Closer walked-up game
An open pattern can give useful coverage for closer opportunities. Excessive concentration is not automatically an advantage. Consider the actual presentation, chosen cartridge and your tested pattern.
FIELD NOTES / BRITISH SHOOTING GUIDE
Game & pigeon shooting
Choke choice for live quarry, with cartridge examples linked by species.
04 / GAME SHOOTING
The bird and the conditions matter.
These examples explain the trade-off.
They do not establish a humane shooting range.
Ordinary driven game
Quarter and half are familiar general-purpose game options. There is no rule that the barrels must have different chokes. The combination must deliver an adequate, even pattern with suitable pellets.
Higher or more distant birds
A tighter choke may retain pattern density, but it does not restore lost pellet energy or justify extreme shots. Only take birds within your proven ability and the effective limits of the cartridge and pattern. [4]
Choose a cartridge for the quarry.
Pigeons and pheasants are not clay targets. Choose an appropriate pellet size and material, then check that the pattern is adequate.
The cartridge guide includes ordinary pigeon, pheasant, partridge and rabbit examples, alongside a separate steel discussion.
Permission and current species, season and general-licence requirements still apply. “Vermin” is not a blanket permission to shoot any bird.