Field Guide / Shot Sizes & Chokes
#8 Shot
Also called: number 8, No. 8
A standard light size for skeet, trap, and sporting clays, and a common choice for doves and quail.
- Type
- Shot Sizes
- Pellet diameter
- About 0.09 inch (2.3 mm)
- Pellets per ounce (lead)
- About 410
- Typical range
- Up to about 30 to 35 yards
- Used for
- Clays, Upland birds, Small game
What it is good for
- Skeet, trap, and sporting clays.
- Doves and quail at moderate range.
- Hunters who want a dense pattern with light recoil.
Where it falls short
- Light for pheasants and larger birds at longer range.
- Not enough punch for ducks, geese, or turkeys.
- Energy falls off at the edge of its range.
Tips
- Pair with an open or improved cylinder choke for close flushing birds.
- Check state rules on shot size for specific game.
Works well with
- #7½ Shot: slightly larger, the standard all-around upland and target size.
- Improved Cylinder Choke: a common choke with this size for flushing birds.
Field notes
Number 8 shot is a good fit for dove fields and clay courses where birds or targets are at moderate range and a dense pattern helps.
Related guides
Pellet counts, patterns, and ranges are typical figures, not guarantees. Pattern your own shotgun with your own loads at the distances you hunt, and follow the shotgun manual for which shells and chokes are safe. Nonlead shot rules and legal shot types differ by state and area; our state resources directory links to each state's official regulations.