doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - No 9 lead shot usefulness

Up front, I'm not a big proponent of #9 shot, for much of anything that I use a shotgun for. I read recently that one 7 1/2 pellet has the same energy at 35 yards as two 9s. I've reloaded 9s in the past for doves and wild quail and have been disappointed with the number of solid hits that knock out feathers but fail to bring the bird down. I quit reloading 9s years ago for anything. I will point out that I am not a skeet shooter, but do think that 9s would be fine for the ranges at which skeet targets are shot.

I hunt early release quail (August release) regularly with a buddy who uses 9s exclusively. He seems to kill quail well with his, using a one ounce load in his 20. I use one ounce of 7 1/2s or 8s in my quail gun. I have eaten many quail he and I have killed and have found that, invariably, if I bite into a pellet in a quail breast it is a 9. It is my belief that 8s, and even moreso 7 1/2s, pass through the breast much more consistently than 9s, thus explaining my findings.

Others' findings and opinions would be appreciated.

"Sounds you have some special azz licking sauce....I bet John gave you his secret recipe. Next debate is #9 shot better for ground swatting quail ?"

Well Mr. HoJo, I did meet Brother Stan some years ago, found him to be an honest and sincere individual; and a man I could respect. I've no idea what impression I may have made on Stan, but can assure everyone here that there's no "azz licking" going on in whatever unknown relationship we may have developed. But to insure you understand Mr. HoJo, I have the greatest respect for Brother Stan; and I made the comment above because I witnessed first hand Stan's marksmanship with a .410 side x side. Now on the other hand I haven't met you (at least to my knowledge as I can't recall the names of everyone I've ever met), but I have no respect for you personally; and if we were ever to meet I don't think I'd like you at all based on your doublegunshop posts, most of which are clearly either asinine or represent personal attacks. And to set the record straight, I have indeed taken my share of flying bobwhite quail with #9 shot, which I've confessed I used regularly for several years; and if you were any kind of upstanding man at all, you'd avoid making baseless accusations implying that I, or someone else you don't know from Adam is guilty of "ground swatting" quail. Perhaps you sir are guilty of such behavior and this is an instance of the pot attempting to call the kettle black? At any rate I'll never be offended by comments from the likes of you, as you seem to thrive on negativity; and have already insulted a number of posters here who are far better individuals than I'll ever be. I'm sure you're a very intelligent double gun man and what a pity that you'd rather indulge in insults than in any meaningful discussions. And given the number of members who have you on ignore, I've no choice other than to believe you are mostly despised; but rather than being shamed by your behavior, you instead wallow around in twisted orgasmic delight. May God strike me dead if I ever devolve into the kind of individual you have become.

This comment about #9s was made recently on another site.

"One of the better live bird shots I knew once told me he always loads high brass 9's for the rise and sometimes in both barrels, but he'd prefer 10's if they were available. Mark was a very quick shot."

This in an event where considerable sums of money are often on the line.

Rattlers when encountered almost always back away from you. Moccasins often come right at you. Just my observations...Geo

At home, we've always prided ourselves on being able to detect shot pellets in our game while eating. I always make a show of dropping the offending shot onto the edge of my plate where if dropped from just the right height onto a proper plate, makes a distinct 'ding' we all recognize...Geo

A baseball has quite a bit more mass and sectional density than a balloon Geo. The point jOe was making was about kinetic energy, and the fact that a lead #4 or even #7 shot pellet weighs more than ##9 TSS pellet. Certainly, the denser TSS sphere will retain velocity better, but the comparison is nothing like comparing retained velocity of a baseball vs. a balloon.

Tell us the kinetic energy of a 1.2 gr. TSS shot pellet hitting a turkey at 30 yards and the kinetic energy of a 3.3 gr. #4 lead pellet at the same range and the same starting muzzle velocity. The real advantage of the TSS appears to be velocity retention and mostly pattern density. We have seen evidence that #9 TSS will certainly kill a turkey, and so will #4 lead shot. You could also kill a turkey with a single fastball to the head. But you could throw a thousand balloons at the turkey without knocking a single feather loose. Nice try.

Here's a link to a chart that shows the number of pellets per ounce of shot of various material:

http://www.tungstensupershots.com/viewtopic.php?t=7

This chart shows 254 pellets in an ounce of #8 tss, while there are 222 in an ounce of #6 lead. Lead #7 has 295. I don't see an issue with my statement that #8 tss is about the same weight as a 6.4 lead pellet.

My memories of the past turkey season are all good; I fired 5 shots and killed 5 turkeys. All of them were instantly dead. Can't ask for more than that from your equipment. If this turns out to be my last gobbler, I've still had a blessed life. My turkey gun was not very expensive, but I don't think it could be called a child's toy. Best of luck to all the turkey hunters on here.