Thread: Clay target loads on possums?

I was talking to the guy in a hunting and fishing store the other day and told me don't waste money on heavy game loads for possums.
Said to me that trap loads will work fine and that's all he uses.
Sounded reasonable to me but didn't think #7 shot would be heavy enough to kill a Possum.
Our local store always recommended I use heavy loads which ive tested out over the last few months, these were 36g and 42g loads with shot sizes ranging from size 3 to 5.
Even then I've found effective kill range to be only 20m but that's with no choke just open bore, ive recently got a suitable set of chokes so am interested to test it out with a modified and full choke to compare kill range.
Still don't know about target loads, but they are obviously cheaper.

depends on if you just want to kill Mr possum..or do so in a hurry everytime cleanly,Ive killed them easy as with #4 shot in .410 BUT range is vitally important..that said a lombardy poplar..the big tall suckers is no more than 90ft tall..thats 30 yards..most willows struggle to be more than 10yards hig 15 at most..Ive killed hundreds of possums with a .12ga and the #2 goose loads leave no doubt at all,they fly out of tree but its not pretty. your trap load will work inside that 20-25 yards but heavier shot will work better... possums have much stronger body and heavier bones than a quail or pigeon.

Yeah i agree.
I've got a 12 gauge, but wonder if some lighter loads in some cases might be better as they have higher velocity.
I've seen 28g loads with heavier shot sizes too, so even if there is less shot, it may be more effective, especially with a tighter choke.

Have used clay target loads as light as 7/8 on possums plenty of times. They do the job, just not as emphatically as a load of 2’s or 3’s. Same on rabbits, remember one of the old rabbit board loads was 1 1/4? oz of 5’s and they dealt to most things.

Originally Posted by woods223

Have used clay target loads as light as 7/8 on possums plenty of times. They do the job, just not as emphatically as a load of 2’s or 3’s. Same on rabbits, remember one of the old rabbit board loads was 1 1/4? oz of 5’s and they dealt to most things.

I've got a supply of 30g loads with no5 shot, it might be worth trying these out, sounds similar load. Seems to have a high velocity over 1400fps.

Originally Posted by Old_School

I was talking to the guy in a hunting and fishing store the other day and told me don't waste money on heavy game loads for possums.
Said to me that trap loads will work fine and that's all he uses.
Sounded reasonable to me but didn't think #7 shot would be heavy enough to kill a Possum.
Our local store always recommended I use heavy loads which ive tested out over the last few months, these were 36g and 42g loads with shot sizes ranging from size 3 to 5.
Even then I've found effective kill range to be only 20m but that's with no choke just open bore, ive recently got a suitable set of chokes so am interested to test it out with a modified and full choke to compare kill range.
Still don't know about target loads, but they are obviously cheaper.

You will find that Modified choke is vastly more effective than cylinder bore, like you I found that even with heavy loads, cylinder is only good for 20-25 m on possums.

Mr. Poss is a tough customer and number 7 shot is not as effective or humane as number 3 or 4 lead shot. I like a modified choke and Falcon SP40 3's. Good to 45 m.

I have tried using trap loads in the past, but not that successful, too many follow up shots needed. We have all experienced possums that have soaked up more than one shot from a 22.......and then we consider using a shotgun with lighter projectiles. I think the problem I had was that a lot of my possums were treed, and trying to fit a clean pattern through the branches, sometimes at distance, meant that parts of the pattern were being interrupted by those branches and not enough decent sized lumps of lead got through to do the business. With a 22 you can poke it through all those gaps and place it exactly where you want it, and its quieter. I think trap loads are just exacerbating the problem and a reasonable game load of 4's or 5's would be more successful.

Yeah I agree, I think these 42g loads may be a bit of an overkill, no pun intended.
Biggest issue was the damn shotgun of mine, however i use the .22 on possums that are a bit out of reach of the shotgun

Biggest problem I find with the .22 is keeping the rifle steady on possums far away say 50 metres, shotgun won't be that effective at that range either.
I haven't done too bad in saying that, I recently hit one at about 50 metres and shot at the eyes and I could hear it drop right down hard on the ground.
Shotgun is useful however, especially if you see a pair together on the tree or if they are moving like I often find.
As you say, tree branches don't help things.

