#4 vs #5 for short 10 ga

[Milton Starr]

After being really disappointed with #7.5 shot , im going to order probably #5 loads from rst next time for the short 10 ga . I used to hunt #4 with my 10 ga magnm and it hit like thunder , So im wondering how it will perform in the short 10 ga pattern density wise ? Im thinking with it being a lighter load perhaps it will pattern better or maybe I should stay with #5 shot . When im in the woods nothing tears through the leaves and squirrels though like a load of 4s imo . I havnt missed anything with the 7.5s but it just lacks killing power . Should I try 4s or 5s next in my short 10 ?

[6pt-Sika]

I've not fired any RST shells I load all my own . But so far I've been having good luck with 1 1/4 ounce loads of #8 and #4 . It's my intention to try a 1 1/2 ounce load of #4's for spring turkeys . Possibly later on I'll try one ounce and ounce and an eighth loads in the ten with #9 for impromptu skeet or dove loads .

[wayne goerres]

I use 1oz light loads in my 10s. Squirle's don't stand a chance with #5 shot.

[Milton Starr]

I use 1 1/8 oz loads . Wayne have you noticed if the 1oz loads shoot dirtier than heavy loads ? The 1 1/8 oz loads shoot while I like them are very dirty even have the 2 shots looks like I been shooting black powder lol . I think if I went with the 1 1/4 oz loads theyd probably burn cleaner though I like the low recoil of the 1 1/8s .
Craig my thinking was when I bought 7.5# loads was I could hunt and use them on skeet but I havnt even shot any skeet with the 10 ga yet . I have seen people fight over using #9s on quail Craig

[10 bore]

I found that 6's are the go to shot size for my 10's, 1 to 1 1/8 th oz load should work just fine, 1 1/4 for bigger jobs ,scott

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Milton Starr

I have seen people fight over using #9s on quail Craig

In central Virginia wild birds are a thing of the past .

The last 3 or 4 dozen I killed were preserve birds . I actually had to make myself shoot slower with a 28 gauge loaded with 3/4 ounce of #9's or I'd mince the birds to where they weren't fit to eat .

I used to try to shoot trap birds as soon as I saw them and pen raised birds don't stand a chance when one shoots in that fashion .

[Milton Starr]

All of our clients were pretty wealthy some have been in forbes and they expected to kill quail so the guy running the operation would buy 20,000 quail or so a year and we would release so many in predetermined spots the day before the hunt . None of the hunters were real good shots on game or shooting clays . Cant expect to shoot a gun 1 month out the year and be proficient with it . We always hunted with a party of 4 hunters , 2 in field 2 on the carriage . Id say average kill for the day would be 30-40 birds . Now there was these two guys in their 30s killed they 130 birds , it was the owner of the plantations son . Now the owner of the plantation set a limit of 65 birds a day . But his son figured shoot as many as your skill allows in a 8hr period . one guy accidently got a box of 9s somehow and he was getting more kills and the others guys felt cheated he got 9s and all other cases were 8s . So they wanted to argue over who was going to get the 9s . Id say the quail huntin we did had to be 15-20 yards sometimes less .


Craig my brothers boss is a big farmer locally and just bought a 3000 acre quail reserve he's going to bulldozer for farming land. Our deer land is right across the street and last year I noticed birds been coming across the road living in our deer woods so im hoping the rest will follow when the reserve gets deforested . Makes me a little mad . I didn't hunt quail on our place last year I just feed them milo and corn .

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Milton Starr

Craig my brothers boss is a big farmer locally and just bought a 3000 acre quail reserve he's going to bulldozer for farming land. Our deer land is right across the street and last year I noticed birds been coming across the road living in our deer woods so im hoping the rest will follow when the reserve gets deforested . Makes me a little mad . I didn't hunt quail on our place last year I just feed them milo and corn .

Milton are you in Carolina or Georgia ?

Perhaps you can hook me up with someone in Carolina so I can pop a deer !

I wanna shoot one on a drive down there with a shotgun and buckshot . I don't care if it's a doe , spike or the new worlds record I'd just like to pop one with a side by side shooting buckshot on a man drive or a hound drive . Do the Archibald Rutledge thing so to speak LOL's !

[Milton Starr]

Craig I am in South Ga , I see your in Virginia I was born in Norfolk .
There are plenty of old school plantations down here that most likely offer the hunt you describe . in fact I heard them countless times during deer season of them chasing deer with dogs and hunting with buck shot probably a few hundred yards from here . Craig everyone hunts in my county . While you can hear guys hunting with dogs to the east I could hear guys shooting ducks to the south and quail hunters to the north I kid you not .

I don't know what type of budget you have but I Know of 2 highly respected plantations locally if your interested .

[Milton Starr]

I wish ballistic products had it in stock by the box so I could try different sizes