And I can't believe that Burt Spiller would fill a previously edible grouse with dozens of dozens of #9 shot and then feed the bird to company. I'll have to reread some Spiller and see if I think he was a writer or a bird hunter first. Many hunters know very little of ballistics and follow the leader as long as they maintain a good average. In my youth, in Southern PA, I could have shot pheasants with a .22 rifle or a .410 with #9 shot and killed my limit every day. That doesn't make the .22 or #9 shot a good choice.