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Interesting. I was thinking the opposite; 7.5s in the early season when leaves are still on trees, shots are closer and faster, and 6s in the late season when you can get farther shots.
A guy I know seems to really like Fiocchi Golden Pheasant, the nickel-plated stuff. I'm thinking about picking up some of that in 6 and 7.5 for next season.
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This is probably one of those things that isn't worth overthinking, but what shot do you prefer for grouse? Do you switch between the early season and late season?
I generally use #6 or #7.5 in my 20 gauge.
Same here. I use 6s early in season when trees still have leaves to shoot through... after leaves fall, I switch to 7.5s. Mostly use a 20, but occasionally carry a 12.
Interesting. I was thinking the opposite; 7.5s in the early season when leaves are still on trees, shots are closer and faster, and 6s in the late season when you can get farther shots.
A guy I know seems to really like Fiocchi Golden Pheasant, the nickel-plated stuff. I'm thinking about picking up some of that in 6 and 7.5 for next season.
Early on, I use the 6s, with imp cyl choke. Where I hunt, the grouse are found in a mixture of balsams, white pines, and aspens.... the more young aspens, the more grouse there are. I'm normally shooting at birds already on the other side of an aspen.
The 6s penetrate through the leaves better. Because of all the balsams mixed in, ranges don't really increase too much after leaves fall, but the visibilty up close increases when the aspens are bare. 7.5s put more pellets in the pattern, and there's no leaves to disrupt the patterns later in the season.
I hunt with a dog (Lab)... if I knock a bird out of the air, 99% of the time she'll find it, and it's mine.
As for ammo, I use Federal 2 3/4" game loads from Walmart for a 20ga. For 12ga, as I reload 12, I use my own 1 1/8oz loads, in AA lo-brass hulls.