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Joined: 21 Jan 2019 Posts: 54 Location: Indiana

If this has been put up for discussion lately, sorry.

With the changes in available components and powder components, which load do you prefer for upland hunting with a 16gauge? With dog and without.

Thanks for the replies.

BD

Member Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 376 Location: North ID.

I like to hunt early season birds i.e. chukar, huns, quail and pheasants with a 1 oz load of #5 or #6 shot and late season pheasants with a 1 1/8 oz load of #5 shot.

Depends… on the bird, the gun, the hunt, the time of year…

If I had to pick one, it would be 1-1/8… 5, 6 or 7.5 shot

Currently running a lighter gun, so 1 oz to start, with some 1-1/8 for back up, even some “532 grain” because they work well, but stress the gun and my shoulder.

With my normal gun, the 532 grain combo load would be top pick, with 1-1/8 for back up or longer treks.

With my Flues or Crescent for woodcock, 3/4 oz to 7/8

For me, it’s mostly about the pattern…in general: larger shot means higher payload to get the pattern density

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1907 Location: Central ND

Depends, for Sharptails, Huns, Chickens and Dove I prefer 1 oz. For pheasants I prefer 1 1/8 oz.

That's for lead shot.

Member Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 428 Location: Maine

I hunt grouse/woodcock over Springers, and use 1 1/8 #7 handholds. Late season grouse I'll switch to 1 1/8 #6

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2129 Location: Hudson,Wy

My honest assessment of this is that 1 1/8 oz. provides a small advantage over a 1 oz. load with tight chokes beyond 40 yards. The advantage grows with buffered loads. Unless you are in a situation where long shots are about the only shots offered, you won't notice much difference between 1 and 1 1/8 oz. loads of equal quality.

Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 1354 Location: Western WA

Agree with WyoChukar, but for no good reason except looking back, most of the birds I’ve taken were with 1 oz loads. They work just fine.

B.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1907 Location: Central ND

Here's my thoughts on payload weight. These are only my opinions based on what I have experienced on wild birds. I use different size payloads for different size pellets. For upland birds, the size of the target that will kill the bird at longer ranges, isn't the size of the birds body. Depending on the bird it ranges from the size of a standard clay target on edge to probably a 60MM (mini) on edge, pheasant on the big side, quail/woodcock on the small side. I am trying to kill the bird with pellets to the nervous system, head, neck, backbone, and hopefully to break a wing or two. In my opinion there are very few presentations of the bird in flight that I don't get at least a peek at that part of the bird. (With the smaller birds I don't think that to be such an absolute for one shot kills.) I believe that I have to have two things to accomplish that, pellet energy and pattern density. So my payloads are 7/8 oz., 1 oz., 1 1/8 oz. and a buffered 1 1/4 oz. load, which keeps the pellet count over 200 in each payload. The pellet sizes are #8 or #7.5, #7, #6 and #5. I haven't triggered a buffered #5 load in a long time, as that is the 3rd load in the shotgun and I don't use it until the season gets late and the weather gets on the mean side.

I am not trying to sway anyone, nor am I saying that anyone is doing anything wrong, the above ideas and thoughts are strictly my opinion on payload weight for the 16 gauge.