B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot – Great Upland Load

Description

Most upland hunters who think carefully about shot size end up at 6 for general purpose work, and the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot is that choice in a 20 gauge. Seven eighths of an ounce of nickel plated lead at 1225 feet per second, which is the standard 20 gauge field load done properly.

• Six shot is the compromise that works
• Full specifications
• Why a 20 gauge is enough gun
• Honest notes before you buy
• Choke, chamber and patterning
• The bottom line

Six shot is the compromise that works

In a 7/8 ounce payload you get roughly 200 pellets of 6 shot. That is enough pattern for a bird at thirty yards and each pellet still carries enough energy to penetrate properly. Go to 5 and the pattern thins; go to 7.5 and the energy fades. The B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot sits where most upland shooting actually needs it.

It is the size that handles a mixed bag without forcing you to guess. Pheasant, chukar, huns, late grouse and sharptail are all within what the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot does inside thirty five yards, which covers the great majority of shots a walking hunter gets.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 20 gauge, 2 3/4 inch shell
• Bullet weight: 7/8 ounce of nickel plated lead, 6 shot grain
• Bullet: 6 shot hunting load
• Muzzle velocity: 1225 fps
• Muzzle energy: not published for shotshells ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not applicable to shotshells
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: 25 rounds per box

Nickel plating is the specification worth paying attention to here. Plated pellets are harder on the surface, so fewer of them deform on the way down the barrel, and a round pellet flies where you pointed it while a flattened one does not. With only 200 pellets in the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot, keeping every one in the pattern matters.

Why a 20 gauge is enough gun

The old objection to the 20 gauge was payload, and modern loading has largely answered it. Seven eighths of an ounce of quality plated 6 shot at 1225 feet per second kills birds cleanly at the ranges upland hunting presents. The B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot is not a compromise, it is simply a lighter gun doing the same work.

And the gun is genuinely lighter. A pound and a half less than a comparable 12 gauge, which you feel after six miles. Shooters who switch to a 20 with a load like the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot usually find they shoot better late in the day, which is when most birds get missed.

Honest notes before you buy

Recoil is mild, which is most of the point of the gauge. Seven eighths of an ounce at 1225 feet per second in a six and a half pound gun is comfortable enough to shoot all day, and a comfortable shooter is an accurate one.

Two limits. This is lead shot, not legal for waterfowl anywhere in the United States and prohibited outright on some public land. And 6 shot is a little coarse for quail or woodcock at very close range, where 7.5 patterns more densely. If small birds in thick cover are your season, that is the better pick than the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot.

Choke, chamber and patterning

Improved cylinder to modified covers most upland work with this load. With 200 pellets you want some control over the spread but not so much that a close flush becomes a problem. Pattern the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot at thirty yards on paper before the season rather than assuming your choke and this shell agree.

This is a 2 3/4 inch shell, which fits every 20 gauge in normal use including three inch chambers. If you own a three inch gun you simply have the option of a heavier magnum load as well, and the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot will chamber and shoot perfectly well in it.

The bottom line

For general upland hunting with a 20 gauge, the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot is the most broadly useful shell in the line. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the B&P Upland Game 20ga 7/8oz 6 Shot is a sensible place to start.