doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Avoiding Two Birds with One Shot

Mike I just thought of another tactic. You may try to bust the covey and then hunt just singles. I know this my be hard for the dog to understand but maybe only used when you have a tight flush. regards, Pilgrim

Although it was generally dismissed in this thread I still think my idea of using nine shot in a 1/2oz or 5/8oz load (full choke) may be a good idea. The nine shot loses velocity much quicker than 7-1/2 and has less mass. I think it might greatly lower the likelihood of killing a bird on the far edge of the covey by accident.

The formula for the energy of a pellet is equal to .5 times Mass times Velocity times Velocity or 1/2 x M x V x V one half mas times velocity squared. So at forty yards a #9 pellet has much less velocity and much much less energy than a 7-1/2.

I have been doing some google searches trying to find the velocity at forty yards of different size lead shot that left the muzzle at 1150 fps. If I can get it I will post the relative energy of the two different sized pellets at 40 yards.

5/8 ounce of number 9's is 355 pellets. 5/8 ounce of 7 1/2 is 211 pellets. That is a difference of 40% less in pellets. A half ounce in the .410 is 284 and 169. I would rather use 7 1/2, limit shot size to reduce crippling and wounded birds by what we would call over spray or fringe pattern. It becomes a trade off in the end. How many 7 1/2's vs. 9's are needed to bring down the average quail? Extra pellet numbers against energy. And I feel that quail are one of the least hardy birds, easiest to bring down with fewest hits. Sometimes hard to find and hit but when hit they go down and stay down. Not like pheasant which will run a marathon if wounded or a smart Black duck which will dive and hide.

Having shot both for nigh on to 54 years I think a dove is easier to bring down than a quail bird. It's been my experience that it is also easier to recover a downed/but/not/dead dove than a quail. Quail will run and hide, when wounded, more so than a dove. Good point you're making, tho'. Quail are "tough little frail" birds, but just so admirable!

SRH

If the payload and chokes are kept constant, 3/4 to 7/8 oz of premium, hard shot, slower burning powders at lesser velocity,the larger the bore size, less flyers...Right? Bore size does make a difference...or am I missing something? Flyers increase with decrease in bore size, softness of shot, and increase in velocity. Why would this not make any difference? Or is the opinion the extra bird is not killed by pellets outside the pattern? Just asking....???

Mike, this should be your next purchase as there are more waterfowl out there then you can shake a stick at!!!

http://www.ithacagun.com/waterfowl.html

Can any true American, whether young or old, rich or poor resist the sweet lines of the Model 37!!!

Then after that one then this!!!!!!

http://www.ithacagun.com/28gauge.html

Every solution offered is a compromise. You might end up losing more wounded birds flying to the next county with #9's and .410. Is your current set up that broke that it needs fixing? The "cure" maybe worse than the "issue".

Mike, I think this is worth considering. As was the suggestion of breaking the coveys and then pursuing singles, rather than trying to pick a single out of the first flush of the covey.

I can't recall any quail flying off when hit with 7 1/2 shot from any bore size, even the much maligned 410. I would stick with 7 1/2, 7, or 6 regardless of bore size. The bird doesn't know what bore size the shot comes from.

That Parker Repro full choke 28 ga barrel makes some of the tightest patterns I've shot.