Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Shot size for ruffed grouse

What shot size do you like for grouse?

I read an article by a so-called "expert" with something like 4 centuries of experience that says 7-1/2 is a crippler. This guy preferred 7. I don't know about that. I've killed an aweful lot of game with 7-1/2. I don't load shotshells any more and 7 shot is hard to find in commercial shells. I just got a new 20 ga CZ Ringneck straight grip (with nice wood) and would like to shoot the open chokes and the smallest shot that works well. Still trying to find out what is so bad about 7-1/2.

What do y'all like?

My favorite is Number 8 Hard Magnum Shot for Ruffs. In all gauges. They aren't all that hard to kill and 8 is about as good as it gets in Grouse Cover. These Ruffs and Quail were killed with Copper Plated 8 shot in my Bernadelli Premier Game Cock 12 ga with 1&1/8 load.

I much prefer 6s over 7.5s, but, I hunt Ruffed Grouse, where the larger and quite "tough" Blue Grouse, is also found. I have seen Grouse wounded with 7.5s in the late season and I used to really prefer a Canadian shell, the old paper "Canucks" with a lead No. 5 shot....seemed to drop the birds a bit better and left fewer pellets in the meat to dig out.

I have shot Grouse, with .410s, many 20 gauge and several 12 ga. guns, my best "meatmaker" is a Miroku-Browning Mod. 7500 combo gun in .308Win.-12-23/4 that has Invectors and the finest ejector for a rimless case I have ever seen in any combo gun, MUCH superior to any Euro. guns of this type I have seen.

It, is a killing machine with 1-11/8 oz. of 6s and I usually take it and a CRF .338WM. here in BC for serious meat hunting, as our big game and Grouse seasons overlap.

I too much prefer #6 to #7.5.

As Kutenay says, drops them better and less shot in the tasty bits.

For my area, my 16ga NID is THE perfect grouse hammer.

I used 7 1/2 and killed a truckload of pheasants over a Brittany. I used the same load on the few grouse I killed and found no difference in effectiveness. I was using a 12 gauge though on the grouse...

Early season with leaf-on conditions...#6. Leaves gone... #7 1/2.

Give me my old 101/20 and a Federal 3" load of 7.5's and and good hound and leave me be. If I don't come home with birds the hound will be pissed and it won't be cause he didn't do his job and or cause the 7.5's didn't do theirs. It'd all be on me...grin

Dober

I'm partial to 7.5's

7 1/2s or 8's work just fine. Why complicate things.....

Hunting in the U.P. for most of 40 years, I`ve settle on 8`s early season, mostly because you run into both Woodcock and Grouse. Late season, with leaves down,I load 6`s. Shots at grouse tend to be longer, depending on the day, and ofcourse through brush. I load all my own, shot in the 101, fixed I.C. and Mod.

I use the cheapest 2-3/4" low brass #6 shotshells I can find. I have tried 7-1/2 and even 8, but I find that the 6 shot gives better kills at longer ranges. (12 guage)

And what's worse is that Kutenay and I agree on it, which makes 2 things out of 200,000. It MUST be Christmas.

This is kind of like the 30-06 vs 270 discussion. I've had good luck with 7.5's for grouse, quail, chukar, and close range pheasant. However, for pheasant I prefer 5's. I've seen too many pheasant drop a leg or come down with a broken wing and run off. Usually, a good dog will come up with the bird anyway but sometimes, especially if they need to cross water for the retrieve, they will lose a bird.

I'm thinking of simplifying my life and just using two shot sizes, 8's for targets and 6's for birds (not counting waterfowl or turkeys). I just need to use up the 125 pounds of 7's under my loading bench.

I have hunted ruffed grouse since 1957. I use #8's 99.9%of the time. I sometimes in the late season after woodcock has closed switch over to 7-1/2's but I have never seen any difference between the two shot sizes on ruffed grouse. I have over the years killed a some with #9's and also #6's but my main and preferred shot size has always been #8's.

7 1/2 shot

I grew up hunting the buggers - 6 can leave gaps in your pattern if you use a modified or more open choke, 8's won't take a bird down with only a couple of hits.

7 1/2 seem to be the best

#7 1/2 hard shot, especially expensive factory trap loads, work great.

If going cheapo, then #6.

I've always thought that 7's would be the perfect shot size, mostly because I shoot a lot of squirrels while grouse hunting and they are tough little buggers. I like 7 1/2's for grouse and 6's for squirrels.
Never had much use for #8, don't know why, just never used it.
Good luck hunting ol ruff!

I use 6s for just about everything except Turkeys & waterfowl.

Respects,
Richard

Yeah, it depends on what other birds you might run into when hunting ruffed grouse. I've hunted them here in Montana where you can also run into blue grouse, and in the Midwest where woodcock are also around at the right time of year.

I know one Midwestern hunters whose hunted 40+ years who prefer 9's out of a 28-gauge, and a Montana hunter who shoots everything with 4's, no matter the bird.

Mostly these "what shot size" threads prove that a shotgun really deserves it's nickname "scattergun" and a wide range of birdshot will work for a lot of different birds.

I always ended up using 6s the most because I often ended up shooting squirrels, rabbits, and grouse all in the same day. If only after grouse I liked 71/2s, but if only after squirrels I preferred 5s. I do know from experience that nickel plated 5s don't do a ruffed grouse any good at all, kind of like mallards and BBB steel.

Hunt them over a pointing dog and most shots are pretty close. Hunt them over a flushing dog and you will see the benefits of a larger shot size. In a mixed bag area such as where we hunt interior blue grouse and willows and sharptails in adjoining habitats I don't hesitate to jump right to 4's or 5's as some of these birds get up at 30 yards and are further when you get on them.