They been trying to sell us BIGGER all my life. I have not had any use for loads of number 9 shot. Some of the skeet guys run ‘em, but, my results are better with 7 1/2s or number 8s, which, are far easier to find. I’d never shoot at a wild bird with number 9 shot.
Best,
Ted
I usually reload 7/8 oz 8 1/2 for skeet in my 16's, 3/4 oz in my 20s.
7s can be difficult to find in factory shells. Supposed to be 299/oz (300 is easier to remember.) They're very close to Brit 6 1/2 (305/oz). Brit 6 shot, which you'll see quite often in British shells, are 270/oz. I've had good luck with both US 7's and Brit 6's on wild pheasants as long as your shots aren't much longer than 35 yards or so.
Re breaking clays: If you walk around examining unbroken targets on the range, you will find plenty with one hole and some with 2 or 3 holes. What that tells me is that good skeet shooters don't rely on single pellet breaks. As Mark pointed out, no matter the shot size, you won't break the target if you don't hit it. And you want to get multiple hits.
Last edited by L. Brown; 08/09/24 06:27 AM.
