Originally Posted By: Stan
Aussie, nice pics. What loads do you use on those pigeons, and what distances are they shot at? I have found that, inside 20 yds., 3 1/4 - 1 1/8 - 8 will reliably down a pigeon, but at 30+ it can be a whole 'nuther ball game. Old pigeons can be tough birds to kill cleanly.

I would probably use a 3 1/4 - 1 1/4 - 6 load if I could only use one. Live pigeon shoots here limit shot size to nothing larger than 7 1/2.

SRH


Hi Stan,

I have done a lot of pigeon shooting over the years and most of it is over decoys. Range is anything from 15-42 yards with occasional exceptions + -.
I have definitely settled on the same 'recipe' as my old friend W.M. who for some time averaged approx. 10,000 pigeons a year.

When I am serious I shoot two different cartridges;

Over decoys- 1oz size seven through 8 thou in the right barrel & 1 1/16 oz size six through 15 thou in the left.

You may notice that all of my guns are double trigger with the exception of a Beretta 471. I much prefer double triggers & on the further away birds (30y +) I don't bother with the font trigger, but have one shot with the left barrel. If I miss, good luck to the bird, he has beaten me!

When roost shooting or similar, the only changes I make are to increase the 1st barrel load to 1 1/16 oz size 7 and increase choke to 13 or 15 thou right barrel and 20 thou left.

Birds are killed well with few 'walkers'.

Cartridges are around 1250 fps and 6000 to 6800 psi. with hard shot (Ballantine Aust.).

Heaviest gun is 6lb 14oz except for Dad's old Parker (7lb 8oz) but I rarely use it as I don't gel with its balance.

The Garbi I tried out on Sat. has only 4 & 9 points of choke and although results were not quite as efficient as usual, I was pleasantly surprised with its effectiveness. Think I'll leave it in the safe till quail season though.

Cheers, and thanks for the interest.

Aussie