Pet loads for Pheasants

ljc2tall

Hello, I will be going to Kansas to hunt whitetails this fall. During the down time while there we plan on some pheasant hunting. Does anyone have a pet load that they would suggest using #6 shot? Also can I reload low brass shells as if they were high brass shells? Thanks

Stilwater36

I Don't reload'BUT' Use 5 shot unless you use pointers. My Lab works close but most shots start at 25 yard or better. Wild birds do not hold well for the dog and in the wild long shots makes for two many cripples with 6's and long retrieve hunts. If your on foot without dogs the retrieve hunts for cripples can get next to impossible in heavy cover. Use Mod or full. If you shoot double barrel sxs or o/u mod first. Good luck These wild bird are tough not like pen raised and released bird, will run before they fly and fly after they put some distance between the hunters. 12 ga 2 3/4" 1 1/4 oz 5 shot IMHO do the job

dakotashooter2

Don't hunt phesants so I don't have a load for you but regarding your question about low brass hulls they may not be interchangable (component wise) with high brass hulls but they can be loaded to the same power level as high brass. I used to load some magnum loads in trap hulls back when lead was still legal for waterfowl. I'm hoping you have a loading manual to verify any loads you put together.

SCOUT5

I don't reload but I have shot a lot of wild pheasants in SD and will be going for 2 weeks this year. I agree with Stilwater use #5 shot and mod or full choke. Pheasants run and the ones you get a shot at often will be 25-30 yards away before you even get started so you will be making a lot of 40 yard + shots, the 5's work better. If they are really wild use full choke and #4's. You will get some close shots but you will get a lot more that are out there.

Good luck and have fun.

Scout

ljc2tall

Thanks for your response guys. As I now remember when I was a kid we used to use #4 shot on pheasants. It has been a long time since I have been hunting them.

Mobuck

I used to load a super load that out performed any other tried. No specifics (check your manual) but it used the 1 1/4 oz field load wad, 1 1/4 ounce of copper plated 6 shot, and a velocity equivalent to a 3 1/2 dram load. This gave me great patterns without quite as much recoil as the old 3 3/4-1 1/4 factory load. I think the copper plated shot was the important feature. On really wild birds I sometimes went to a 3 3/4- 1 3/8 with either copper or nickel plated 4's in the modified barrel of my double for the second shot. This kicked harder but made kills pushing 50 yards on birds that dropped a leg or feathers on the first shot.

wtroper

I am not a big bird hunter, but have hunted pheasants (here in Texas panhandle) in the past. I do not reload shotgun shells but for what it is worth, I used #6s in my open bbl and #4s in the tighter one. Here you can get some close shots around the lakes, turnrows, weed patches, etc. and longer ones walking the fields. This combination seemed to work for me.

GUNFUNCO

I have used mostly #6 for pheasant, but use hard shot, not just "chilled" shot. You can use low brass winchester AA (and others) for all kinds of loads.

My dad used to load a #6 backed with a #5 and then a #4 in his 3 shot auto. He did this so that the shot got heavier as the bird was getting farther away, if he needed it. It was too much trouble for me to keep them all separate and loaded correctly. I just put a couple handfuls in my pockets and often loaded without even looking down at them as I put them in my gun.

I like smaller shot to fill in my pattern better. But if I knew I was going to be shooting at 50+ yards, I would go to #5's or #4's to retain more energy for better penetration.