3" 7 1/2 's

duckdog

duckdog

New member
Just out of curiosity, anyone know why they don't offer a 3" 7 1/2 shotgun shell. I was pheasant hunting a couple of weeks ago and got into a BUNCH of quail which got me to thinking this would be a pretty good combination shell only to find out it doesn't exist. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
Let me look and see if I can find one federal or fiocchi is where I'll look. Sounds like a pointless shell to me though. Close pheasants will be peppered beyond belief I'd stick with 2 3/4 high vel. of 6's or 7.5's. I've used fast 1,400+ fps loads of 7.5's for early season pheasants and they work well out to 40ish yards. Late season heavy feathered spookier birds get 5's.
 
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Fiocchi makes a 3 inch load of nickel plated 7.5's golden pheasant. I'd strongly suggest there 2 3/4 inch 1 3/8 ounce load at 1485 fps. The extra speed makes 7.5's a decent pheasant killed if the distance isn't to far. I'd probably use 6's this late in the season though. I've shot quail with 5's and 6's before. 3 inch shells put alot of slow lead in the air. With smaller shot sizes and heavy feathers I'll take some speed.

http://www.fiocchiusa.com/cat_nichel.html
 
Remington870 is on the right track. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Duckdog, after years of reloading shotshells and waterfowl hunting, we found that speed is far more important than load density. A properly patterned load that is carrying a lot of velocity will gain more results at distance than will a slower dense load. We actually loaded 3 different loads in our guns when hunting....a "spreader" load of 5's for the first shot, a tigher grouping load of 4's for the second shot, and then a STIFF load of BB or T shot tightly grouped for the 3rd shot. Lots of folks think that "more is better" in shotshells, but that isn't the case. Over time I have found that better results come with the proper shot size at higher velocities. (Some of the BEST goose loads we had were loaded in 2.75" hulls. We hardly ever shot any 3" loads /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif)

If you are interested in reloading shotshells, www.ballisticproducts.com is the place to get your info and components. By using their products and innovative loading techniques, you can actually tailor the loads not only to your game, but also to your shotgun. There's a LOT more to shotgunning than just shot sizes. Check out their articles on their website. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Those little 7 1/2s bleed off velocity too fast. Stuffing more of them into a larger 3" hull won't make it any better for killing at distance, given the same fps as 2 3/4" shells.
Since you hunt where quail are around, keep a 7 1/2 HV shell in the chamber for a quick 1st shot at a covey & back it up with your regular pheasant loads in the mag tube...
 
We've been lucky enough to have alot of quail this year. More than i've seen in a long time. Like 20 to 30 covey days. Next time out, I'm gonna take your advice and start off with a 7.5 in the chamber followed by 6's or 5's. thanks guys
 
I have loaded the 3" 1 3/8 oz of 7 1/2's to shoot crows with at 1450 fps.

If you started shooting quail with this load, you would not have much left to pick up.
 


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