shot sizes?

[borntoshoot 1]

me and wannabefarmer were talking a min ago and the topic of shot sizes came up...

 

now we are both confused.. do shot sizes go up in numbers or down.

 

e.g. is no6 bigger than no7?

 

i know from looking at fiching weights that AA and AAA is smaller than BB but now im well and truely confused.

[andyf 144]

me and wannabefarmer were talking a min ago and the topic of shot sizes came up...

 

now we are both confused.. do shot sizes go up in numbers or down.

 

e.g. is no6 bigger than no7?

 

i know from looking at fiching weights that AA and AAA is smaller than BB but now im well and truely confused.

First the easy bit 1 is BIG, 7 is small, however depending on what you are attempting to shoot, the wad type and how heavy a load you want/need is the real deal.

Unless you are hunting Buffalo, you will never need anything bigger than No4 for feathered friends, Fox though need bigger stuff, BB or AAA are probably best (BB is smaller than AAA). If you must get some SSG there's only 9 balls about 0.38" in diameter in each shell, sounds great doesn't it but oh dear no pattern at all, they also ricochet all round the manor so be VERY careful were you squirt them, I have tried them on a pattern plate, first shot 8 from 9 in a dinner plate size circle, next shot only 1 on a 24" square piece of paper? Yes that bad, and also very weirdly choke makes the 'pattern' even worse, (and this applies to the other bigger shot sizes as well) a true cylinder choke gives the best results.

The amount of shot in a cartridge is worth the effort of choosing, most modern clay shells are 28 Gram plaswads, usually in 7 or 9 shot, these are fine for what they are made for, but in my experience not much good for say Pigeon decoying or Pheasants etc. I shoot fairly old shotguns with fixed chokes, and when these guns were new Plasiwads and 28Gr shot loads were not around, mine only shoot well with Feltwad 32 Gram loads (which was the normal load back in the 70's and 's). So horses for courses.

Assuming your just shooting Rabbits, Pigeons and other common vermin and the like, 32 Gram feltwads in No6 shot will do the business, and also won't cover the farm in those rotten little plastic cups that hang around for years and make a mess, also your permissions may be at risk is a cow or sheep ingests one and costs a hefty vet bill or worse.

AndyF

[Elmerfudd 5]

me and wannabefarmer were talking a min ago and the topic of shot sizes came up...

 

now we are both confused.. do shot sizes go up in numbers or down.

 

e.g. is no6 bigger than no7?

 

i know from looking at fiching weights that AA and AAA is smaller than BB but now im well and truely confused.

 

It is the same as fishing weights, SG, AAA, AA, BB, No's 1,4,5,6,7 etc. with SG for fox, close range roe deer (in close range vermin control obviously) 4's usually for pheasant, 5's and 6's for rabbits and 7's and smaller for pigeon and clays.

 

Hope this helps

[Deker 3,477]

me and wannabefarmer were talking a min ago and the topic of shot sizes came up...

 

now we are both confused.. do shot sizes go up in numbers or down.

 

e.g. is no6 bigger than no7?

 

i know from looking at fiching weights that AA and AAA is smaller than BB but now im well and truely confused.

 

It is the same as fishing weights, SG, AAA, AA, BB, No's 1,4,5,6,7 etc. with SG for fox, close range roe deer (in close range vermin control obviously) 4's usually for pheasant, 5's and 6's for rabbits and 7's and smaller for pigeon and clays.

 

Hope this helps

 

 

Help me out here, do you or anyone else actually use SG or even SSG on fox or deer (or anything)???

 

I'm curious to know if anyone does, and in just what situations, I have to say I am yet to find any sensible hunting use for SG!

 

Close is right, humane despatch or slaughtering close range I'd say, (what a mess), 20 yards away a fox could walk clean through the pattern of a SG.

 

Cheers

[SportingShooter 0]

Shot sizes are quite an odd bunch with all sorts of letters and things.

 

Here goes;

 

LG = Large Game = 5 balls of Lead.

 

SG = Small Game = 9 Balls of Lead

 

SSG = Not Sure = 20 Balls of Lead

 

AAA = Not Sure = 40 Balls of Lead

 

BB = Ball Bearing = Around 60 B of L.

 

Thats the "letter" shot out of the way.

