I'm going to shoot some pheasants this weekend. What is a typical field load in 12 gauge? The farm says they recommend steel, but will allow lead. I'm shooting a Model 12 with a poly-choke.

Thanks for any input.

Wild birds over pointing dogs, one ounce of six's in a 2.5" 12 ga. I will some times back it with a 5 in the second barrel. I've used the same loads when I'm shooting backup they just seem to work well for me.

Game farm birds 7 1/2 trap loads work great, I used them for shorting pheasants at hunt tests.

Thanks for commentary.

Is the trap load similar to a target load, versus a field load? I just found some steel shells that had to have been sold to me at the last farm I attended, but they marked water fowl and are 4's...

I use a heavy lead load like the older "duck and pheasant" loads. 1 1/4 oz max dram loads of either 4,5,6, or 7 1/2 shot.

This is for wild birds, pen raised birds don't take nearly as much killing and a trap load will usually work fine.

If you can locate a heavy field load for your 12 ga. it will kill as far as a guy can hit..

It will have 3 1/4 drams of powder- 1 1/4 oz. of shot 5's are my favorite..

The heavy load of duck and pheasant is 3 3/4 drams of powder.. More recoil, but also the heavy duck load is easier to find..

As far as shot size, my pick is 5's,then 4's, then 6's..
I have used all three.. To me the heavier of the three sizes are the better.. 6's can put a lot of shot into a
bird. 4 & 5's kill super with less pellets.. Again 5's would be my first choice..

Thanks for all the input, guys...

Fiocchi Golden Phesant load. All you'll ever need.

sse, I have shot the Golden Phesant load 47 mentions.. But it is 1 3/8 oz. load and rather fast.. It is certainly a killer with the high quality nicked plated shot.. And it will kill pheasants, grouse, etc. very dead.. BUT it has more recoil than I want to deal with when shooting roosters or most other game.. In an auto, it would be fine, but since you and I shoot pumps, there is nothing to help soften the recoil..
Don't get me wrong, it is a great load, but more than we need for shooting under 45 yards..

Thanks, Wyo, and thanks to all...most insightful.

Eventually, I'll try and post pics of both the firearm (she's a looker) and the birds...

This is what I got in #6. Was on sale at the local chain retailer. They didn't have much else, selection wise.

Remington Pheasant Loads

I'd try and snag some #5's.

My dad always used 6's but I like 5's the mostest.




Travis

Did some research and looks like I discovered why the earlier game farm, which insists on steel, sold me #4's...due to their lower density. They are 2 3/4, 1 1/16, #4, 1550 FPS. They did work fine, but as mentioned, the one I'm going to has no restriction.

FIVAH.

ss, those will work ok.. They are the heavy duck loads at 1330 fps.. Just a bit more recoil.. I think 5's are kind of tough to find some times.. If you are going to shoot often, I bought a bunch of RST ammo and had it shipped to my home.. They have a wide variety of loads not common in other factory ammo..
Good luck and have fun..

As you see, deflave agrees with fives.. Then there can be NO QUESTION THEY ARE THE BEST!!!!!

I like #5 or #6 shot for pheasants

I would get 5's if I had the chance to shop around for them. Also, this is a one time deal, though I may try it again sometime between now and February.

Don't you mean 2 3/4" NOT 2 1/2"????

+1.




Travis

I'm sure that is what he meant.

For less recoil than Golden Pheasant, there's Winchester Upland & Small game. 3 1/4,1 1/4,#5s (1220 fps). Symbol is X12P5.

Thank you, sir...

I checked and the Rem's I mentioned are 3 3/4's.

If it's farmed birds or early season where they'll hold for a dog and they don't have the heavy winter feathers, I like high brass 7 1/2s. Hard not to get a couple pellets in their head when you nearly double the pellet count. Late season where they're wild and shots may be long I'll go to 5s or 4s.

Had an old guy give me a whole case of Win 3" XX magnum lead 2s last year. I'm sure someday they'll get relegated to late season pheasant duty if for no other reason than I can't think of another use for 20 boxes of lead 2s.

Those would pound the shoulder pretty good...

