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I KNOW Nick uses #9 quite effectively for most ALL hunting

Anyone else use #9 for hunting??

Mike

I could never bring myself to shoot at a pheasant with #9's, ain't in my DNA. Wink

Dale

7.5 & 8.5 some - mostly easier to get 8.5 than 9's . Nick's even sound different at the speed they go ! You can't deny what he does with them !

Years ago when I shot #9's at dove, I had a lot of cripples. Now I use #8's for dove and quail, #7's for prairie grouse and chukar and for pheasant #6 in my open barrel and #5 1/2 in my mod barrel.

Joined: 22 Jun 2012 Posts: 57

Woodcock and snipe only. I have tried it on game farm quail too.

Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 1460 Location: Eagle, Nebraska

I have used them on doves, but now use (in the 28ga) #8.5 @1300fps.

Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1698 Location: Minnesota

I used 9's for trap one year. 7/8 0z in 12 ga @1300fps. Seemed to work but I've never used 9's for hunting. How fast are you pushing the 9's Nick?

Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 14 Location: MICHIGAN

I don't use anything smaller than 7 1/2 shot for anything bigger than starlings. Have seen too many cripples with smaller shot.

Joined: 15 Jun 2010 Posts: 1358 Location: Twin Cities, MN

I don't shoot any birds with shot smaller than # 7 1/2. Don't like to pick shot out of meat and prefer my birds dead in the air. Shot 8s on doves once and didn't like them as much as bigger shot.
Regards,
Jeff

...I shot doves with factory nines through my 28 . They worked fine early season on nice days for close birds. Went back to7 1/2's and take them as they come all season long.

I have killed a lot of Mourning Dove, Whitewing and Eurasians with 3/4 or 7/8oz # 7 1/2 through16 gauge MOD chokes. I think that one or two 7 1/2 will put down most any dove so the margin for error is better than with the commonly loaded 9 which probably don't penetrate the body at longer range so require a wing/neck/head hit to promptly drop the bird...

Joined: 19 Apr 2014 Posts: 429 Location: Maine

3/4 oz #8 out of a 28ga. Very seldom do I find a pellet in the breast meat. Most are going away shots.

I would say Nick pushes the speed limit at between 1500 and 1700 fps . The shots sound more like rifle cracks than booms ! Not a lot of shot at wharp II .

9's for hunting. . . Why? Good for sparrows and blackbirds at 10 to 30 yards -- small, close birds you won't eat.

Discounting the .410, an exception in which hunting sized shot starts at 8 for me because of pellet count considerations, and is not a bad compromise considering the .410's range limitations, shot sizes for hunting start at 7 for me. Size 7 has significant energy advantages over 7.5, and has sufficient pellet count in charge weights down to 3/4 oz. to cover the targets suitable for those charge weights. For greater ranges and larger game, go up in pellet size first for energy reasons, and then charge weight for pattern density reasons, which eventually leads to guns of greater bore size. Fortunately, the 16 covers most game, certainly all the upland game that can be found, except arguably, the capercaillie.

Any size smaller, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9 etc. is for target shooting. And 8.5!? -- a real hair-splitter's special -- indeed!

Can you knock down birds with 9's? Can you get fair results with the smaller sizes? Sure. Makes no sense to me, but if one wants, have at it. Most of us want to dispatch birds humanely, and then eat them comfortably.

Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1698 Location: Minnesota

All the talk here makes me wonder how many of their "woodcock loads" are sold by RST--#10shot!

Member Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 1257 Location: Nebraska