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Does anyone know of 1 ounce #5 loads in 16 gauge from the factory?

Just RST all others are more than 1 ounce

http://www.rstshells.com/store/m/3-16-Gauge.aspx

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/16-gauge?sl=2%203%2F4&ss=5

Thanks Skeettx! RST does not live in AK. Unfortunately. Can't air ship. Ground ship is too expensive. I buy RST' when I travel outside AK but even then the availability is spotty. I loaded some 1 ounce #4's in Cheddite hulls (2-1/2") for my last pheasant hunt in SD. They worked fine. Thanks for the reply! Mike

I believe most factory load designers consider 200 to 220 pellets about minimum to insure a dependably dense enough pattern for bird hunting at normal ranges out to 40 yards or a bit more given the right choke selection for the range. I've found that approximate pellet count range to work very well for nearly all my hunting loads, so I tend to agree w/ the professionals.

A fast load of #5 shot is excellent for pheasant sized birds out of a 16. However, a one oz. load of #5 shot has about 170 pellets which might be considered a bit thin for birds past 20-25 yards. That is why most #5 shot factory loads start at 1-1/8 ounce which has about 195 pellets in it. That is close enough to the 200 pellet minimum count to be dependable at any range out to 40 yards or a bit more (given the right choke selection of course).

A 1-1/8 oz. load or #5 shot can be pushed at 1250-1300 FPS out of the average 16 ga. gun as well. That's plenty fast enough for #5 pellets to hit hard, penetrate to the vitals from any angle, and reliably break wing and leg bones on all but the very biggest, toughest roosters at longer ranges than 35-40 yards. That is where a 1-1/4 oz. 16 ga. load of #4 shot or better yet, a 12 ga. 1-1/2 ounce of #4 shot takes over in my experience. (Be advised, not all 16 ga barrels will pattern #4 shot well either, so the 12 ga might be the way to go if your 16 ga gun does not handle #4 shot.)

That is not to say a one oz. load of #5 shot won't reliably take pheasant sized birds, but I would strongly suggest selecting a tighter choke than normal and limiting the range to under 30 yards to help insure clean kills.

I shot 10 pheasants last week with one ounce loads in 2-1/2 inch chambered gun choked IM/F. It was too much choke for the closer birds...I shot 2 at 25 yards that were practically ruined...with either #5 or # 4 shot in one ounce. I was surprised how well it worked. Most of the birds were around 30 yards with one much further, and two closer. I wounded one that I didn't recover as I shot over the bird and just busted a wing. I have a great dog, but unfortunately he couldn't mark that bird!

The other 16 gauge I had with me was chambered 2-3/4" and I shot 1-1/8 ounce 4, 5, and 6 shot in it. Managed to lose another bird with this gun at about 35-40 yards.

My dog found three birds wounded by the group before us at this lodge. Live birds with broken wings. I think people, particularly those without good dogs lose a lot more birds than they are willing to admit. These are wild birds, not stocked pen raised.

I try to restrain myself from shooting birds over 40 yards, or even a little less. Too likely to wound them as my partner did with his 12 gauge. By the way, he lost at least one bird and was shooting 1-3/4 ounces of #4 shot!

Anyway, it was all great fun!

I offered my suggestions based on my own experience from shooting #5 and #4 shot loads for pheasant out of my own shotguns. What works for me may not work for anyone else. Then there are all the other variables which come into play--where and when we hunt and how we hunt and how competently we can wing shoot.

Some of us are simply better wing shots than others. I'm usually pretty good myself if my gun and load suit the situation. But I've been in situations where my choice of gun and load was not a good one, or I've just been off that day. At those times, I felt I could not have done any better w/ a radar guided 88mm anti-aircraft piece. Laughing

I think most of us here understand that all shotguns are laws unto themselves. IM/Full might be too much choke for closer in shots w/ one ounce #4 or #5 loads in some guns and not enough choke in others (although I'm betting a one ounce load of #4 shot is way to thin to be practical for most any of us here). The only reliable way to predict this is to pattern the gun w/ the load at the expected ranges we expect to shoot based on how we hunt. W/o that much info, we are guessing.

However, 200 to 220 pellets per load seems to be a good rule of thumb when choosing loads for most average hunting situations for most average wing shooters. Otherwise, the professionals who design loads and publish manuals on the subject of hunting loads probably would not suggest it. My own findings agree and are again, based on my own experiences. It's the best I can offer to any of you.

