Just wondering what some of your favorite CROW loads are...
One of my favorite loads is a 1 1/8 oz. load of magnum #2 lead, which has exactly 100 pellets in the load. This load is chronographed at 1,510 fps. from my 34" Hastings Wadlock barrel on my Remington 870...
Shooting on old logging roads or places where shots are inside of 45 yds., I use a Hastings modified choke tube. When shots are stretched to 60 yds., I'll use a Hastings full choke. Anything past that, gets a Hastings extended extra full choke...
I've called in more than a few coyotes while out hunting crows, and this same load (buffered) does a number on them too!
Glad to find that there is actually a crow hunting forum! God Bless you guys.
Welcome Assassin to the forum! This is the place to be for all things about those nasty boogers! I've heard that #2's do a job on coyotes, but for the nasty boogers, I use 1 1/8 oz. either #6 or 7 1/2 loaded just a little over 1100 fps coming in with about 7500 psi. Does the job for me. I use a 22lr for coyotes, bobcat and fox.
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Old Ironworkers never die, they just rust away - Bob Harrington
If you ask 100 different fellas this question you will get 90 different answers.
My personal favorite load is 1 oz of #7s. I load my own shells.
For the most part, people use smaller shot than #2s. At the end of the day, I guess it doesn't really matter, a dead crow is a dead crow no matter what he is killed with.
I was watching a couple of George Digweeds crow shooting videos, and it seems his favorite shot size is #5...
Watching George shoot crows at 80 + yds., I'd sure like to know what choke he is running in his Perazzi, and what the average lead is on birds at those distances...
My longest lead on a crow on a very calm and hot day was a little over 20 ft. and definitely the exception to the rule!
I shot 340 crows in one shoot two weeks ago with the one ounce load of Federal trap Loads in # 8 shot. They are a 3 1/4 dram load but I also Like the Federal Top Gun 3 dram load with 1 1/8th ounces of shot in # 8's.
I sure wish I could get into some crows like that, especially so I could take my wife with me. We did manage to go after church on Sunday, but none of them were interested in stopping by for a visit...
2 weeks ago, we were out looking at all the trees that were changing color, and stopped by a likely looking spot out in the country. I called for about 15 seconds and within half a minute, we had no less than 50 crows within 30 yards of us. Then, within 2 maybe 3 minutes, we had over 100 crows within 30 to 40 yds. of us. My wife thought it was the neatest thing she had ever seen. I pulled the shotgun out a couple of times, but, I'm not an outlaw! Hopefully one day we can be in just the right place and just the right time...
I shot 340 crows in one shoot two weeks ago with the one ounce load of Federal trap Loads in # 8 shot. They are a 3 1/4 dram load but I also Like the Federal Top Gun 3 dram load with 1 1/8th ounces of shot in # 8's.
you shot more crows that day than I did in the whole fall season, 202, worst year ever here for crow,
I've had good results with #7.5 field and target loads, the economy kind from Walmart in 100 count packs for $19.
I've also shot them with #7 and 6. They all go down just fine if hit well. While shooting starlings the other day, I had the gun loaded with #9 shot, 1 1/8 ounce, and had two crows fly over at about 30 yards. They folded up just fine, I was surprised.
This video is unlisted as I'm still working on the final video, but the two crow shots I mentioned are in the last 30 seconds of the vid.
-- Edited by Bob O on Tuesday 14th of November 2017 02:17:22 PM
Scott, the main edge I have over you and Pete is that if the shooting is not so hot in one state I know where to go in another state to get some shooting. Plus I am dealing with a much larger crow population out here in the sticks!
I was watching a couple of George Digweeds crow shooting videos, and it seems his favorite shot size is #5...
Watching George shoot crows at 80 + yds., I'd sure like to know what choke he is running in his Perazzi, and what the average lead is on birds at those distances...
European shot sizes are different from U.S. shot sizes, European 5's are the same as U.S. #6.
Thank you nhcrowshooter, I had forgotten about that.
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of side by side is that in your box?
The gun in my avatar is a plain jane Remington 1900. It's redeeming qualities are it's long range performance and ejectors. I patterned the gun a few years back with 1 1/8 #6 reloads and it shot 72% and 86% at 40 yards. We have one place we hunt where get a lot of tall shots for some reason, I suspect many of the birds there are fish crows. It's a good place for this gun.
