stuff.
 
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Sounds like a good excuse to do some pheasant or rabbit hunting. The sort of loads are too heavy for grouse. Not just the shot size - the velocity.
 
I usually use number 4's for rabbits, but if it had it loaded in and saw a grouse i wouldn't hesitate to use it
 
Lots of people use #4 around North Bay - people road hunt and shoot at fairly long range. Not too many pellets hit but the number 4s work. When the bird is close then head shots are used.
I usually try for birds in flight, and stick to #6 and smaller.
 
Great old duck loads but not so much for grouse. Far too heavy a payload and much too large of shot imo. Unfortunately that kind of ammo has fallen into collector category as there isn't much in the line of small game available in Canada for those heavy payloads of big shot. Even pheasants don't require big payloads of larger shot. We used to shoot them with #6 and 7.5's years back before wild pheasants all but disappeared from the southern Ontario landscape. We used the same light field loads of 12ga 1 1/8oz or 20ga 7/8oz payloads we hunted cottontails with...
 
Grouse hunting is where all my old lead duck loads have gone to. 4,5 and 6 shot never really an issue. Sure its way more than you need, but you have it and it kills just fine. Less pellets, slightly larger hole as opposed to more pellets smaller holes.

Can't say I've ever regretted using what I had.
 
I use it all the time but I only shoot them when they are on the ground and take head shots so no issue with damaged meat.
 
the spank said:
Great old duck loads but not so much for grouse. Far too heavy a payload and much too large of shot imo. Unfortunately that kind of ammo has fallen into collector category as there isn't much in the line of small game available in Canada for those heavy payloads of big shot. Even pheasants don't require big payloads of larger shot. We used to shoot them with #6 and 7.5's years back before wild pheasants all but disappeared from the southern Ontario landscape. We used the same light field loads of 12ga 1 1/8oz or 20ga 7/8oz payloads we hunted cottontails with...
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This is indeed where they came from. An elderly hunter I know gave me a whole bunch of it that he had from the old days of waterfowling.

He also gave me some #4 lead in 3" length. Aside from selling im not sure what the heck im going to do with those
 
I would shoot them at grouse if I had them. My old high school buddy used #4 shot on everything (except deer). He did not damage grouse meat any more than I did with #6. His claim was that fewer pellets did less damage. Actual field performance seems to support this farm kid theory somewhat. The following based on standard field loads and your Long Range 1 1/4 OZ. #4 loads. Usually only 7or 8 pellets hit the bird anyways the rest fly by or are stopped/turned by brush. Distance thins loads also.

FYI: #4 lead shot 168 pellets per 1 1/4 OZ.
#6 lead shot 253 " " 1 1/8 OZ.
#7 1/2 lead shot 393 pellets 1 1/8 OZ.

Darryl
 
Some difference across the country what people call "grouse"?? In Saskatchewan, I walked a lot of miles for Sharptail Grouse - and often loaded my 12 gauge with #4 Imperial when they would flush a long way out - I never had a hunting dog, so was just me. The ones I did get with #4 shot only had a couple or three pellets in them. For close, like in willows or inside poplar bluffs, I would switch to 7.5 shot. Here in Manitoba, although I have seen Sharptail, is probably more often to see Ruffed Grouse. The "ruffles" are known around here to fly into picture windows and fall down dead with broken neck - the various house cats have figured out what that sound is from...
 
Potashminer said:
Some difference across the country what people call "grouse"?? In Saskatchewan, I walked a lot of miles for Sharptail Grouse - and often loaded my 12 gauge with #4 Imperial when they would flush a long way out - I never had a hunting dog, so was just me. The ones I did get with #4 shot only had a couple or three pellets in them. For close, like in willows or inside poplar bluffs, I would switch to 7.5 shot. Here in Manitoba, although I have seen Sharptail, is probably more often to see Ruffed Grouse. The "ruffles" are known around here to fly into picture windows and fall down dead with broken neck - the various house cats have figured out what that sound is from...
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My part of central Ontario is dominantly ruffed grouse with a few spruce grouse thrown in.
 
I'm still using up some old #4 goose loads on sharp tail grouse and pheasant here in SW Sask. I'd use those shells without a worry.
 
jlovie said:
Shoo some of them down to Southwestern Ontario if you get the chance.
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Gotta shoo quite a few people out of southern Ontario first ;)

The most south I've ever hunted (successfully) ruffed grouse is simcoe county area. Average a handful a season. A few hours drive north though I have some spots that average a handful a day. It's pays off to pack a lunch and make the drive.
 
squidxm said:
Gotta shoo quite a few people out of southern Ontario first ;)

The most south I've ever hunted (successfully) ruffed grouse is simcoe county area. Average a handful a season. A few hours drive north though I have some spots that average a handful a day. It's pays off to pack a lunch and make the drive.
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Theres a healthy population of ruffed grouse all the way down to the shores of Lake Erie. Quite a few pheasant down towards the lake in a few bushes too.

It's common to see/hear 5-6 birds each outing. I've seen quite a few during the controlled hunt this week
 
canadian hunter312 said:
Theres a healthy population of ruffed grouse all the way down to the shores of Lake Erie. Quite a few pheasant down towards the lake in a few bushes too.

It's common to see/hear 5-6 birds each outing. I've seen quite a few during the controlled hunt this week
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Never knew that as I've never hunted down that way, thanks. That's great to hear as well. I grew up hunting in places where you can shoot ruffies with well placed rimfire shots or line up multiple birds with 1 shot. Hunting down south is more of a challenge for someone who hunts without a dog. Those 100 yard flushes are tough shots Laugh2
 
blasted_saber said:
Good afternoon, Ive got a bunch of old 12g Imperial high brass #4. Looking for advice on its use for grouse. Im not worried about patterning so much as damage to the bird. Typically I use use 6 or 7.5 but need to find a use for this stuff.
Click to expand...

I have a couple boxes of it #4,5,6 in 3” magnums, works great on grouse and rabbits. I use it to hit them farther out, patterns are great out of a mod choke and I just aim a bit higher and still get head shots. This is all ground swatting but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work just as well on the wing if the pattern is good, it really puts the smack down on them at 40y. I wish I had a few more boxes of them, I use them sparingly.

They kick like a mule as well, shot a couple out of a Cooey 84 last year. Don’t think I’ll be doing that again haha!
 
I have a bunch of that as well... got a ton of it in an auction a while back. I've set aside some good condition full boxes (mostly the paper rounds, some plastic) but still have several hundred rounds to shoot - at something. Even worse, most of it is #2! Lead #2 has pretty limited use these days...
 
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