Cartridge choice for Sporting

[12 Bore Charlie]

Hi All

Need a little help here..

I have been shooting a while and have a 32" Beretta multichoke sporter. I am not a great shot (averaging mid 30s - 40 out of 50). I end up at shoots trying to work out what choke I need for a particular target shooting white gold 8s. Instead of constantly changing chokes I am going to go down the route of putting 1/2 and 1/2 choke in the gun leaving them alone and having say a 7 1/2 cartridge and a 9s in my pockets changing the cartridge not the choke for particular targets, i.e. close range 9s medium to long range 7 1/2. Im happy with the white gold 7 1/2 but wondering what to use for the 9s?

Any one got any experience using two shot sizes as mentioned above and any comments most welcome as to whether I'm barking up the wrong tree or not. I know top shots tend to change cartridge sizes but unfortunately I'm not one of them:-(

Thanks

 

[Hamster]

Actually top shots tend to use just the one shell and shot size, a few do carry a fashionable handful of 6.5's for "big" targets but you will always see those targets be tackled and killed with 7.5's if not 8's, moral of the story is stick with 8's or 7.5's for everything, they'll do anything a 9 can up close and both have won World Championships on tough targets. 

 

[12 Bore Charlie]

Thanks Hamster..

What about choke sizes?? for sporting.

Thanks for a super fast reply.

 

[Hamster]

Thanks Hamster..

What about choke sizes?? for sporting.

Thanks for a super fast reply.

I believe the Americans have done real tests on targets as well as pattern sheets and concluded that 1/2 is the best all rounder, this sounds simplistic and will of course not apply to all disciplines but I personally have to agree because my own experience has shown that to be a valid assertion for ESP at any rate. On AVERAGE when all is said and done a half will break almost absolutely everything (it won't have the break signature of tighter chokes on going away edge on clays at range) and will not be overly taxing on close birds. 

Providing you can resist the temptation of using it too often it's better to forget carrying around 3 different shot sizes on a course but just stick to one and instead put a single Sk choke in your kit bag and screw it in once in a while when a target is 10-20 yards away and being missed by everyone ! If everyone is hitting it and you don't particularly feel threatened by it then why bother change ? 

I tend to use 1/2 - 3/4 for the majority of my shooting but will often change to much more open if I think I'd benefit but over the years this has become part of my prep/concentration routine and doesn't distract me as it would many including newish shooters. 

 

[MartynB]

Firstly Charlie I’m like yourself , no shooting god . 

I tend to stick with 3/8 and 5/8 and one cartridge which will always be a 7.5 . I based that selection around the fact the half is a good compramise , so my comfort blanket is that I’ve got a  little bit more and a little bit less .  The 3/8 / 7.5 combination will shoot anything I’m routinely capable of dealing with , the 5/8 /7.5 will decisively  second barrel ball trap targets at 60 yards 

One thing I’ve noticed over the years,  is how often I’ll see shooters of many years standing ,who have two different constriction chokes , tackle every target without even considering using the barrel selector to buy a bit of pattern advantage . 

 

[Geordieboy]

I like 8s for 95% of everything, and pop in a tight shell with 7 shot for long stuff. I shoot Fiocchi Officials in 8.5s and Golden Trap in 7.5s (Italian sizes half a shot bigger) and nothing they won't break.

Gamebore are Italian sizes so 7.5 shot is a 7 etc.,

Try 8s, you'll enjoy the pattern density I'd suggest. 8s brwak a looooong way out!

But find a shell that is comfortable on your shoulder and your wallet, then stick with them. I shot Fiocchi F3 Pistons 8.5s and Fblacks 7.5s for a few years and was never found wanting.  I changed 'up', just because they were a 'little' bit smoother.

Loads of shells in a similar price bracket but I can guarantee the stock of Fiocchi and buy 15000 in a lump.

 

[Will Hewland]

I like 8s for 95% of everything, and pop in a tight shell with 7 shot for long stuff. I shoot Fiocchi Officials in 8.5s and Golden Trap in 7.5s (Italian sizes half a shot bigger) and nothing they won't break.

Gamebore are Italian sizes so 7.5 shot is a 7 etc.,

Gamebore don’t always use Italian sizes.. Their EVO 8 is 2.2mm (UK 8 ) for instance. Just on the game cartridges?

 

[perazman]

Gamebore don’t always use Italian sizes.. Their EVO 8 is 2.2mm (UK 8 ) for instance. Just on the game cartridges?

