HR,
I agree with you, birds up in the north are or seem to be tough. They will take hits and keep going. I've resorted to #5 shot. That seems to be enough.
I think your problem with the Superposed not killing is a fit issue as well. Some Supers will have a bit higher dimensions than guns like a 870. The higher comb dimensions will often cause high shooting. Try 'floating' your target/bird a little higher in the sight picture and see if the hits improve.
Regardless of the brand/model you get, you'll have to assure that the fit is right. If you happen to be 'John Q Average', you'll still encounter stocks too high or too low for you. A model 12 or 870 will often have 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 14 dimensions. These fit me almost perfectly. But there's a lot of guns that are 1 3/8 x 2 1/4 or even higher combs and some of the current makers are trending toward higher comb dimensions. I find I can compensate for a slightly higher comb when shooting clays, but not very consistantly when hunting.
