Number 10 birdshot

[Tom Flanigan]

Using a size larger in the second barrel can be a good idea. I’ve done that often but not on grouse. My coverts are so tight that the bird is only in sight for a few seconds and a “longer” shot doesn’t often present itself.

I went to #8’s during the winter because the shots tended to be longer. It had nothing to do with feathers being thicker, an old wives tale.

I’ve used 6’s on grouse in Saskatchewan but only because grouse woods bordered my sharptail and hun areas and I hunted them at times just for the hell of it. I could get grouse back home, I focused my bird hunting on the sharptails and huns.

I have never used 7 ½’s on grouse.

[edgarspencer]

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

[10 bore]

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.

[Tom Flanigan]

Todd, if RST is out of 10's, I can send you a box of 28 bore 10's that Morris gave me years ago. They were a gift so I never shot them. But they are what I consider the best grouse load for a 28 bore, the 3/4 oz. load of 10's.

[todd allen]

Penetration testing could be on pigeons, mostly. I know a family from Laos, btw, who will make good use of the birds, so nothing goes to waste.
Under controlled circumstances. I think we could pretty much duplicate what happened, back in the day.
Flyers would be shot with a 1906 BHE and an Underlifter.

[terc]

I have a few boxes of RST #10 shot in 2" shells. I can send you a box. PM your address.
You probably won't see much penetration with shot that small. Is penetration even a factor in bagging a grouse ? I've skinned more than 200 grouse over the last 30 years, most of the shot is under the skin or in shallow wound channels in the meat. It would be a rare occasion for a pellet to find it's way into the heart or lungs. Most grouse are bagged by breaking a wing bone, or by hitting them in the head or spine.
More shot , denser patterns, will definitely give you better chance to hit these small areas.
Just my opinion, Dave

[todd allen]

Originally Posted by Dave Tercek

I have a few boxes of RST #10 shot in 2" shells. I can send you a box. PM your address.
You probably won't see much penetration with shot that small. Is penetration even a factor in bagging a grouse ? I've skinned more than 200 grouse over the last 30 years, most of the shot is under the skin or in shallow wound channels in the meat. It would be a rare occasion for a pellet to find it's way into the heart or lungs. Most grouse are bagged by breaking a wing bone, or by hitting them in the head or spine.
More shot , denser patterns, will definitely give you better chance to hit these small areas.
Just my opinion, Dave

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

[todd allen]

Originally Posted by Dave Tercek

I have a few boxes of RST #10 shot in 2" shells. I can send you a box. PM your address.
You probably won't see much penetration with shot that small. Is penetration even a factor in bagging a grouse ? I've skinned more than 200 grouse over the last 30 years, most of the shot is under the skin or in shallow wound channels in the meat. It would be a rare occasion for a pellet to find it's way into the heart or lungs. Most grouse are bagged by breaking a wing bone, or by hitting them in the head or spine.
More shot , denser patterns, will definitely give you better chance to hit these small areas.
Just my opinion, Dave

Thanks, Dave. A box of RST "Best" Grade 2" shot shells arrived today. We're one big step closer.

[Tom Flanigan]

OMG Dave...skinned? I've never skinned one though the practice is common. Personally I don't skin any birds. I always pick them. To each his own.

Some of the boys in Saskatchewan use to ride the roads though wooded areas in the evening to ground swat grouse. Before you think too poorly of them, these were guys who wanted to add birds to the family larder. Money is tight in northern Saskatchewan and one lady told me she grew up eating grouse shot off the roadways.

They didn't know the niceties of bird shooting, they just wanted meat. They didn't have the money to buy enough shells to become wing shooters, even if they wanted. One bird one shell was their mantra.

They "skinned" their birds by putting a wing under each foot and pulling hard on the legs. The breast came off sans skin. They laughed at me when I told them treating grouse this way was an abomination.

[Tom Flanigan]

Just one more note from my experiences, Dave. I believe the shot you saw just under the skin is shot that has passed through the body of the bird and has been stopped by the elastic nature of the skin on the far side. The same reason we often find spent bullets under the skin on the far side of where we hit deer or other big game.

If you look closely at the skin above the shot, I believe you'll find no hole in it. Some #9 shot will definitely penetrate through the bird to the other side. Some birds have broken wings but many do not.

I've often shot birds with just one broken wing and no shot in the body. These birds always flip dramatically on the side of the broken wing. They hit the ground running and I always get my dog quickly to the spot where they fell if the dog doesn't see it. The amount of ground they can cover quickly is amazing. Without a dog, it is a lost bird.