#6 Shot

Get Ready for a long shot
Get Ready for a long shot

A friend and I had a conversation about different gauges and loads.Rob who is an avid Wingshooter likes 12 gauge guns because of the larger pattern and less chance that the bird would be on the fringe of the pattern resulting in a cripple.Basically he was crapping on sub gauge guns.I agreed that the Hunters with 20 & 28’s cripple a lot of birds, the good shots do wonders but is it the gauge or the load that they are shooting? Not everyone wants to pack around a heavier 12 Gauge,most Upland Hunters are shooting 20 gauge guns because of this.Yes it would be great if we all shot 16 Gauge guns but this is likely not going to happen.My observation is that is not some much the gauge but the load the Hunters are shooting which results in more cleanly killed birds.

A sharptail Point -get ready for a long shot
A Sharptail Point -you know the birds will flush far out

Considered a ‘heavy’ load by most,a load of six’s is good for every from Quail to pheasants.Some may even consider it to be the forty Calibre of shotgun loads.On The Saskatchewan Prairie  I have given up on 7.5’s entirely,# six does it all and cleanly kills Huns and Sharptails at a far range which is often your shots.

A Brittany and a Sharptail
A Brittany and a Sharptail

When I do get a chance to personally Duck hunt I am shooting a 1 oz #6 RST “Nice shot” load which is also devastating on decoying ducks.

Decoying Ducks and small potholes .prefect for #6's
Decoying Ducks and small potholes .prefect for #6’s
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Hunting Scaled Quail requires #6 shot for those tough birds and sometimes long shots.

Down here in Arizona I am still using 7.5 & #7 shot on Mearns Quail but on tough  Desert Birds #6’s offer the hunter a clean kill,therefore less dog  energy is used looking for downed birds as there are fewer cripples.

Cruz nails a covey of Huns -which will jump up at around 30 yards from the hunters -6 shot is perfect
Cruz nails a covey of Huns -which will jump up at around 30 yards from the hunters -6 shot is perfect

For loads I find 1 oz #6 for 16 gauge is perfect and 7/8 oz for 20 Gauge gets it done.If you notice a lot of crippled birds on your hunt’s try shooting #6 shot and see if it makes a difference.It certainly did for me.

A pair of Scaled Quail cleanly killed with a 20 gauge and #6 shot
A pair of Scaled Quail cleanly killed with a 20 gauge and #6 shot