[GoodOlBoy]

year before last I took my last partial box of paper 20s out of storage and went squirrel hunting. I did it mainly because of nostalgia, but also because so far that season I had shot uncountable squirrels out of trees and lost them because they ran off. I took 19 of 20 (the one miss being way may fault) that dropped from a tree like a rock and never moved with those old shells. The next outing with modern 20s (both heavy field, and express field) I knocked 14 out of trees, and recovered 2.... Of the 2 I recovered one of them had about a half cup worth of various sized shot between his hide, and the meat. It bothered me. Still does. I won't shoot a critter that I can't be sure I got a clean kill on, and for whatever reason those old shells just do it better. I don't know if it is the quality of shot, a "square" load, fiber wads, or what. Heck maybe it is all in my head, but those are the numbers. Those old shells killed without the thump of $18 a box loads, and the $18 a box loads don't kill as well on TOP of thumping. As for the plastic shot cups you can't hop a squat in the woods where I am at without being able to count a dozen old wads laying around. People pick up the shells, but the plastic wads just lay where they land. Fiber wads eventually deteriorate. For skeet shooting yeah I use AAs or STSs and never look back, can't beat them. But I just can't find a decent squirrel shell these days in 20 gauge for my 33 year old single shot H&R. Dunno what it is.

Richard