Don’t make me laugh…
Your comments on shot sizes and suitable loads for pigeon decoying are always interesting, but I would appreciate your advice on what to use when fighting them between roost and feeding grounds. The 28g 7s I use for decoying seem okay when flighting on windy days, but would I be better stepping up to 32g 4 or 5s when conditions are calmer? My Browning is choked half and half.
Peter says: It always amuses me when cartridge manufacturers insist you need a different cartridge for virtually every bird on the quarry list. The basic fact is, to kill any bird cleanly you need to hit it with enough pellets of sufficient energy so that they penetrate the vital organs.
Big birds, such as geese, will clearly need big pellets to achieve this, but the only thing to consider when shooting pigeons is range. A 32g cartridge loaded with no.6 shot fired from a ¼ choke barrel will kill pigeons out to 50 yards all day long. I have no great desire to try and shoot them any further.