BEST CHOKE AND SHOT SIZES FOR QUAIL

[coues hunter]

Hello fellow sportsman and women. This will be my first posting on the site ever. I'm excited to see what sort of argument I can drum up.

A little backround, I grew up shooting a 870 with a fixed mod choke with either 7 1/2 or 6 shot for dove and quail. It was slow progress but eventually was able to knock down a few birds.

It seems so common to me the story and shared thinking that a full choked gun with 6 shot is the only thing capable of bringing down one of those little 5 ounce birds. One gun store clerk even explained to me that using 4 shot was the only way that he could kill them. Well, my eyes opened after I enherited a book of my grandfathers written by jack o conor in 1965.

After obtaining a little knowledge of shotgun chokes, patterns and densities I was eager to pattern my gun. Wow, 225 pellets in a fifteen inch circle at 20 yards. Possibly a great gun for turkey or geese but not quail.

Last weekend was my first experience with a true quail gun. A skeet choked double throwing 460 #8 pellets across a 30 inch circle. I've never had such success on quail. I had three different doubles and took one just short of 40 yards. At 20 yards it almost seems hard to miss. I cleanly killed one bird flying at 2 o clock that i knew I had shot behind. A pattern this large is like fishing with dynomite. If I only would have been lucky enough to get a imp cylinder gun for christmas 11 years ago when I was 13.

Anyways, I'm intrested in trying a cylinder choke with #9 shot (30+ inch pattern of 585 pellets at 20 yards). If anyone has played with this combo or if you just want to share what it is that works for you I would love to hear it. Thanks -Sam.

 

 

[firstcoueswas80]

Quail are tough little buggers, I normally shoot 7 1/2 or 8 for quail, Gambels and Mearns. I usually shoot a cylinder and improved cylinders in my O/U but always carry a light modified or modified choke in my pocket incase the birds like to get up way out there.

[DUG]

For desert Gambels hunting without dogs, I use 7 1/2's and a modified choke, sometimes going to an Improved Modified. I want a good amount of pellets on the bird. I will shoot them on the way down if it looks like I didn't make a good hit.

[slopoke36]

Quail are tough little buggers, I normally shoot 7 1/2 or 8 for quail, Gambels and Mearns. I usually shoot a cylinder and improved cylinders in my O/U but always carry a light modified or modified choke in my pocket incase the birds like to get up way out there.

 

+1

 

IC and LM for me and 7 1/2. Pattern your gun just like you did is the best method. If you have just one barrel IC is the way to go. #9 is for shooting skeet/sporting clays the pellets carry little energy and that means wounded birds, IMO.

[coues hunter]

I know #9s are pretty small but I'm curious as to what they are capable of 25 yards and in. If 8s can kill at 35 one might conjure that 9s would be fine at 25. Or at least be worth further testing. After all, since we cant pick where the pellets stike the bird we have to relly on the aggregate amount of energy of multiple pellet strikes to creat the trama neaded for a clean kill.

I personally think most wounded birds are due to the fact of too tight of choke and an imperfect shot. Where only the edge of the pattern strikes the bird. Now since nobody is perfect it makes since to spread the shot out. It just seems like anything larger than 9 shot(with standard loads) will not maintain a high enough density for a cylinder choke.

When considering shots ranging from 10-25 yards it may be more ethical to shoot a choke with a much larger area and lessen the chance of that one pellet on the edge of your pattern striking the bird.

just some thoughts thanks for the replies. -Sam

[Red Rabbit]

#4s for quail?...don't think I'd be asking for that gun guy's advice much.

 

I generally use 8s for quail, maybe 7 1/2 later in the season, but really do not see much difference in effectiveness.

Choke selection for the O/U is improved/modified for Gambels since they tend to flush further out, and skeet/skeet for mearns.

[thegunsmith2506]

I like to shoot 7-1/2's with a full choke later in the season when the birds flush farther out. The first few weeks of the season, I like 8's and a skeet choke. Those birds are very tough to kill sometimes....

[oz31p]

I used to use 7 1/2 with a full choke. But the last 2 years I've been using 6 high brass with a full. My kill have gone up but I seldom if ever get a shot closer than 30y on desert gambles. I also shoot them on the ground when ever posible.

[azcoues33]

I start out with modified and #6 and then switch to full and #6.

[lugnuts]

Right now I have been chasing Gambels around Roosevelt/ Tonto Basin. Its been pretty hot so the birds are obviously flushing further and sooner. I use high brass #8's with a Modified choke for my first shot and a Full choke for second. As it cools off and the birds hold tighter i will go to IC for first shot and Mod for follow up. That seems to work pretty good for me on Gambels.

 

For Mearns i love using high brass #9's. You can get them up here in Mesa at Bear Mountain. I use either Skeet chokes in both barrels or skeet in one and IC in the other. If you havent used the #9's with skeet chokes for Mearns, dont knock it. You hardly need to aim when your shooting under 20 yards and it takes them straight down.

[roninflag]

I use IC; and a mixture of high brass 7.5 and some 8's in my auto. IC AND mod in my o/u and high 7.5

[mulie hunter]

#6 Shot and Modified Choke is the way to go.