Just wondering if anyone has downloaded the 12ga loads for small game ? Say a 7/8 or 3/4 oz. load and tried it out on game yet.
Down loading the 12 gauge
la angler
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Any game that can be killed with a 20 or 28 gauge can also be killed with 7/8 and 3/4 ounce loads out of a 12 gauge. You just have to know the limits of the load. A 3/4 ounce load at game 20 yards away is far deadlier than a 1+1/4 ounce load at game 40 yards away. A shotgun in general is a short range weapon, and those light loads make it a somewhat shorter range weapon.
I have shot a lot of 7/8 ounce 12 gauge loads, mostly at clay birds in trap. They are a joy to shoot and totally destroy the targets if you get a center hit and don't wait 'til the bird is dropping to shoot.
I have shot a lot of 7/8 ounce 12 gauge loads, mostly at clay birds in trap. They are a joy to shoot and totally destroy the targets if you get a center hit and don't wait 'til the bird is dropping to shoot.
I like to load and use 1 ounce for hunting. 5, 6 or 7-1/2 shot depending upon which critters I am shooting at. Never tried lighter in the 12. Had a 20 gauge a couple of different times and 7/8 ounces of 6 or 7-1/2 worked well, don't see why the same load weight wouldn't work out of a 12 bore.
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33,096 Posts
I load 3/4 for both 12 and 20. They'll break clays past 40 yards easily enough and using the right shot size will clobber small game as well. 7-1/2s and 6s will do the job.
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485 Posts
I don't have the experience the rest of these guys do, but I tried these & rather like them: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/290019 ... -oz-8-shot
I haven't taken any afield yet, but from my informal testing via a 26" Stoeger P350 with Modified choke, they hit hard and shoot well enough between 15-25 yards, I'd say they work well on small game within those ranges. They are also quieter than standard loads by quite a bit, though a far cry from reduced .410 loads.
Kind Regards,
~ SH ~
I haven't taken any afield yet, but from my informal testing via a 26" Stoeger P350 with Modified choke, they hit hard and shoot well enough between 15-25 yards, I'd say they work well on small game within those ranges. They are also quieter than standard loads by quite a bit, though a far cry from reduced .410 loads.
Kind Regards,
~ SH ~
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A fast 7/8 ounce load of hard 7.5s is squirrel poison in a 12ga.
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3,999 Posts
I shoot a 12 gauge 7/8 of 7.5's for doves and barn pigeons. I think it would make a fantastic rabbit/squirrel load in 6's or 5's as well but I have not tried it! I think my load is 1350fps but can't remember for sure, its over 1300fps though. Its a red dot load in a AA hull I believe.la angler said:
I do this vs using a 20 for three reasons,
1. I shoot the 12 gauge fantastically and love the gun
2. The 7/8 out of 12 gauge patterns WAY better than 7/8 out of a 20.
3. If needed, I can toss a bigger load in the gun in a couple seconds, I almost always carry two 4Buck loads in my pocket for coyotes.
I don't reload for shotguns but have read that light loads in the 12 gauge do pattern very well. It has something to do with the shorter shot column in a larger gauge. The theory is that this allows for an ideal, well-proportioned pattern. As is true of most shotgun loads, I think the pattern is optimized if the speed is not excessive, since too high a speed with the larger powder charge and pressures needed is less favorable to achieving the best patterns.
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1,792 Posts
Many of the great British shots used one ounce loads for high driven birds with results that most of us will never attain. Light loads are not why we fail in the field. Not putting the pattern on the target is the reason for missing.
have been shooting ATA trap with double-light loads. By "double-light", I mean both the shot weight and the velocity is low.
I seem to shoot better with such a load and when I put the bird in the center of the pattern, it turns into smoke, even when shooting at from a 20 yard handicap station.
I seem to shoot better with such a load and when I put the bird in the center of the pattern, it turns into smoke, even when shooting at from a 20 yard handicap station.
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12 Posts
I went on a rabbit hunt with my uncle recently with a 7/8 ounce load of #6 in 20 ga. IC. Never got a shot. Too grown up.
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