 

Number Shot

 

1 = 3.6mm

 

3 = 3.3mm

 

4 = 3.1mm

 

5 = 2.8mm

 

6 = 2.6mm

 

7 = 2.4mm

 

7 1/2 = 2.3mm

 

8 = 2.2mm

 

9 = 2.0mm

 

10,11,12 = 1.8mm - 1.4mm (For Starlings and other tiny stuff)

 

And yes, No.2 is missing for a reason, it doesn't exist in British shot sizes, we seem to have missed it out, the Americans and Continentals have it, but we couldn't count at the time obviously.

 

As for what size for what quarry, with feathered things it depends on personal preference and what gun it is going through, for larger game such as Foxes, LG, SG, SSG are pretty much useless for everything unless you're standing next to them

[Elmerfudd 5]

Help me out here, do you or anyone else actually use SG or even SSG on fox or deer (or anything)???

 

I'm curious to know if anyone does, and in just what situations, I have to say I am yet to find any sensible hunting use for SG!

 

Close is right, humane despatch or slaughtering close range I'd say, (what a mess), 20 yards away a fox could walk clean through the pattern of a SG.

 

Cheers

 

I bought a box of SG shells cheap a year or so back. I'd usually use no.1's for Fox, but at close range, about 20-25 yds, thru improved or true cylinder they are simply devestating! You are effectively firing 12 x 9mm pistols at once, only one has to hit, but usually several do. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the larger shot sizes do not like choking and give better patterns without it.

 

They are the only legal size you can use on Roe (I think), and then only if the landowner classifies thgem as vermin, and you do really have to be within spitting distance to be humane, but I always carry a few on applicable permissions, just in case.

[watchman 256]

me and wannabefarmer were talking a min ago and the topic of shot sizes came up...

 

now we are both confused.. do shot sizes go up in numbers or down.

 

e.g. is no6 bigger than no7?

 

i know from looking at fiching weights that AA and AAA is smaller than BB but now im well and truely confused.

First the easy bit 1 is BIG, 7 is small, however depending on what you are attempting to shoot, the wad type and how heavy a load you want/need is the real deal.

Unless you are hunting Buffalo, you will never need anything bigger than No4 for feathered friends, Fox though need bigger stuff, BB or AAA are probably best (BB is smaller than AAA). If you must get some SSG there's only 9 balls about 0.38" in diameter in each shell, sounds great doesn't it but oh dear no pattern at all, they also ricochet all round the manor so be VERY careful were you squirt them, I have tried them on a pattern plate, first shot 8 from 9 in a dinner plate size circle, next shot only 1 on a 24" square piece of paper? Yes that bad, and also very weirdly choke makes the 'pattern' even worse, (and this applies to the other bigger shot sizes as well) a true cylinder choke gives the best results.

The amount of shot in a cartridge is worth the effort of choosing, most modern clay shells are 28 Gram plaswads, usually in 7 or 9 shot, these are fine for what they are made for, but in my experience not much good for say Pigeon decoying or Pheasants etc. I shoot fairly old shotguns with fixed chokes, and when these guns were new Plasiwads and 28Gr shot loads were not around, mine only shoot well with Feltwad 32 Gram loads (which was the normal load back in the 70's and 's). So horses for courses.

Assuming your just shooting Rabbits, Pigeons and other common vermin and the like, 32 Gram feltwads in No6 shot will do the business, and also won't cover the farm in those rotten little plastic cups that hang around for years and make a mess, also your permissions may be at risk is a cow or sheep ingests one and costs a hefty vet bill or worse.

AndyF

very informative(is that a word lol)good post mate atb

[Deker 3,477]

Help me out here, do you or anyone else actually use SG or even SSG on fox or deer (or anything)???

 

I'm curious to know if anyone does, and in just what situations, I have to say I am yet to find any sensible hunting use for SG!

 

Close is right, humane despatch or slaughtering close range I'd say, (what a mess), 20 yards away a fox could walk clean through the pattern of a SG.

 

Cheers

 

I bought a box of SG shells cheap a year or so back. I'd usually use no.1's for Fox, but at close range, about 20-25 yds, thru improved or true cylinder they are simply devestating! You are effectively firing 12 x 9mm pistols at once, only one has to hit, but usually several do. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the larger shot sizes do not like choking and give better patterns without it.

 

They are the only legal size you can use on Roe (I think), and then only if the landowner classifies thgem as vermin, and you do really have to be within spitting distance to be humane, but I always carry a few on applicable permissions, just in case.

 

 

Cheers

 

AAA is the size for deer, not just Roe, any deer