Thread: Beginners guide to choosing shot sizes

Hi Guys,

as a relatively new shotgun shooter, I've not a wealth of experience with different shot sizes for different situations. Most loads I fire are at clays, and I typically use 9.5 for skeet and 7.5 for trap/trench/sporting/compak.

I do chase the pests around the farm with a shotgun, and typically use either lead 2s or 3s with a half choke, mostly for peacocks and turkeys, but I also have a crack at magpies and plovers. I do use the 9.5s when shooting the swallows that exit the barn after they've poo'd all over the tractor.

I read a thread recently about some 36g 4s for sale and noted that some shooters said they were excellent for rabbits and possums, and for some game bird situations.

Is there a basic rule-of-thumb to help determine what shot size suits what game/pests? I'm also supposing choke and distance factor into the choice too. And how about steel vs lead? Does the shot size change for the same shooting circumstances?

cheers.

Lead 3-4-5 for bunnies hares possums. #2 for wallabies,geese,peacocks. You already sussed the small sizes but have skipped #6-7-8 all of which see use on pigeons n quail and do work well on bunnies but the dogs or chef won't thankyou for all the shot in carcase. Steel shot we find #2-3 works best for us.if we were always shooting just mallards and on pond the #4-5 would get used for denser pattern. Close range the damage from a load of steel #2s going 1550fps is shocking to put it mildly

yup Mickey Duck awnered it all very well - swear by no 2 for rabbits hares possums but 4 will do the job on them to its simply that no 2 will give a little more range -

MD covered it well but would add that as for your last queation regarding range is that from my experience lead seems to be able to retain energy a bit farther than steel. If you are shooting lead at longer distances than steel go for a tighter choke for a better pattern for game shooting.

On the subject of chokes it is quite a good idea to try clays with much tighter chokes than necessary every now and again in practice to see how your accuracy is, and improve it accordingly. On a score card a couple of pellets breaking the clay in two is recorded the same as one turned to dust. A few rounds with over tight choke will imrove your skill and once that has occured going back to a slightly more open one will see improvment in scores.

Just to add paradise shelducks are more goose than duck. I find #2 or #3 takes them down better than smaller shot, but of course, it depends on range and other factors.

Originally Posted by Baz036

MD covered it well but would add that as for your last queation regarding range is that from my experience lead seems to be able to retain energy a bit farther than steel. If you are shooting lead at longer distances than steel go for a tighter choke for a better pattern for game shooting.

On the subject of chokes it is quite a good idea to try clays with much tighter chokes than necessary every now and again in practice to see how your accuracy is, and improve it accordingly. On a score card a couple of pellets breaking the clay in two is recorded the same as one turned to dust. A few rounds with over tight choke will imrove your skill and once that has occured going back to a slightly more open one will see improvment in scores.

Then you forget to change chokes and have a go at skeet with full/full🙂

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Then you forget to change chokes and have a go at skeet with full/full��

Yep exactly - was lucky enough to grow up on a farm that incorporated a shooting school and would often shoot skeet F&F. Really helped my accuracy and when dropped back to skeet chokes for comps my scores improved.

Originally Posted by MB

Just to add paradise shelducks are more goose than duck. I find #2 or #3 takes them down better than smaller shot, but of course, it depends on range and other factors.

useless bit of info for the morning -paradise are not in the duck family like mallards -they are in the shelduck family- yup more closly related to geese than ducks - and a lot of kiwis dont know they are an endemic bird of NZ - only place that has them - greys are native and also occur in Australia - mallards of course introduced - ya learn something usefull every day

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

useless bit of info for the morning -paradise are not in the duck family like mallards -they are in the shelduck family- yup more closly related to geese than ducks - and a lot of kiwis dont know they are an endemic bird of NZ - only place that has them - greys are native and also occur in Australia - mallards of course introduced - ya learn something usefull every day

and just to add to that ,the mallard drake is the biggest rapist in the avian world -theyll gangbang greys and domestic breed hens with gay abandon if chance presents .indeed my first duck ever taken was shot as he was hard up a screaming parrie hen in midflight!Ive also seen the reverse when a couple of mallard drakes (young dum fulla cum variety )dropped in on a mob of mallard hens .oh dearie me ,the sisters mallard beat the living shit out of both of them, and actually tried to drown one .
their exit VTOL at warp 5 wondering WTF happened there? .me Id be all for a moratorium on our wee grey duck just to allow them to increase numbers put teal on the shooting list albeit 1-2pe wr person per day.

sadly many duck hunters cant identify ducks on the wing that would be a problem

the grey will never increase in numbers while still crossing with mallards.... they have been "about to go extinct" for as long as I can remember and this season opening day I shot my 2nd ever graylard that was more gray than mallard....west coast strongholds will always keep them safe,they happy up a creek in the bush and mallard not so much.

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

sadly many duck hunters cant identify ducks on the wing that would be a problem

a skill to be learnt otherwise back pocket /wallet remain empty very long and mates laugh at your misfortune glasshopper!that why the call em rangers -a range of bloody fines!!!!!!!