I somewhere also read the 200 pellet rule and have patterned on paper extensively. I am amazed at the effectiveness of the one ounce #4 loads I used. I hastily loaded these in primed Cheddite cases...I didn't have any 5 or 6 shot. I have #7, but regard it too small for going away pheasant. Tom Roster chose #4 as the most lethal pellet to use for pheasant based on his tests. He was probably using 1-1/4 ounce loads in a 12 gauge. #5s performed second best in his tests.

I think the combination of tight chokes and moderate range made up for thin #4 and #5 patterns in my 2-1/2" chamber gun. Very Happy

In my opinion, the late Don Zutz is one of the most knowledgeable experts on shotguns and ammo for wing shooting ever. Back in the late 1970' or early 1980's over several seasons, Don did a long term field test to find out what were the best loads for pheasant hunting under any conditions. He accompanied quite a number of various hunting parties as they hunted for stocked and wild birds at several well known commercial hunting reserves and in several other locations in the mid-west. His findings showed the two best loads for hunting pheasant under any conditions were both 2-2/4 inch 12 gauge loads. The best one was a fast 1-1/2 oz. load of #4 shot, and the next best one was a very fast 1-1/4 oz. of #5 shot.

I doubt many of us will ever have the time and opportunities to witness actual pheasant hunting as much as Don Zutz did. Even so, I have also hunted pheasant in varied locations w/ various 28 thru 12 ga shotguns and loads. I've successfully bagged stocked birds close in over pointing dogs at a couple of local commercial hunting reserves and from a fair number of MA state stocked areas with some relatively fast 7/8 oz. 28 gauge loads of extra hard #7 pigeon shot. I've also taken my share of tough old swamp roosters over dogs or by walking them up in a number of far less hunted relatively local fringe areas w/ 1-1/2 ounce 12 ga loads of #4 shot. I've also taken my share of birds with 20 and 16 ga guns and various loads of #6, #5, and #4 shot.

My own experiences do not always exactly agree w/ Don Z.'s findings. However, my experiences tend agree with Don's when the conditions are very tough and the birds are extra tough and wary as well. So I won't argue with him. He's been proven right too many times by my experiences from actually being out there chasing these tough old birds through frozen over swamps and fens when far more sane hunters are sitting feet up in front of a roaring fire with a stiff toddy in their mitts. In those times, I tend to choose a 12 ga 1-1/2 ounce load of #4 shot. Crazy or not, it's been working for me for a fair number of seasons. Very Happy

Joined: 22 Jun 2012 Posts: 57

I use 5 shot almost exclusively for wild pheasants, the exception being early season MT pheasants where I have just as good of a chance of shooting a sharptail or Hun, or in Kansas where there are decent numbers of quail. In those instances I shoot 6 shot

The load I use for # 5 shot is the 1 1/16 B&P @ 1280 fps. I have never run a mic. on the shot diameter, but I understand it may be more like a # 5 1/2 compared to american sized shot. Anyone know this to be true?

I have had good consistent results with B&P.

Guest

I keep my own spreadsheet on wild pheasant over the last 18 years of hunting in MT, ND, and SD. I won't pretend to be a great shot, and hunt over very good springer spaniels. I avoid the opening couple weeks of the season, so my hunting is in mid season in these states.

Even with educated wild birds, we shoot most of our bag on birds under 30 yards. I tend to avoid long shots as I am not as effective no matter what I shoot. I tailor my loads to guns I am using; this year a 1934 Fox and a 1924 Guyot with 2-1/2" chambers.

I strive to have a nice time hunting over my dogs. They bail me out of bad hits all the time. In fact, my dog found three birds with broken wings that the last hunting group left in the field (alive).

I've read Zutz and Tom Roster and certainly respect their experience. I just don't use very modern guns!

DQ-Italian shot is slightly smaller than American. I have some 1-1/16 OZ High Pheasant loads and I was told they are about 0.3 less than a #6. I've shot wild pheasant up to 30 yards with an IC barrel using these.

Guest

Little Creek, I'm at the same place mostly. If I'm at all concerned about the shooting conditions I grab my 2-triggered 12 ga. OU. 1 1/4 oz. of 6's in the SK barrel and 1 1/4 oz. of 5's in the IM tube. That's as extreme as I get these days.

Mostly it's a 16 gauge with 1 or 1 1/8 oz. and I tip my head and salute the birds that are smart enough to get up on the edge of range.

Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 694 Location: MN

You might keep an eye out for B&P 16 ga loads (F2s are 1 1/16 oz) because everyone once in a while they will offer free shipping.

http://aerostaroutdoors.com/catalog/