Game birds are plucked. Rabbits and squirrels are skinned. Also you don't cut the heads or fins off a trout!

AMEN!!!!!

Hi Dave. I appreciate the offer.
I'll PM you my info

Interesting piece, I've always liked using 10's. Never had any issues with lost or running birds. There seems to be a lot of criticism regarding that shot size, but I think its knowing your gun and your limitations.

So, I've got my buddy from Vegas over last Friday, for dinner. He's my hunting and shooting partner, for well over 30 years. Dinner's over, were sitting on the back porch enjoying an adult beverage, and I bring up the topic from Tom's welcome back post regarding hunting grouse with #10 shot. Chuck is as close to a ballistics expert as anyone this side of SAMMI, having done a lifetime of research on what drops a pigeon in the ring.
His first reaction is, whaaat? That's crazy! Next thing you know, we've got shot diameter, weight in grains, velocity, energy calcs, and journee's formula going.
Then, Chuck came up with a theory. I said, yeah, let's find out. We've got the guns, got the time and equipment, we need some number 10 shot. We will get to the bottom of this.

To each his own ! I “pluck” the breast from dove Grouse quail and pheasent . Heck the last several turkey I slam dunked got the breasts removed from them . I also remove the head and tail from trout . In my older age I do not have the time nor the inclination to pluck feathers from birds .

To the best of my knowledge I’ve never fired any #10 or #12 shot I do however remmember reading about #12 a bit more in old dog training books and in a couple of Havilah Babcock books . The training books suggested dusting hard headed pointers/Setters at about forty yards (never was inclined to try) . Babcock suggested the would be quail hunter that had a hard time hitting should use these to get ones confidence back up on a covey rise (never was inclined to try that either).

Interesting discussion. I am not certain how much energy it takes combined into pellet size and velocity to kill a grouse or any bird using lead shot, though I would dare say some are tougher than others. Here is the basic formula though but this mostly applies to single projectiles or bullets, but I guess also individual pellets as well:
Energy =mv^2/2.

Different pellets have different mass and loads create different velocities and in result energy. All things being equal more shot into the target has more energy. As to say maybe getting 7 or 8 number 10 shot into a grouse at 30 yards is better than getting only 5 or 6 pellets of number 8 shot into a grouse at the same distance. But obviously if shooting further out you would want larger shot that has more energy carrying capacity than smaller shot at greater distances.

There is a paradigm shift though when it comes to some shot. I think Jerry is proving this with his new Turkey loads he is trying that employs tungsten that is more dense and harder than lead shot and he has been able to demonstrate that he can get great patterns and penetration energy to kill turkeys with #9 shot at 50+ plus yards.

Also there are factors of shot deformity to consider when shooting small lead shot. This should be an interesting experiment.

I think I use more pepper in a Bloody Mary than what these little guys pack.

I loaded up 3/4 oz "13" shot in 20 ga. looks to be 2000 pellets + or - 500. I will try it on the skeet field soon. should "dust" them on station 1 low house or 7 high house.
scott
I just checked, there are 1800 12 shot for 3/4 oz so close to 2000 for 13 shot. I don't know how birds would eat if hit with 10 shot. lots of lead in it??, I will stick with 7 1/2's and 7's.