I have always had a fascination with SxS double guns with long barrels and sunken ribs. 40 years ago, I use to shoot dove with a big German man named Hervey Quackenbush. He would hand me his 32" double barrel 12 ga., and would say that when a dove came by, he would tell me how many feet to lead it, keep the gun swinging and shoot the bird. A dove would fly by and he would say "6 feet". I would start behind the bird, follow through, and when I had the bead 6 feet in front of the bird, it would fold. From a 2 ft. lead to a 20 ft. lead, he would call it out, I would follow through and kill every bird that came by. Every since then, I have always wanted a long barreled double gun...
What does "fluid steel" mean? I have been a machinist for over 35 years, and I have never heard that term before.
The Remington model 1900 double barrel was produced from 1900-1910 in 10ga, 12ga, 16ga. It came with either Damascus barrels or fluid steel. Fluid steel barrels is a very common term used with antique double guns.
I reload most of my crow loads. (I call them my "crow" loads, but have taken many snowshoe hares, partridge [Ruffed Grouse] and turkeys with the same load)
I have been shooting my steel shot duck loads (reloads) the past couple of months, and they work wonderfully! A 7/8 oz. load of #1 steel works very well out to about 50 yards, and it's lights out...
...and now for my incredibly unimaginitive answer...I used 8s last year which worked really well. I used heavy 5s one year because they worked well in my semi auto but here is where I get into trouble; they didn't work any better than the light loads meaning on the crows.
Years ago I got a lead on number 9s and to my amazement they worked! first off; let's consider the fact I shot at crows pretty close too...or miss pretty close-you decide. So the "best" loads for the crow? Let me ask you this: what are you hitting them with? With me if the gun goes bang and the feathers fly and the crow falls from the sky....!
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Friday 12th of January 2018 08:09:58 PM
What am I hitting them with?
1 1/8 oz. lead #2 @ 1,500 fps.
1 1/4oz. lead #6 @ 1,440 fps.
7/8 oz. steel #1 @ 1,550 fps.
I don't shoot factory ammo, and these are my main three hunting loads.
Why such high performance loads? Simple! If I had places to hunt where I could get the birds inside of 40 yds., I would definitely be using different loads. But the places I have to shoot the birds don't and won't come in any closer, and as such, I have to develope loads that will allow me to extend my shooting range. I may not get but 2 or 3 birds each time out, but it sure builds my confidence in my guns, loads and myself, especially since I can consistently kill a crow out to 60 plus yards, and with a very minimum of shells...
Yeah I know, look at George Digweed!
I know that I can kill these birds with lesser shells and maybe even smaller gauge guns, BUT I use what works for "me" and MY shooting style and MY shooting habits...
I have been shooting my steel shot duck loads (reloads) the past couple of months, and they work wonderfully! A 7/8 oz. load of #1 steel works very well out to about 50 yards, and it's lights out...
I shot 340 crows in one shoot two weeks ago with the one ounce load of Federal trap Loads in # 8 shot. They are a 3 1/4 dram load but I also Like the Federal Top Gun 3 dram load with 1 1/8th ounces of shot in # 8's.
you shot more crows that day than I did in the whole fall season, 202, worst year ever here for crow,
scott
Back in the 80s my partner and I got 250 on an exceptional season but those are days gone by. We had it down pat knowing this was the spot to go this week end idea...none the less you two are doing pretty darn good for this state. Think about the fellows you ran across with only one or two crows in your neck of the woods! I used to make fun of the "scare crows" hiding half camouflaged and no facial camouflage with their lousy crow calling-probably the get out of Dodge call another reason no crows were coming in. I never saw this one scare crow shoot at any crows..just listening to his out of tune pathetic calling as he hid behind a half leafless tree poorly cammied up. Now I said that scare crow-no criticism of you folks of the Great Bay I emphasize. Just my experience which I love to talk about.
Now your situation I hope is rare as the crows didn't really come down until after the season was about over and then after. If anyone can understand your frustration it is me. I still think you two did great! No one else in the state is doing anywhere near as good that I am aware of...another item; if the snow has dramatically melted in your general area then you two ought to be in for quite the treat in Maine...you two might have a record shoot making up for the disapppointment you might have had from October of last year...
I define a "scare crow" as a naive all day in day out crow shooter wanna' be who uses the same location all day long getting almost nothing. And that sure doesn't define you S&S fans I emphasize.
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Saturday 13th of January 2018 04:07:01 PM
that is a good crow load, and what i should be using in my 1100 to make it cycle properly. but since i'm a cheap skate i'm using the 1 1/8 # 7 1/2 promo federal loads from wally world, i get an occasional short cycle with them but any malfunction when the birds are in is unacceptable to me . i have a new action spring coming that i'm gonna toy with & possibly cut down a tad at a time & see if we can get at 100 % it shouldn't take much. if that wont work i'll probably join you on those 1 1/4 oz ers.
