16ga.com ~ View topic - Is there ever a need for more than 1 oz. in the uplands?

Member Joined: 09 Jan 2013 Posts: 2170 Location: Florida

Now that's funny , I don't care who your are. Sick but funny. Laughing

I think that's an 8ga he's holdin

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

Barney the urinating dinosaur should become the official spokesperson for the 16 gauge. He does have a fine purple "hull" for all to see Razz

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

Myself, I'm waiting to try the Federal premium 1 1/8 of 5's at 1425fps that I got at the Sw16 shoot. Won't be in my Elsie though!

Joined: 18 Jun 2014 Posts: 312 Location: Western Wisconsin

Savage16, I'm also thinking about those loads but not sure what I will shoot them out of... Your Rwm 11 should handle those nicely!

Guest

I ended up with two boxes of those 1400 fps PF loads. Great to win a couple door prizes, but I have no shotguns I dare use them in.

I bet my Baikal IZH-27 would hold them Very Happy

Joined: 19 Apr 2008 Posts: 477

I'm a light load convert. In my 12 I always shot 1 1/4 oz of # 5's. In the 16 it was always 1 1/8 oz #5's. Last year I ran into an eye issue that made me want to reduce recoil. I loaded up a bunch of 1 oz #5 1/2's at 1175 fps and shot them out of a 12 ga auto. Recoils was much reduced. The up side was I can't say I killed any fewer pheasants in SD or saw an increase in cripples.
No need to shoot more than 1 oz. If you hit them, they go down. If you don't then that extra shot makes no difference.

Guest

Sneem, I agree. Nothing trumps good shooting.

Guest

To the OP, depends on your choice of shot size, what bird you are after and what the 6" between a guy's ears wants.

I say yes, especially when using #6 and larger, but that is what the 6" between my ears like and........ I have killed more pheasants cleanly with my favorite two 1 1/8 oz. loads than all others combined.

Of course with the demise of SR7625, I am down to one favorite 1 1/8 oz. load now.

I agree with D37, there are uses for 1 and 1/8 loads for upland game. I've been shooting pheasants for the past 25 years, and even though I don't live in a pheasant state and I usually hunt with only one partner, I've watched nearly a thousand die over the years. I've also watched a few of them run over the next ridge wounded. Since I hunt exclusively over dogs, I can say that a one ounce load at a stepped up velocity would have killed probably 50% of them clean, as the shots were within 30 yards. However, the rest of those shots occurred more typically at 35 to 45 yards, where I believe 1 and 1/8 oz. of 4,5, or 6 shot is needed to cleanly kill the bird. After the first few days of the season, wild pheasants tend to run and flush well ahead of the dogs. They often leave the ground 25 yards or more in front of the gun. Not a place for low velocity, or one oz. loads in my opinion.

One and 1/8 or 1 and 1/4 oz loads (12 gauge) are adequate for any and all pheasant hunting I've ever done. All of my pheasant kills have occurred with 16 ga. but several of my partners use 2 and 3/4 inch shells in 12 gauge. My 16 kills them just as well as their 12. Maybe there is a use for 3.5 inch 1 and 3/4 oz 12 ga. loads somewhere, but I've never seen it.

My gray pat and chucker hunting experience is limited to one day, so I'm an expert. Two of the four covey flushes I enjoyed occurred at around 35 yards. I scratched one chucker at around 45 yards and doubled on gray pats at 40-45 yards. I was glad I was shooting high velocity 1 and 1/8 oz. loads (6s & 7.5s) from my modified Ithaca. From what little I know about chucker hunting, long shots are the norm.

Ducks aren't upland game, but I shot them for two decades in the 70s and 80s with 16 ga. high velocity 1 and 1/8 oz. lead loads. One oz. loads weren't even a consideration for me, even if loaded to higher velocities. Like pheasants, ducks can take quite a bit of killing. Yes, in my mind there is a need for heavier payloads.

I'll even go out on a limb the other direction: I would never use a payload less than 1 oz of the appropriate shot for any upland game, except possibly woodcock. I believe that crippling rates go up as payloads go down--all other things being equal--and that what little research is out there on the subject will back that up.

Joined: 03 Feb 2008 Posts: 830 Location: Adirondak Mtns

Simple answer, NO.

Joined: 19 Apr 2014 Posts: 429 Location: Maine

To me as always poor judgement of distance and operator error are the key facts to missing targets and game. Kind of like the people who get sucked into 3 1/2 inch magnums for waterfowl. I never seen anyone successfully kill seaducks (eiders,scoters) at 50 yards but I've seen a lot of crippled up ducks limp off. Pick a load and stick to it. I think correct shot size for the game you're hunting is more important than how much lead you're spewing out there. Another thought from the Northern Peanut gallery.

Guest

Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 962 Location: Minnesota

I am no expert, but have been hunting pheasants since the mid 1960s. I use a 12 ga most of the time for pheasants and usually use 1.25 ounces of shot, #5 or #6. In late season, I will switch to #4 shot and shoot 1 3/8 ounces.
In recent years I have used the 16 some and will this fall. I always use 1 1/8 ounces in the 16ga, either Fiocchi gold pheasant or my own reloads.
That works for me, if you want to use one ounce loads, have at it.