I'm thinking the velocities listed are muzzle velocities, not the 3 foot instrumental velocities used here in the U.S. That would ( I think ) bring them back to 1300 fps or a little less.
I'm pretty sure you're correct, btdtst. Velocity is yet another area where we and our cousins across the Pond speak a different language. They sometimes speak in true muzzle velocity rather than our 3 foot measurement, which likely explains the difference here. You'll also see reference to "observed" velocity, which I believe is the average velocity over 20 yards (or meters). Most recently, in a British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) information sheet on steel shot loads, they refer to "mean velocity measured at a point 2.50 meters from the muzzle".
I wish they'd just settle on ONE of those!
Having shot driven pheasants a few times, we usually use 1 oz loads of British 6 shot. Kent Gamebore Pure Gold this year. Brit 6's are slightly smaller than American 6's (and slightly larger than our 7's). But that load has a higher pellet count (270 vs 253) than 1 1/8 oz American 6's. And with the birds being shot as incomers or crossers, where their vitals are more exposed, it seems to be more than adequate.
But I think the "high pheasant" label is a bit of a misnomer when applied to 2 1/2" cartridges. While they likely perform quite well on birds up to 40 yards or so, what many would think of these days as really "tall" birds are much higher than that--50-60 yards--and require heavy, target-like guns chambered 2 3/4" with loads of from 36-46 grams (1 1/4- 1 5/8 oz) of British 5 (like American 6) or, beyond 50 yards, British 4 shot (American 5). There are a couple of good articles on the subject of guns, loads, and technique for shooting the really high birds in the current issue of Shooting Sportsman, by Chris Batha and Vic Venters.
And for those who have not tried them, as both authors emphasize, just plain old "average" driven birds will provide more than enough of a challenge. The first time I shot them, Roger Mitchell--then managing director of H&H, and a pretty experienced driven shooter--was in our line of guns. I asked him what was a good average on driven birds. He said 1 for 3 on good, "sporting" birds. Sounded low to me before I tried it. Not so much afterwards.
Back when many of our 12ga guns were still chambered 2 5/8", the maximum load looks to be 3 1/4 drams equivalent, 1 1/8 oz--which would be about a 1300 fps load, as we measure velocity.
Last edited by L. Brown; 02/17/14 10:47 AM.