A friend is looking for #7 LEAD shot in 12 or 20 ga. Does anyone load them commercially?
Thanks for the help.
RST and I think Kent or Gamebore does too.
www.rstshells.com
He's wise. #7 shot has become my all time favorite for just about all upland birds. Noticably better penetration than even #7 1/2 on birds yet very little sacrifice in pattern density. I reload it and some of the larger suppliers of lead keep it in stock for international trap shooters who use it in their 24 gram loads.
Yes, I use/load it for my early season crow loads and for my ZZ bird loads but how about loaded factory ammo. About all we have found is 7.5's.
Great for much of the upland shooting here in the West. I have used it in 12 and 20's with great success from the early 80's. It has been used on ruffed grouse, sharptails, huns, a sage grouse or two, quail and doves in Arizona for second shots. We used West Coast shot from Nevada. Hope you find it will work to your satisfaction. Good luck!
Be careful with the information from Kent Gamebore. If you buy their 7's, those are BRITISH 7's, which are the same as our 7 1/2's. If you want something closer to our 7's, go with the British 6's, which are my favorite for pheasants over good dogs. They're a little larger than American 7's, 270/oz, which makes them about 6 2/3 compared to American shot sizes.
I've used the Gamebore 6's in 12-16-20 on pheasants and prairie grouse with excellent results.
Years ago I bought a flat of 12 bore #6 from Westley Richards. At the time, my understanding was that they were actually Lyavale (sp?) cartridges, but they're not marked as such. Shells and boxes say Westley Richards.
At any rate, I'd completely forgotten about them until recently when I "found" almost the whole flat(minus 2 boxes) amidst the clutter of my corner of the cellar.
I remember buying gamebore 16 gauge shells in the late 80's and learning then about British 7's being the equivalent of
American 7 1/2's. Didn't know about the 6's though.
Does anyone know who indeed makes/made the shotgun ammo for Westley Richards?Would it be fair to assume those WR 6's are as Larry has described?
I don't have a pointer...or any quail for that matter so #7 is as small as I will use on feathered game which limits it to Dove, which is a tight choke, pass shooting proposition where I hunt.
It works great in that regard as long as you check your patterns, lower velocity is kind to the pattern and the little extra weight per pellet really helps with penetration.
Best,
Mark
#7's and #5's are my pheasant combination and have no regrets.
New Era Ammunition loads #7 shot in 12 and 16ga. NO 20's. Email New Era Ammunition. New company out of Michigan. Heard good reports and have placed an order on Sat. Did check my order and had ordered some #7's. Brian also loads ITX and NiceShot. I ordered some ITX to try. 1/2 the price of NiceShot. Randy
B&P loads 7's in 12, 16 and 20 gauge. Great loads.
I remember buying gamebore 16 gauge shells in the late 80's and learning then about British 7's being the equivalent of
American 7 1/2's. Didn't know about the 6's though.
Does anyone know who indeed makes/made the shotgun ammo for Westley Richards?Would it be fair to assume those WR 6's are as Larry has described?
About the only way to be sure whether the shot size is American or foreign, outside of buying a box and counting or measuring the pellets, is to contact the manufacturer/importer and ask.
The Italian maker, RC, loads a 25gram 20gauge lead #7 [.100"] in their special 'Competition TRAP' rounds. It utilizes a highly polished round shot that is the most uniform I have seen. I suspect the shot must be roller milled to be as perfect as it is, but don't know that for a fact.
I've used it pass shooting pigeons/dove in South America w/excellent results & it is my ammunition of choice when the outfitter can supply it.
Unfortunately, I am not aware of it being available here in the states. It is very high quality ammunition made specifically for shooting trap with a 20ga. And it is 25grams & not 24 like mandated for use in the 12ga. for bunker.
The problem for American 7's on many target ranges is that the clubs limit shot size to nothing larger than 7 1/2.
#7's and #5's are my pheasant combination and have no regrets.
OC,
Mine are 6's and 5's for wild birds (pheasants). I have experimented in the past with various loads ranging from lead 7.5's to 4's in 12 and with lead 7.5's to 5's in twenty and have finally settled on the 6 in the IC and the 5 in the Mod barrel and have quit looking back. I have also used steel 4's and 2's in 12 and only 4's in 20 gauge.