I found it very interesting that, while reading a book about grouse hunting in the late 1800's, the author had this to say
"The charges that I have used for many years in a 12-gauge seven pound cylinder bored gun, with entirely satisfactory results, are, for the right barrel-which I nearly always use first-three drams of good black powder with five-eighths of an ounce of number 10 shot, and for the left barrel the same amount of powder with seven-eighths of an ounce of No. 8 shot. These charges give good penetration and pattern, while the recoil is scarcely noticeable."...."I was shooting quail in North Carolina with my friend Harry Reade, when his shells gave out and I handed him some loaded with No. 8 as above described, but he could do nothing with them, missing one-half of his birds, while those that he hit were so badly torn that they were worthless. I then gave him some that were loaded with No.10, and with them he did some excellent work, killing eight or ten without a miss, and so well did he like them that he declared he would use no other charge."
Maybe the number 10 shot used over a hundred years ago was larger then what is sold today, but I don't think there is much difference.
Pete
Last edited by sxsman1; 03/31/14 07:02 AM.
