Cartridges for this season?

[Jonny English]

What cartridges are everybody looking at using this season?

I've been on Hull high pheasant extreme the last 2 seasons, but they are difficult to get hold of in small quantities locally.

So have been looking at going back to black gold 32 gram 6's or RC sipes in the same which my local stockist keeps in. I've shot the black gold before but never shot the RC's, I believe both are good cartridges but both a little thumpy side. Is this a fair?

What else are people using this year?

 

[Meerkat]

RC SIPE over Blackgold in my experience.  I once made the statement I wouldn't shoot anything but RC SIPE on live quarry as I have found them to be just a magic cartridge at dropping anything cleanly at some staggering distances. However, an order for Hull extreme went in yesterday. I quite like them. Cheaper too. I thought Hull were about the most available shells out there? Where are you based?

 

[Jeremy Baker]

Hull HPE for me. 

Where are you based I have never struggled to get hold of them. 

 

[EdSolomons]

Hull HPX 32/5 and 36/4 plaswad on all but the biggest stuff where I go to Hull Ultramax. 

Awesone shells and nice and soft on the shoulder.

 

[b725black]

Cheddite Universal Trap, 7 1/2's, fibre for the Partridge,

RC 32 gram, 4's, Steel for the duck,

Just Cartridges Extreme Game 32 gram, 5's or 6's for Pheasant. 

Black Gold, 36 gram, 4's, for the really high Pheasant shoots ( puts the 725 to good use)

 

[FlyingTrotter]

Hulls for me as well - Grouse 30g 6.5 - HP 30g 6 for Sept partridge - then HPE 32g 5 and 34g 4 for the high pheasants 

 

[Salopian]

A suitable shot size for the species and distance that I will be shooting them at .

There really are no bad cartridges nowadays. A few are certainly overpriced , because they are hyped up . 

Correct shot size put in the right place will do the business.

 

[Jonny English]

Thanks for the replies folks

Looks like it might be worth sticking with the hull. I'm in mid lincs, so I can get black gold or RC sipes from Derek Lee's or travel a little further and get some more Hull HPE from Roy Martin at Dunham Bridge.

I see a lot of you are using continental 5's and 4's in the HPE we shoot 2-3 flat land partridge days and a couple of better valley days (lincs wolds: Stainton le vale and Worlaby) I usually use the 6's on the flatter days and 5's on the valley days, or do I shoot the 5's at everything?

 

[FlyingTrotter]

I would not use the HPE 4 and 5s for partridge days in Sept/Oct - on my days  they are not likely to be presented at anything like the heights of the West Country Pheasants we see see in Nov-Jan - I have the punchier shells for the Exmoor High Pheasant days - they would not make me popular with the keeper as nit much left for the game dealer if you connect with a red leg at 30-35 yards with that sort of load and anything other than open chokes 

As Salopian suggests it is all down to species, it's maturity and the range at which they are presented 

i had read your original question as more brand and range within brand related hence I was endorsing Hull - I didn't read you as asking about specific load and shot size which of course brings in not just the profile of the quarry but the choking of the gun etc - you can read article after article on that issue in most of the game mag editions that come out in the season !!

Have you patterned your gun with your different options at the average range of your quarry - if not probably worth popping down and doing so to assist in reaching a decision on cartridges and giving you some confidence you have the right shells to do the job efficiently - but on shot size unless you are doing the extreme range partridge days at places like  Whitfield etc then I would expect most folk to be using 6 or even 7's - I have a partridge day coming up at Miltons (who try to push the birds a fair way up) and the advice is still use no larger than 6's

Have fun whatever you decide

 

[Simbo]

HPX

You batting for the other side Ed

 

[Jonny English]

If I am to be realistic about the height on the shoots we go too, on the flat days partridge will present them selves at 15-25 yards up on average, but on a decent spread line to get some good crossing birds and open the distance out a little. On the valley days the birds will be 30-40 yards up tops with some decent crossing birds also. So nothing really in the Whitfield and Warter category. I use telegraph poles for reference as a rule, a standard wooden pole is 9m or 10 yards roughly. The only way we get good distance is by shooting at long crossers, but I would think this still wouldn't exceed 50 yards.

I have patterned the HPE through 1/2 choke in my 725 and they were plenty tight enough. The 5's gave a 25" spread at 30 yards and the 6's a 28" spread at 30 yards both in fibre wad. For reference a 28 gram 7 1/2 fibre patterned at 33". My thinking was that for the ranges I was shooting at I wanted to be looking at going to 1/4 choke and trying to achieve 30-32" at 30 yards ideally for usable spread.

 

[EdSolomons]

You batting for the other side Ed

Not whilst I have air in my lungs! ?

 

[b725black]

you would not need any more than english 7's (2.4mm) at the kind of ranges you are talking about, with just 1/4 and 1/4 or 1/4 and half chokes, partridge are only small and it doesn't need a lot of heavy lead to achieve a clean kill, main problem I have witnessed is people shooting them to close, they are not a target.

 

[salop sniper]

I have always used 30g Fibre 6`s in my 12 bore`s. But change is a foot...........

My 12 bore Sporter is just to heavy to carry around my small DIY shoot with not many shots taken. The only large number of shots I have is on my beaters days which are two days and we stand so the heavier 12 bore isn't an issue. So beaters days will remain my 12 bore sporter with hull fibres in 30/32 gram fibre 6`s.

But for my DIY shoot am going to buy myself for Christmas a 20 bore so there is less physical gun to carry. Choking will be 3/8 & 3/8 or 1/4 & 1/4 teague and cartridges will be 28 gram fibre 5`s. Less shot in the 28 gram so upping the pellet size for increased striking energy as some days we are light on numbers where birds aren't so high up but are good distance out to the sides were as guns we can be 80 yards apart. But I will seek advice & guidance from Mr Harris on this as a sounding board and to flatter him !

I just wouldn't use any kind of plas wad even if it is allowed on the ground, I save plas wads for clay grounds.

ATB

Matt

 

[chippy]

On Norfolk pheasants you could probably get away with 21g 9s.

 

[Jonny English]

On Norfolk pheasants you could probably get away with 21g 9s.

Apparently if they have both feet off the floor they are a high bird in Norfolk!

I shot with some lads from Norfolk the other year, one turned up on a driven game shoot with an auto (the natives were not amused) and then they all classed any bird that twitched as they shot as a kill. The lad with the auto did shoot a duck at maybe 5-6 yards, oven ready before it hit the floor, he was dead chuffed, it was all he'd hit all day. The keepers talk of shoot what gives you pleasure could have done to be a little more specific.

 

[chippy]

Both feet !!!!!! That's out of range. And don't worry about the pricked ones we have greyhounds for picking up.

 

[ChrisPackham]

If available I like Hull Imperial game 28g 5 for everything through sxs, 32g no5 HPX through ou on high stuff. If not available I like 30g no6 dark storm, but not the black gold - waaay to thumpy for a recoil whimp like me!

 

[FreeShot]

Got a few boxes of a Hull's Driven Grouse in 5.5 fibres to try. Will pair it with High Pheasant Extreme 4 Plastic.