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#600698 08/01/21 09:25 PM
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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.


May God bless America and those who defend her.
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Nothing to add except Amen. I shoot 7.5’s on birds and 8’s on clays. Don’t shoot skeet.


Speude Bradeos
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I am a fan of larger shot, my preference for quail, grouse, and pheasant is size 7, why 7 and not 7.5, just fell onto it when buying Nickel silver plated in the 80’s, it worked, I stuck with it. Maybe the same reason I fell into 16 ga.

My preference for nickel silver plated shot was founded on grouse I was harvesting in Alaska in the 80’s. I noticed early on that the plated shot pulled far fewer downing feathers in the wound tracks than soft lead did.

As for #9 shot, it works, Just not my thing save for clay.

Last edited by old colonel; 08/01/21 10:04 PM.

Michael Dittamo
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Agree 100%. I don’t like 9s for any hunting application. Too many birds that are clearly hit but fly off. I just bought 3 flats of Winchester AA 9s because that’s all I could get. But I’ll shoot the 9s on informal clays and reload the hulls with hard 7.5s for doves.


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9s always worked for me on quail over Pointers.
Stanton’s 35yard comparison didn’t apply, as birds were shot well within that range.
We generally let the split off birds go so they could re-covey.


“When faith is lost, when honor dies, the man is dead” - John Greenleaf Whittier
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Sidelock

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Skeet and pen raised quail.

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I suppose you could hunt woodcock or grouse with 9s, but, I never have.

I met Don Zutz at a skeet shoot at my local club, when I was a 30 something, and bought a few of his books. He had written what I had spent my time discovering to that point, a 1 ounce load of 6s out of something that you would hunt in the upper Midwest was about perfect.
I shoot some 7 1/2s at grouse early in the season, depending on what I have and what is on sale. But, for birds, that is the minimum.

7 1/2 or 8s at clay targets.

Not sure I have 9s in the house.

Best,
Ted

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I do use #9s in 410 for dove hunting
and find them useful

Mike


USAF RET 1971-95 [Linked Image from jpgbox.com]
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I seldom shoot woodcock at longer range than typical skeet shots. I think that especially for those using standard 28ga loads when hunting woodcock, using 9's in open chokes will provide better pattern density than larger shot. There are quite a few references to shooting woodcock with 10's in hunting literature. I haven't used them often, but haven't been pleased with the results when I have. Birds knocked down, getting back up and flying off. That's not something that has been a problem for me with 9's. I also like 8 1/2's when I can find them--for both skeet and early season grouse and woodcock hunting.

Re the reference to the late Don Zutz, it's worth remembering that Zutz usually hunted dogless. Anyone who does that, I think, is well advise to use larger shot sizes and tighter chokes than those of us who hunt with dogs.

Last edited by L. Brown; 08/02/21 06:04 AM.
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Some woodcockers shoot #9. Doodles don't seem to be as heavily feathered as bobwhites and 9s would bring them down shot at close range. Dogs used, of course, to find and retrieve a higher incidence of cripples than one might encounter with heavier shot.
I prefer #8 and #7.5 for doodles and wild quail shot over my dogs. RST has or had a woodcock load in #10 for one of the subgauges.
I don't shoot clays which explains my mediocre shooting skills and my relatively intact hearing.

Gil

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