I think that #$8 is the shot you should use. You have confidence in it and that means a lot. Not sure what was happening with those clay birds. I use 7 1/2 or 8 on quail because 9's put too many pellets in the bird. I like 5's for early season pheasants for the same reason and it is the perfect size shot late in the season as well.
We all have our preferences based on individual experience. But I admit I am a bit passionate about #9's for grouse because I have taken so many birds with it and never had any problems.
I hardly ever lost a bird. It just didn't happen. But I do remember two that are burned into my memory. Both birds, years apart, were hit on a sharp flushing rise out of cover only my dog could get through. Both birds flew almost straight up after hit, flying very slowly and gaining altitude while drifting with the wind. They reached an altitude that was astounding to me. All of a sudden, both birds died and dropped like a rock back into the thick cover. I carefully marked them down and got the dog to the spot. But he never found either one. I don't know why this happened but I'm thinking only a pellet hit each bird in the head and something screwy happened.
|