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  1. #1
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    Default Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    Hi All the Wingshooters

    Any recommendations for potential shot size for guinea fowl shooting. There might be a lot of different opinions, but would like a general feeling.

    Thanks

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    I use No4 (British size) shot and would not recommend anything smaller. Also use at least a 32 gram load. Guinea's can be tough and you want to make sure you get a decent number of pellets into them.

    Sean.
    Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    Hi smous,

    Over a couple of seasons, shooting the odd guinea I have come to the conclusion that number 4's are the best for my applications. In a pinch I will use 3's and 5's with satisfactory results. But it all depends on how you shoot them, I prefer walk-up over my dogs, so most, if not all shots are at some quartering angle from behind. The 4's is the best compromise between pattern density and penetration for me. I have had to spent way too much time going after pricked birds shot with 6's.

    If however your cup of tea is driven, incoming birds, 5's would probably be better(a denser pattern, with less "armor" to penetrate) and 6's may very well be adequate.

    If doing a mixed bag, with frankies included, 5's would be in my pocket.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    I use no 5 with good results use them as all rounders from pigeons to guineas

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    Best result I have seen was with .303 and military steel points. Could only use the breasts and legs ;D

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by johannvdg View Post
    Hi smous,

    Over a couple of seasons, shooting the odd guinea I have come to the conclusion that number 4's are the best for my applications. In a pinch I will use 3's and 5's with satisfactory results. But it all depends on how you shoot them, I prefer walk-up over my dogs, so most, if not all shots are at some quartering angle from behind. The 4's is the best compromise between pattern density and penetration for me. I have had to spent way too much time going after pricked birds shot with 6's.

    If however your cup of tea is driven, incoming birds, 5's would probably be better(a denser pattern, with less "armor" to penetrate) and 6's may very well be adequate.

    If doing a mixed bag, with frankies included, 5's would be in my pocket.
    I concur with Johann's findings. Shot up the rear needs 4's to have instant kill. With 5's you have landing gear down and flight of 2-300 metres. No. 5's will do for rising heads on and crossing birds.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    Opinions are a lot less varied than I thought they would be.

    To add my opinion: I use 5s, and I hardly feel that there is a difference between these and 4s. I would not bat an eyelid with either 4s or 5s - they are so similar in terms of shot size (i.e. kinetic energy) and pattern density as to not make much difference to me.

    There is a growing number of guys here in the Cape that advocate the use of 6s of gyppos - using the pattern density argument. They also manage to fill their bags, just like I do with my #1s and #2s.

    Sweet

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by Sweet View Post
    There is a growing number of guys here in the Cape that advocate the use of 6s of gyppos - using the pattern density argument. They also manage to fill their bags, just like I do with my #1s and #2s.

    Sweet
    They probably fill a lot more than their bag, I guarantee you that lots fly away with pellets in them, to die a slow lingering death from septicemia. Now also consider that even the wounded and unrecoverable birds actually also counts towards your daily legal bag.

    Now if they advocate only shooting at birds in the 10-20 m range, only going for head and neck shots and they have never missed a bird, well then they are on the right track. I on the other hand know myself all too well, when that goose gets to 40 m it is in range for me with my 1s or 2s. For gyppos only I would not hesitate with 3s, but because all my goose shooting involves spurwing as well, I stick to 1s or if I cannot get it 2s.

    The furthest I walked to recover a friends spurwing was about 1km, on a pan that was 250m across, luckily I had a good dog with me and after about 40 min he tired the bird out and grabbed him from a too shallow a dive. For interst sake we did an autopsy afterwards, 17 #5 pellets that did not penetrate the breast from below, the damage was done by the ones that penetrated the abdomen and legs and a single pellet in the wing that prevented it from doing anything but a slow glide into the pan.

  9. #9

    Default Re: Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    Johannvdg, I am most definitely of the same mind as you.

    One of the tests that I did last year is that I took gyppo wings (I always cut them off the birds during the cleaning stage any way), and put them up at 35m. Shooting at them from "underneath" (i.e I oriented them so that I was looking/shooting at the white underside), it was only the 1s-3s that would break the main three bones with every shot. I would say that the 5s I tested would break bone 3 out of 5 shots. That sort of made my mind up.

    All that said, though, it is not shot size that has helped me up my "bird recovery" rate, but rather having a dog....which is another big take-away from the anecdote that you related.

    Sweet

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Guinea Fowl Shot Recommendations

    When I still had gundogs I used no 6's for just about everything, including guineas, with very good results. Any pricked birds were followed up with the dogs and normally found. I can't say I have noticed a higher wound rate when using 6's than when I have used heavier shot. Now that I don't have the dogs anymore I have settled on 5's when guineas are about just because, theoretically, I should get better penetration and, psychologically, it gives me more peace of mind since I no longer have the gundogs to as insurance. I still carry 6's for spurfowl and partidges and often land up taking shots at guineas when they flush in an area I was expecting smaller birds. In practise I still don't see much of a difference between 5's and 6's on guineas.

    My recommendation, try 4s, 5s, and 6s in 32-35gr loads in your gun and see which patterns best. Then use that.

    I suppose the old saying "at sixes and sevens" (to be in a state of confusion because you don't know what to do) could have been applied to the dilemma over which shot size to use and could just as well have been "at fours and fives" or "at fives and sixes".

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