sxs --- agree with your supposition.
The idea that he was recommending pellets that were probably about .079 in diameter instead of .094 diameter (#7's) is not necessarily out of bounds.
I have read a number of pre 90's hunting manuals that recommend 9's for grouse. They wax on that you kill grouse primarily with pellet hits to the head or neck and not so much with body shots and the bird cannot distinguish the difference in .015 diameter and corellating weight, if a few of the pellets of either size hit a grouse in the head or neck at 25 or less yards it is probably going down fast. My estimate is this 1898 author was shooting about 365 pellets in the right barrel and 511 pellets in the left barrel with .079 or so diameter from a high 3 dram charge (and did you notice he stipulated a high quality black powder as opposed to middle of the road crap). And, although it goes against popular hunting recommendations today, in 2007, it is not crazy to believe he was shooting these birds rather dead at 18-20 yards all day with his favorite load, his favorite gun, and his fine shooting skills.
But as we all know for the past 20 years the larger pellet/more mass energy approach is the acceptable philosophy and for every bird species there is a different pellet size that must be used, and if you do not use the chart with the picture showing which shot size is appropriate for which species then you get ten demerits and no one talks to you at the range bar.
Last edited by Yogi 000; 11/28/07 04:24 PM.
