Most sorry to hear of anyone losing friends or family, regardless of circumstance. There is never anything easy about that. Condolences to all here who have been there.
--
To the OP's remarks; I'd suggest that you do learn to reload again and shoot 7/8oz. loads in those light weight 12's for quantity shooting. There is no point in loading to velocities beyond 1200fps and sometimes less is more in the areas of improved pattern concentration, but you'll have to prove that on a grease plate or empirically by a fair amount of shooting. Low gun skeet can give you a good idea of pattern density by both ink spots or misses;-) I've been beat up here before, for telling someone to just go shoot first, before getting too involved w/patterns, tho I've done plenty of patterning on paper and grease & counted enough pellet holes to where they may be in the Milky Way range by now. Suggest that you also use the least expensive, which generally equates to the softest, shot available to you.
You and your son will both be delighted in the reduced recoil from going that way and in CO's generally higher elevations & thinner air will also get tighter patterns than the lowlanders shooting at sea level or close for any designated amount of constriction.
I've taken large numbers of dove in SA over many years w/20ga. guns shooting 25grams of shot & never felt remotely 'under gunned'. Just saying.
If you have concern for some 'way out there' targets or mean 'edge on' rabbits on a sporty clays course, pack a box of any of the quality 28gram/1oz. premium target loads in #7.5 shot for them and never look back.
If you are reluctant to get back into reloading, suggest you buy a flat of the AA feather-lite/low recoil loads or whatever they call them, that are loaded to 980fps and you & your son split them shooting clays. You can make your own minds up afterwards.
Good shooting to you both.
tw
