When i travel to the UK i borrow an old side by side that my buddies father hunted with for most of his life. It's chambered for 2.5 inch shells, It always amazes me how deadly those little shells are on wild pheasants over there.
Shot size on game birds is an interesting topic. I hunt with a number of folks in their 70s and 80s. They've moved up to #6 on whitewings. Whitewings (and the invasive Eurasian doves) don't just give up like mourning doves. 7.5s are ideal but #6s prevent any chasing when they hit the ground. One thing though.... they all use IC or skeet chokes to reduce the number of pellet impacts otherwise the birds are torn up. It works great for them.
