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.