Gamebore shot sizes- 

Velocity = English

Evo = English

Blue Diamond = Italian

White&Black Gold =Italian.

Bizarre considering they make their own shot in this country!

PM.

 

[12 Bore Charlie]

Thanks peoples... Very much appreciate all your comments, thank you.

Lots to think about. Cant make my mind up whether to use  white gold 7.5 or 8s (is there that much difference between the two?) for most stuff on esp and have a few sovereign 9s for the close in targets (probably just a confidence thing). I feel Ill stick to that for now with 1/2 and 1/2 and see how it goes. I suppose if your on them your on them! But a little either way will help i'm assuming. It seems a mine field trying to get a combination that suits as everyone is different, I suppose its a case of try it for a while and see how it goes. 

7 1/2s or 8s white gold ...  errmmm????

 

[Will Hewland]

Thanks peoples... Very much appreciate all your comments, thank you.

Lots to think about. Cant make my mind up whether to use  white gold 7.5 or 8s (is there that much difference between the two?) for most stuff on esp and have a few sovereign 9s for the close in targets (probably just a confidence thing). I feel Ill stick to that for now with 1/2 and 1/2 and see how it goes. I suppose if your on them your on them! But a little either way will help i'm assuming. It seems a mine field trying to get a combination that suits as everyone is different, I suppose its a case of try it for a while and see how it goes. 

7 1/2s or 8s white gold ...  errmmm????

Personally I would go for 8s, especially in a classy cartridge, which won’t spread too wide or have an uneven pattern. I use EVO 8s 99% of the time. 

 

[12 Bore Charlie]

Thanks Will,

I'll go with that. 

Much appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Blackstar Ninja]

Just for information: White gold 8s are actually 2.3mm which is a UK 7 1/2 shot size. The WG 7 1/2s are 2.4mm a UK 7. Evo’s downwards are proper UK sizes apparently.

 

[AW13]

Interesting comments regarding Italian and UK shot sizes, I did not know that.  So if I shoot Fiocchi 7.5 and say Lyalvale 7.5 then the Fiocchi are fractionally larger, and therefore are there less pellets per Fiocchi cartridge? Or am I missing something? 

 

[FreeShot]

You are correct

- Fiocchi #7.5 (IT) = #7 (UK) = 2.4 mm = 352 pellets in 28g

- Lyalvale #7.5 (UK) = #8 (IT) = 2.3mm = 394 pellets in 28g

 

[Geordieboy]

Interesting comments regarding Italian and UK shot sizes, I did not know that.  So if I shoot Fiocchi 7.5 and say Lyalvale 7.5 then the Fiocchi are fractionally larger, and therefore are there less pellets per Fiocchi cartridge? Or am I missing something? 

Right on Fiocchi. 7.5 is a 7 shot. 8.5 is an 8 shot. Less pellets, bigger balls. Lyavale express?.......who knows. I've cut several open and you don't want to know what they put in.

Power golds tend to be a half shot size bigger. A Super comp I measured had between 8.5 and 6.5 in 1 shell! Supreme 8s are a perfect 8.5. The Gamebore premium shells like White Gold and Black gold are half a shot size bigger due to being coated shot, but the less expensive like EVO, I recently found are a true 7 shot or 8 shot. 

All the CLEVER range are Italian shot sizes half a shot bigger.

 

[Jonny English]

One of the most common marketing ploys is to say extended range cartridge, and then just put the bigger shot in. A lot of them do this with game cartridges as well as the fitasc stuff.

It's about time it all went just metric and quote them all in mm, some do this already along with the old sizings but it should be standard across them all for clarity.

 

[Hamster]

One of the most common marketing ploys is to say extended range cartridge, and then just put the bigger shot in. A lot of them do this with game cartridges as well as the fitasc stuff.

It's about time it all went just metric and quote them all in mm, some do this already along with the old sizings but it should be standard across them all for clarity.

Another favourite is charging £80 more for bigger brass (which is actually steel) heads and using the word parcours, then you don't even have to use bigger shot. 

 

[Geordieboy]

.....But surely.....bigger brass means bigger bang from the boom stick?

 

[schmokinn]

Happy days i will be shooting some very expensive high brass,wonder shot shells for a while courtesy of the bargain corner at Greenfeids...RC4 red shot 7.5,40gbp a slab.

If they don't break them i give up!!