doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Does shot size really matter?

I have talked to guys who use #9s for singles trap. Or even 8 1/2s. They say that you have to shoot really fast. I might use 8 1/2s or 9s for skeet because you shoot so close. But not trap. For trap I usually use 7 1/2s. Maybe 8s. For singles or handicap. If the bird gets out there too far and you miss, you'll see the powder come off of the target, but not a chip like you need- to have it count as a broken target.

I ended up with 12.6", Craig. Roads and culverts re blown out all over Burke County and neighboring counties towards the coast. It was a major disaster for roads. I think our crops fared okay. The corn wasn't quite matured and had green left in it, and the winds weren't bad at all. The peanuts are a low growing crop, so no falling over or anything like that. The rain will benefit them, as long as it dries out enough that we can get equipment back in the fields to keep them sprayed for disease prevention.

I had an older black employee, Eddie Lee, who worked for my Grandaddy on the farm and then for me, and he loved to say ........... "Cap'n, hit's so wet it would bog a housecat wid shingles on it's feet." Yes it is, Eddie Lee.

Thanks for asking, Craig.

You and me both, brother. I have found that 9s often stay in a dove, quail or woodcock while a much larger percentage of 8s pass through. I use 8s on quail and my shooting buddy uses 9s. We put our birds together, and at the end of the day he often gives me his to take home. If I bite into a shot while eating them it's almost always a 9, hardly ever an 8.

I shoot from low gun, so I do not break them real close. Yet, I find I do better with 9s than with 7.5s. With the latter, I occasionally have an easy straight away that somehow flies off untouched. That just does not happen with 9s.

I do shoot fairly open chokes and light 7/8ths or 1 oz loads.

Dr. Drew: Thankyou for that.

So...the way I'm reading your summary, American 7 1/2s are actually British 7s? That doesn't sound right. It is good to know that 7s are 2.4 mm, 7 1/2s are 2.3mm, and 8s are 2.2mm.

Also, American 5s are British 4s(?) and our 6s are Brit 5? No wonder I'm confused.

Let's see, according Eley, 6s are 2.6mm and 5s are 2.8? Huh...

English 7's seem to be magical for most upland birds. I use 7.5's for sporting clays and 9's for skeet. I have learned over the years that larger pellets pattern a little tighter in most of my guns. I rarely use 6's anymore except for late season sage grouse.

Brit 7's and US 7.5s are close enough that you might as well call them twins. Brit 7's go 340/oz. US7.5, 350/ oz. I doubt many birds or targets would notice the difference.