ousoonerfan22":i74x65tb said:
I carried the only shotgun I own now an old single shot 16 gauge in the truck today because I've noticed for weeks about 12-15 buzzards circling over the cows. Of course when I didn't have the gun in my hands 2-3 would glide by about tree top level.... I ended up getting impatient and tried to bust some that were out of killing range. Yesterday at Bass Pro the best I could find was pheasant loads and I think today I only peppered the one's I shot at. I might have to go buy a magnum 870 and some turkey loads maybe then those dam things would at least feel some pain.
We have 2-3 cows bagging up and I hope the buzzards don't kill any those calves.
The magnum shotgun load is a sales hype to sell shell's.
Shotgun's are about pattern's.
It doesn't do you any good to put more lead down a piece of pipe than what it was designed for without doing extense testing with chokes to put the right pattern on a 30 inch circle at 40 yard's. You can go broke buying chokes to get the proper pattern not knowing what you are doing, or blaming a shotgun for poor performance trying to do something out of the design perimeters.
A typical 12 ga HV will be throwing an 1 1/4 ounce of lead a 3 inch magnum 1 5/8 or 1 3/4 ounce.
The powder to shot ratio is the same no matter the load from a 410 to a 10 gauge the heavier loads require slower burning powder to keep pressures under control with heavier shot loads. Pressure rating's have not changed on shotgun barrels since the early 1900's
Shotshell Maximum Average Pressure (MAP) in PSI
10 gauge 11,000
12 gauge 11,500 (except 3-1/2 in.)
12 gauge 3 1/2 in. 14,000
16 gauge 11,500
20 Gauge 12,000
28 gauge 12,500
.410 Bore 2 1/2 in. 12,500
.410 Bore 3 in. 13,500
When you go to a magnum load you are trying to get ten pounds of shyt out a 5 pound hole.Ninety nine percent of people shooting a shotgun think bigger is better nothing is farther from the truth. Most heavy loads do not pattern well the only thing the magnum craze has been good for is the shell maker.
Now when it comes to shooting a rifle I am medicore at best a shotgun I shot competion trap for years.
A shotgun shell is a lot different in load's and pressures than a rifle or pistol as it is a system of primer's, wad, hull design shot load, changing any one can lead to dangerous pressures.
Don't waste your money, if you are going to buy a shotgun find a mentor that really knows how a shotgun works not just shoot's one. The proper shotgun fitted to you choked properly to pattern is lethal .
http://www.chuckhawks.com/why_pattern.htm
Forgot I shoot F's (lead) for buzzards and othe such varmit's out of a 16 gauge.
