Go-to gun

[Tom Flanigan]

I always thought my Smith lightweight 16 bore was the perfect grouse gun. I killed a lot of birds with that gun and even used it from time to time on early wild pheasants. But it wasn't a Parker so it had to go. I never found an appropriate Parker with cut barrels. I could have opened my chokes on the IC guns, but I would never do that.

With respect to larger pellets being better for shooting through brush, it just isn't so. No pellet can hit brush and stay on point of aim. I used to laugh when people talked about using brush buster calibers for deer. The theory was that a larger bore with a heavier slower bullet could shoot through brush while a smaller higher speed bullet couldn't. The pseudo experts long ago said that calibers like the .35 Remington were good in the east and calibers like the .243 for the west. They were full of applesauce. The .243 is a great deer caliber east or west. I have taken deer with the .243 while shooting many crop damage permit deer. We'd shoot them and then call the warden to come pick them up in the barn. I used many calibers from the .243 through .300 Winchester magnum, just to see how the different calibers stacked up. None of those calibers, including the .35 Remington, would shoot to point of aim if any obstruction whatsoever was hit.

And so it is with shotgun pellets. A larger pellet, whatever the size, will never continue to point of aim if it hits an obstruction. What you need is a large number of fine shot. The more shot you put in the air, the better chance you have of some not being obstructed and shooting to the point of aim.

[10 bore]

Will let me tell you about a true story of a 2 woodcock hunters. these guys have been hunting together for years and shoot lot of skeet birds. one guy used a 28 ga 3/4 oz 7 1/2's he is the shooter in this story. they only shot at "high birds" as most seasoned woodcock hunters do. 1st hunters dog on point ,goes in for the flush , bird goes up high to get out of the foliage, takes his "safe" shot. At the shot hunter 2 gets knock off his feet 70yds away high up on a hill . Yes he was shot, after the fish and game did their investigation they could not believe that that shot happed," freak accident". the guy the got hit in the thick poplar thicket and dense foliage was hit with 52 7 1/2's. most from lower arm pits to belt line. F and G said shot must have been closer but they did the hole reenactment over found the proof that they were telling the truth. After that I always believed if you can see a bird in the woods you can hit that bird if you are on it. This story was not meant to pick on the shooter, just shows what shot can do in the woods. I just don't see trees eating all the shot.
scott