Originally Posted by rockland

You will find that Modified choke is vastly more effective than cylinder bore, like you I found that even with heavy loads, cylinder is only good for 20-25 m on possums.

Mr. Poss is a tough customer and number 7 shot is not as effective or humane as number 3 or 4 lead shot. I like a modified choke and Falcon SP40 3's. Good to 45 m.

your comment on humane is really what should be considered here - light shot is just that to damn light - use 2-3 and do job effectively or not at all - dont tickle them kill em

The main factor is range.
Small pellets close range. Big pellets a bit further.
Put up a two litre milk bottle full of water at ten feet and see what a trap load does to it.

Originally Posted by woods223

Have used clay target loads as light as 7/8 on possums plenty of times. They do the job, just not as emphatically as a load of 2’s or 3’s. Same on rabbits, remember one of the old rabbit board loads was 1 1/4? oz of 5’s and they dealt to most things.

#3s which USUALLY pattern better than any other pellet size and hold the pattern for longer..dont know why,it just is one of them things.

the falcon sp36 load of #3s was load we used when rabbiting for a living... its deadly on possums too....... how are you shooting possums at 50 yards???? are you looking across gulley into top of tree??? trees dont grow 50 yards high. shotguns will kill at 50 yards IF you using heavy enough shot and putting enough pellets on target.... past 45 yards your into full choke zone..... if yo uhave 30grm #5s by all means use them.. but try the tightest choke you have got... at under 10 yards you should just about be able to pluck heads off and leave body untouched.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

the falcon sp36 load of #3s was load we used when rabbiting for a living... its deadly on possums too....... how are you shooting possums at 50 yards???? are you looking across gulley into top of tree??? trees dont grow 50 yards high. shotguns will kill at 50 yards IF you using heavy enough shot and putting enough pellets on target.... past 45 yards your into full choke zone..... if yo uhave 30grm #5s by all means use them.. but try the tightest choke you have got... at under 10 yards you should just about be able to pluck heads off and leave body untouched.

just a thought if one was using a side by side or over under - and you wanted to use up some lighter loads on possums then load ya more open choke barell with a 5-6 and a 2-3 in ya full choke - 5-6 for close up and 2-3 for range that would work- my favourite at work was no 2 Fiochhi - possums and rabbits did not argue with those -FS days when doing new pine blocks we used a blue rabbit board load - kicked but it killed cant remember what the load was

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

the falcon sp36 load of #3s was load we used when rabbiting for a living... its deadly on possums too....... how are you shooting possums at 50 yards???? are you looking across gulley into top of tree??? trees dont grow 50 yards high. shotguns will kill at 50 yards IF you using heavy enough shot and putting enough pellets on target.... past 45 yards your into full choke zone..... if yo uhave 30grm #5s by all means use them.. but try the tightest choke you have got... at under 10 yards you should just about be able to pluck heads off and leave body untouched.

That was with a .22 I was popping off a Possum at 50 yards up in a tree about 50 yards away. If a shotgun could do that, even better but never tried. I think the max range ive taken one down was at 30m with my 12 gauge, but that was really pushing it with my open barrel.
I found I was having more success with a load of smaller size shot around 4 or 5.
Probably because it's got more pellets, even though they are a bit lighter.
Size 5 is probably the smallest you would want to use on possums.
With a full or modified choke, I could probably get away with a much lighter load too?

swings n roundabouts... open choke and heavy pellets and tight choke with light pellets will still poke about same amount of lead onto target..... but the few larger pellets will still penertrate out a wee bit further.. .also...not every load patterns the same... one load will be tighter than the other. and strangely enough a SLOWER load ofte npatterns tighter than a fast one..... you were talking about doing a black powder load.....it might be just the ticket heavy payload of say #3-4 shot trundling along at 1100ish fps it may pattern ok in open choke..only one way to find out. I can make that load patter n REALLY tightly when using a steel shot wad without splits in wad cup. or can a make it a spreader load with lots of splits.