5's or 6's. If shooting a Model 12 then Federal, Winchester, Remington to be sure they will eject.

Some of the Euro brands open up too long to clear the ejection port on a Model 12. Fiocchi out of my 16ga Model 12 will hang up and it is a 2 3/4inch shotgun.

I really meant 2 1/2 - 2.5". Most pre WW-2 European shotguns and even post war english shotguns have 2 1/2" / 65mm chambers, both 12 & 16 ga's. Most of my upland and waterfowl shotguns have 2 1/2" chambers. Even my favorite coyote gun has sxs 2 1/2" 16ga barrels over a 6.5 rifle barrel.

That should do well. As some have alluded to 7.5 s work but we have a friend that loves to shoot but arthritis problems inhibit his mount so we often try and put him close to the flush and then shoot backup so to speak. That presents frequent going away shots at 35+ yds and std velocity 7.5s don't offer the penetration to provide good kills or maybe I should say I find 6s seem to offer more in that respect. Anyway you'll be fine.

Got into pheasant hunting 52 years ago. Have always felt happy with the 3 3/4x 1 1/4 loads, usually of cheapest flavor and usually with 6 shot. Few years ago got into a group that hunted in South Dakota and their preferred loads was 3 inch with 5's. I used them for a few years before realizing the 3 inch weren't doing anything that 2 3/4 inch wouldn't do; but I did come to like the 5 shot. Wouldn't feel undergunned with 6, but look for 5 if I can get in same load.

3 3/4dram, 1 1/4oz, 5 shot

It is still the best pheasant load.

I also like the Fiocchi Golden Pheasant plated 5 shot loads and don't notice recoil when that big rooster busts out!

All depends on what he shoots , I guess!
My main gun is 2 1/2" and so is my buddy's.
I've never had an issue shooting wild or farmed birds over the dogs with 7/8 to 1 1/8 oz of lead in either size 7 1/2 or 6
With my ammo moving about 1175 to 1,200FPS.
I do have some fast 20 and 28 gauge loads, but most of my birds are killed wit hammer doubles of about 100 years old.

I think people tend to complicate stuff way too much as far as loads and chokes go.
Cat

cat, how far would you say your average shot is on roosters???

We get all kinds of advice on them from your 7/8 oz. loads to the 1 3/8 oz loads..

I feel better with 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 oz. loads at around 1200- 1220 fps.

All of my birds are put up by my golden retrievers... So unless I just happen to flush one really close, the shots tend to be longer than say a guy hunting with a good pointing dog.. I am not talk about super long stuff, but the few times I hunted with a good pointer, my shots came much closer than with my dogs..

I had one that was a deadly pheasant dog.. BUT since he didn't point I had to keep up with him. I used to say he was a full choke dog.. Once he figured the game out when he was about four, when he hit a track that bird was going to fly.. He was fast and it was tough to keep up, but we killed many birds.. So I usually used # 5's..

I have often thought the way we hunt is a great influence on the guns and loads we use..

Nice...

I had a friend give me a box of 3" 1 5/8 oz #4s a few years ago. I tried using them as the second shot in my O/U during a late season hunt, but they started making me flinch so I quit. He used them in an 1100 so they didn't hit him quite as hard.

I have settled on 1 1/4 oz of #5 as the best all around load. Sometimes my lab will point and hold one so I have to give it a couple of beats to let it get out far enough to keep from shredding it. If I hunted over a pointer I would probably use a lighter load.

The nickle or copper plated shot seems to penetrate better because it slides through the feathers instead of pushing them into the bird, but plain lead brings down just as many birds in my experience.

Jerry

The two best pheasant loads for all-around use are:

Winchester Super Pheasant
Fiocchi Golden Pheasant

1 3/8 ounce

1300 fps velocity (this is the lower velocity version, and it always patterns better than the juiced up load)

#5 shot, or #4 if you really like to shoot long

I find that an ounce of lead shot, whether it be 5s, 6s or 7s, is pretty much lethal to most pheasants that I've ever run into and from whatever gauge shotgun that I happened to be carrying at the time.