Is pellet size just another head thing?

[AW13]

I was wondering whether there is any consensus on here about pellet size for sporting shoots. Most people seem to just use 7.5 but others suggest that an 8 or a 9 can make a real difference in certain circumstances.

Is pellet size just another very long debate on preferences like chokes and does a swap to an 8 or 9 really make a difference or is this just another head thing to get in the way of concentration/focus on breaking the clays?   

Just a few thoughts.

 

[jwpzx9r]

No!

 

[AW13]

No!

Succinct !

 

[jwpzx9r]

Succinct !

Yes!  :lol:

 

[Bebo]

If 8s are cheaper than 7.5s I get them, if 7.5s are cheaper than 8s I use them.  Only time I ever use 9s is for stuff almost on the end of the gun where I'll use some piston wad 9s.  Others will change chokes instead.

 

[Paul120]

Absolutely makes a difference.  Distance, presentation (face/ edge on)  and Not all clay targets are equal.  Russel Mark covers this in one of his vids on his Go Shooting Website.

 

[jwpzx9r]

All the targets I shoot are more or less edge on and at about 35m first barrel so I want to use the hardest hitting size of shot so 7.5 Italian. I don't know anybody who uses anything else. It is a conscious decision to use this size not a head thing because quite obviously you could use a smaller size shot and have a more dense pattern. Of course you could say that is a head thing if you wanted to... I just call it being sensible if you only have 24g you want anything you do get on the target to be effective.

 

[timps]

The trouble is you are not always too sure what size 7.5, 8 or 9 actually is in the UK.

7.5 Italian is 2.4 mm for Fiocchi, Eley and the like, Hull  7.5 is listed as UK  2.3 mm and 7 is 2.4 mm. Gambore well  I have heard they were loading with Italian sizes and UK sizes depending on who you ask and the shell they are loading but how true that is I have no idea.

I have shot Fiocchi 8.5 which is 2.2 mm equivalent to Hull 8 and liked them.

I have shot Hull 7 (2.4 mm) to a personal best but unfortunately my bank manager told me to stop shooting Hull sovereigns or go bankrupt.  

I have shot a lot of Italian 7.5 (2.4 mm) liked them.

The only size I wont shoot is 9’s, reason why is totally down to when I first started shooting, I got some 9’s did badly that day and will not shoot them at sporting again. Irrational phobia or scientific reason, I don’t know or really care.

Therefore, for me it doesn’t matter as long as they are not 9’s or if they are just don’t tell me they are 9’s.

 

[Doctor Lecter]

mr digweed says  KEEP IT A Simple  GAME !!    :thumbsup:

 

[westley]

At this time it is more a 'Lead Thing'  than a 'Head Thing',  BUT not for much longer.  You may find you are shooting steel 3's on skeet  !     

 

[Westward]

The trouble is you are not always too sure what size 7.5, 8 or 9 actually is in the UK.

 Gambore well  I have heard they were loading with Italian sizes and UK sizes depending on who you ask and the shell they are loading but how true that is I have no idea.

The way it seems to work with Gamebore is the shells with Diamond shot are Euro sizes and those with ordinary pleb quality lead shot are UK sizes. No idea why!

 

[McTrucky]

Was shooting a mixture of 7.5, 8 and 9s at sporting at the weekend through cyl and quarter choke.  Horrible weather and not a good enough a shot to make a lot of difference, so just used whatever cartridge came out the pocket at the time, and wasn't going to fiddle with chokes. 

But with the 9s, there were definitely times where you could hear the 'ring' as pellets hit clay without breaking.  Had I been using an 8 or 7.5, those same clays may have broken, or more likely been missed completely through a hole in the pattern.

So in my head (happy to be corrected by those more experienced or knowledgeable), pick a pellet size that has sufficient clay breaking energy at the range of impact, then pick the choke that ensures as wide a pattern (without holes) as possible for the number of pellets in that cartridge (which is obviously a combo of shot size and total weight) at that range.

Simply changing pellet size without changing choke is 'sub optimal'.

But in practice, 100% of the above is irrelevant if the gun is not pointing the right way.  So don't over think it.  Back when I was a good shot, 32g of 8s was my choice for everything.

 

[Jonny English]

I'm running 3/8ths choke and shooting 7 1/2s 98% of the time, I just carry a handful of sovereign parcours 6 1/2s for anything distance, they pattern considerably tighter than my normal carts and they hit like a sledge hammer, makes a noticiable difference at anything 60 yards plus.

 

[Will Hewland]

There has to be an optimal shot size for every clay presentation of course. That isn’t a matter of dispute. (Same as there is an optimal choke etc). However, the effect of larger shot at great distance is of course compromised by the fact that there are fewer pellets, just when you need them. So I definitely think there is a distance (not sure where, I’m guessing 50 yards) where the benefits of more small pellets and fewer large ones offer a very similar outcome for different reasons. 
 

For me, I literally don’t recall a target on a registered course, or even some pushier targets at RBSS that my 1/4 choke and 8s don’t manage very well. (I’m happy not to vaporise a 60 yard clay, a decent break will do). Actually showing face, the long ones do really break well. And one cartridge / one choke leaves my head as clear as it can be to shoot. 
 

So while some people benefit (mainly mentally) from using all sorts, my advice for Sporting based solely on experience is the usual: Pick a shell you like, with a middle sized shot (2.2mm to 2.4mm) and stick with it. Focus on those clays. 

 

[Doug Pinnegar]

Similar boat to Will. 

I use Gamebore Whitegold 7.5's which are loaded with their 'Diamond Shot' at 2.4mm. That's a European 7.5 or an English 6.5 (according to this link: http://www.hallowellco.com/shot_size_chart.htm). 

They certainly hit hard, even at the rangier targets you might see on courses.

 

[timps]

I think that link is wrong English 7  is usually 2.4 mm certainly The Eley shooters  diary, Hull cartridges and  Clay and game list English 7 as 2.4 mm. 
 

Goes back to my original point, I have seen people argue over shot size without knowing the actual mm they are using themselves. 

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Actually it makes an incredible difference and all the advice that you'll receive is nothing more than disinformation designed to distract you from the truth and better performance.

I''m not gonna tell ya either

yer on yer own

 

[AW13]

Actually it makes an incredible difference and all the advice that you'll receive is nothing more than disinformation designed to distract you from the truth and better performance.

I''m not gonna tell ya either

yer on yer own

And here it is, there are speculative, difinitive, subjective and objective responses above.  

So.....7.5 will break most and probably all clays, 6's or 8's or 9's are perceived or personally proven beneficial by some for long shots or close shots.

It's a minefield and at the end of the day a very personal choice.

 

[schmokinn]

Ed Solomons stated ages ago he shoots nothing but 8's...question is are they English or Italian