By Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey
I have so far spoken of the choosing of a gun in regard to its fit; but a good deal has to be considered concerning the best gun for a shooter to use in the field in relation to his powers of aiming, his strength, and the description of sport he expects to enjoy. A gun, whether it be the usual 12-bore or a smaller size, may, as far as mere fit goes, suit equally well; but the shooter has to consider many things besides this very necessary feature of his gun. For instance, if a shooter is not of a strong build, he should carry a gun to match his strength—one that, when he is a little tired, does not seem as if the barrels had a lump of lead at the muzzle when put up for a shot. There is no surer sign of a gun being too heavy than if, at the end of the day, the muzzle points under the mark, or when, on bringing it to the shoulder in the evening, it seems a pound or two heavier than it did in the morning.
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Jamie •
Readers Should Note: The shot sizes discussed in this article are British shot sizes. British and USA use different shot size numbers for pellets of the same diameter.
- UK 5# = USA #6
- UK #6 = USA #7
- UK #7 = USA #7.5
- UK #8 = USA #8.5
The British #6 has long been used as the standard for game in England. British traditionalists still adhere to and advocate UK #6 as THE pheasant and grouse load. But many, more modern, British shooters now also advocate UK #5 for those tasks.
One can only speculate that marketing and propaganda have convinced many young USA shooters it takes a minimum of USA #5 or even #4 to kill a pheasant. I wonder what sort of invincible monsters the British would think we are shooting if we handed them the equivalent of UK #3 and #4 and told them that was the minimum needed to kill our American birds.