The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - I have some general questions about shotguns.

BigJimP · November 5, 2008, 07:25 PM

Loads ..

7/8 oz is 7/8 oz ( whether its in a 20ga hull or a 12ga hull doesn't matter ). 7/8 oz of 8's has about 350 pellets in a load / but assuming the speed of the shell is the same, say 1200 fps, the balistics and performance are identical. It hits just as hard in either gun / and performs exactly the same.

Does a 7/8 oz load defeat a 12ga - maybe, maybe not. I see guys all the time shoot 7/8 oz 12ga loads for games like Continental Trap - and splatter birds just as hard as guys shooting 1 1/8 oz loads. If you center the target - it will break convincingly. If 7/8 oz is a load you have confidence in, and it breaks targets, or kills game birds - then why not use it.

When I travel, especially on airplanes, I don't usually want to carry more than 1 gun, so I will often just take a 12ga - and change my loads for whatever clay target game or bird I'm hunting. I may shoot some 7/8 oz loads for quail, or 1 oz - I may shoot a 1oz load for Skeet - I may shoot a 1 1/8 oz load for Trap or for Sporting clays. So shooting a 7/8 oz load in a 12ga is fine - depending on what you want to do. Personally, my default shell on a 12ga is 1 oz of 8's ( and I use it for all kinds of game and clay targt games).

November 5, 2008, 07:25 PM	#13
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	Loads .. 7/8 oz is 7/8 oz ( whether its in a 20ga hull or a 12ga hull doesn't matter ). 7/8 oz of 8's has about 350 pellets in a load / but assuming the speed of the shell is the same, say 1200 fps, the balistics and performance are identical. It hits just as hard in either gun / and performs exactly the same. Does a 7/8 oz load defeat a 12ga - maybe, maybe not. I see guys all the time shoot 7/8 oz 12ga loads for games like Continental Trap - and splatter birds just as hard as guys shooting 1 1/8 oz loads. If you center the target - it will break convincingly. If 7/8 oz is a load you have confidence in, and it breaks targets, or kills game birds - then why not use it. When I travel, especially on airplanes, I don't usually want to carry more than 1 gun, so I will often just take a 12ga - and change my loads for whatever clay target game or bird I'm hunting. I may shoot some 7/8 oz loads for quail, or 1 oz - I may shoot a 1oz load for Skeet - I may shoot a 1 1/8 oz load for Trap or for Sporting clays. So shooting a 7/8 oz load in a 12ga is fine - depending on what you want to do. Personally, my default shell on a 12ga is 1 oz of 8's ( and I use it for all kinds of game and clay targt games).