Miller's experience matches mine. I patterned some of the then-new pheasant loads a few years back: 1 1/4 oz lead at 1500 fps. Compared patterns to the old 3 1/4 DE, 1 1/4 oz "super pigeon" recipe (1220fps) and to the other old standby, the Super-X 3 3/4 DE, 1 1/4 oz (1330 fps). Best percentage award went in reverse order of velocity, although the Super Pigeon didn't have much of an advantage over the Super-X. More of a dropoff from the Super-X to the souped-up 1500 fps loads.
Full is a good choice for longer range shooting because a tighter central core is just what you're looking for. For close range shooting, it's just what you're NOT looking for. Were tight chokes a good idea at close range, the real skeet hotshots would have discovered that long ago, and that's what they'd be shooting. Instead, they shoot very little choke.
I've killed more wild pheasants than anything else, and I've never encountered much need for a full choke. For me, 30 yards is a long shot, so I set myself up for the shots I'm most likely to have, which are inside 25 yards. At that range, cylinder will deliver a 70% pattern. I'd also rather pass on 40+ yard chances, unless the bird is already carrying some lead. I don't consider myself that good at long range, and distance increases aiming error. Wing-bust a rooster that drops at 50 yards with a pair of healthy legs, you'd better have a good dog or else you're feeding the foxes and coyotes.
Last edited by L. Brown; 09/12/14 08:21 AM.
