[dhlaw74]

First of all, the brass has little to do with the weight of the load or the speed. You can now find target loads with higher brass and some hunting loads with low brass. I recommend you ignore the brass and look at the technical information on most boxes.

Shot size: We all have our thoughts and good reason for them.
I started with 4's many years ago and never use them now. At one point, I used 7.5 copper... but don't use them now. After many years of shooting flushed birds and a lot of passing shots (I block a lot for many reasons) I have settled on nickel 5's, either 1-1/8 or 1-1/4 oz. I have tried the Fiocchi Golden Pheasants and find them lethal but a little unpleasant and unnecessary. They are 1-3/8oz of nickel plated shot.

You can research the new loads online at Federal, Winchester, Remington, Fiocchi and others. With a single barrel gun, it is probably light, I would shoot a good 1-1/8 oz of nickel 5's at 1250 FPS or faster. This will "plant" any pheasant within 45 yards and won't loosen your teeth in the process.

This load is a little more than I would shoot at a preserve but all you have to do is make sure the bird is 30 yards away before you shoot.

I have a very nice hand load for roosters if you are interested... PM me.

Best of luck to you.