My hats off to you guys that shoot 1 and 1 1/4 ounces of #2 at geese. At any kind of range, the pattern density is so low that you really must be fine shots to be centering them every time.
Out of my hammer gun I shoot 1 3/8 or 1 5/8 ounce loads when I can get them. I've got some black powder bismuth loads that are backed up with 5 drams of black powder and that seems about right for real goose shooting.
How many shells do you really shoot at geese anyway? On a good day with an early or late season 8-10 bird limit, if you're any kind of gunner, you're going to shoot maybe 20 shells? What's a little blue on the shoulder when you've had a day like that?
Give the birds some respect, bring out the big guns and the big shells. If you want to shoot 1 ounce loads why don't you just borrow a nice 20 gauge from your ladyfriends.
Big Birds should equal Big Guns & Big Shells
If you want to shoot a 10 gauge, shoot 10 gauge shells. If you want to shoot 20 gauge loads then break out the women's guns.
Destry
You are getting me laughing again MarketHunter....
yea......the big guns were made large payloads...agreed. They are probably most effective with the heavy loads also. For the short 10 I have been loading 1 1/8oz of Bismuth #2 which probably has about the same number of pellets of somewhere between 1 1/4 to 1 3/8oz of #2 lead. I am not going to cut one open and count the pelletts. The Velocity is around 1200-1250.
The booklet that Gunnerman books sells has some short 10 loads with SR7625 that go up to 1 1/2oz but the pressures are getting up to 7980 and 9620 psi....which is a little higher that I like to push the old guns. I might be comfortable with the 7890psi out of a stout gun but the velocity is at 1145f/s..which may be just fine for such a heavy load. There is a 1 3/8oz load that is at 7600psi and 1200fps that may be just the ticket....I may have to try that one with some ITX #2 or #4 and it may just fill the SP10 wad.....I dropped off a gun a local gun smith and he had a few bags of SP10 wads collecting dust. He sold me 6 bags for $15 including a bag of versalite 10ga that I have never seen before.
Kurt
