Shotgun Shells

[SHABA]

OK now an inquiring mind wanting to know!

When hunting ducks.
What Brand Steel Shotgun Shells and what Size Shot do you buy???
Or do you use something different Like Tungsten or a coated shot.

[BCSO #2]

3/4 inch white gravel and a wrist rocket

[NotAGuide]

Kent 3" #2's with 1 1/4charge. Best steel shot pattern hands down! Early teal season #4's.

[ghenry]

Patternmaster with #4 hevi shot is hands down the most effective next to black cloud but you can't shoot black cloud with all ported chokes. Probably no real reason to waste the money though. I just like to take about twenty rounds of the expensive stuff if the hunting is slow or the birds are flaring at 40-60 yards. The cheapest #2 and #4 in 3" will go as far as you need if you are shooting right. Ducks and geese are just tough to down. Unless you get a head or wing shot, you might get them strait through the heart and they'll fly like nothing happened. They're cardiovascular systems are tough as catfish and they need very little oxygen or blood flow to fly a looong way. The inefficiency of steel is largely a myth. Try to choke a duck by giving it no air for thirty minutes and it will still walk off like nothing happened. Their is some advantage to the distance and nock down power of expensive non toxic alloys but I would rate it about a 15% advantage on distance and nock down power. The fact is, once a bird is 60 yards out and especially if the wind is blowing it's almost impossible to judge leed anyway. So in conclusion, if you got some money to waste by the expensive stuff and you'll have some advantage, but there's no advantage like practice, experiance, and decoying the birds into 10-40 yards.

[SHABA]

Ok wow is everyone shooting 3" shells.... Im use to shooting on the Guadalupe around Fredericksburg and only used 2 3/4 and have busted down alot of ducks!!! Most being reloads. I have a MEC 650 Jr. and have used REM power piston wads, Blue dot Power, and CCI Primers... I always gave it a little extra wad pressure. I have not BOUGHT shells in years! I will have to this year!!! Had to order a part for my re loader. Thanks for all you guys input!

[cudacat]

I use 2-3/4” #2’s Winchester experts for big ducks. I think they are the cheapest shell out there. They seem to kill good for me.

[ghenry]

2 and 3/4 are great if you got birds decoying into timber, small ponds, or rivers. On the coast, in big waters, we get some educated ducks that won't always coast right in and often flare at 40 yards flying 15-30 mph and I believe the extra distance a 3" or even 3+1/2 shell is imperative. I did have a hunt where we were in a small marsh pond surrounded by tall cane with mainly GWT darting in and out of the spread. I couldn't hit anything with my big water set up and when I ran out of 3" shells I moved to 2-3/4 and change to an improved cylinder then problem solved.

Additionally, I would prefer to never make shot over 20 yards but when you get up at 3:00 a.m., spend a-loads of time, effort, and money and the birds just won't come in that close I feel the far shots are justified.

[SHABA]

Patternmaster with #4 hevi shot is hands down the most effective next to black cloud but you can't shoot black cloud with all ported chokes. Probably no real reason to waste the money though. I just like to take about twenty rounds of the expensive stuff if the hunting is slow or the birds are flaring at 40-60 yards. The cheapest #2 and #4 in 3" will go as far as you need if you are shooting right. Ducks and geese are just tough to down. Unless you get a head or wing shot, you might get them strait through the heart and they'll fly like nothing happened. They're cardiovascular systems are tough as catfish and they need very little oxygen or blood flow to fly a looong way. The inefficiency of steel is largely a myth. Try to choke a duck by giving it no air for thirty minutes and it will still walk off like nothing happened. Their is some advantage to the distance and nock down power of expensive non toxic alloys but I would rate it about a 15% advantage on distance and nock down power. The fact is, once a bird is 60 yards out and especially if the wind is blowing it's almost impossible to judge leed anyway. So in conclusion, if you got some money to waste by the expensive stuff and you'll have some advantage, but there's no advantage like practice, experiance, and decoying the birds into 10-40 yards.

Wonder why I see a upside down box of Remington shells in your picture!!! Just teasing!!!! hahahhahha

[ghenry]

Those were my buddie's. I'll admit, I ran out of hevi shot cause I wuz shooting so poorly and got most of my birds with #4 estate steel.

[SHABA]

Those were my buddie's. I'll admit, I ran out of hevi shot cause I wuz shooting so poorly and got most of my birds with #4 estate steel.

See Ghenry you can not do anything without someone seeing you!!!!! Nice bunch of ducks anyway!!!!

[Quackcephus]

In the "sticks"... 2 3/4 #6's, 5's or 4's

Big open water... 3 1/2 #3's, 2's, 1's or BB's

I run all mine through a Wad Wizard choke tube

[ROBERT JAMES]

i like to use the remington or winchesters in 3". usually in a #2 or #1 i like these brands namely for the price. and ill tell ya now ive killed many a duck with em! one shell i wont ever buy again are fiochis. i bought some last year and they jammed my girlfriends and my bromning pump! never even heard of a shell jammin a pump gun before, buy you'd have hit your stock on the ground and hold the pump action for it to eject the shell. its almost as if the shell would swell up in the barrel?

[SHABA]

Well I have a Stevens Model 311 Double I use with a 32 in barrell s/s longest barrell you can get for a S/S in a 311... I usually use 2-3/4 which I will be shooting Remington #4 Nitro's I call the Gun My SMOKE POLE... I try first with the modified barrel and if he or she keeps going I hit them with the Full choke... Believe me when I say it can reach out and touch someone! If it beyond that I just watch them fly by and wave at them sometimes.hahahah I do not like to cripple birds so I make no long distance unless I think I can get them!!! Man went to Bass Pro shop and man what they want for shells!!! I am use to reloading my own.. but that too have been years!!! I am going to try the difference between Remington Nitro steel Magnum and Remington Hi Speed Steel.... The only difference in velocity is 15 feet per second... Everything else is the same... Ill let you know if I can tell the difference between the 2 in shooting and not just in the pocket book and color of the shell!!!

[ghenry]

I like the most expensive shells I can buy, since I can't hit anything...... and think twice before shooting....

[NotAGuide]

i like to use the remington or winchesters in 3". usually in a #2 or #1 i like these brands namely for the price. and ill tell ya now ive killed many a duck with em! one shell i wont ever buy again are fiochis. i bought some last year and they jammed my girlfriends and my bromning pump! never even heard of a shell jammin a pump gun before, buy you'd have hit your stock on the ground and hold the pump action for it to eject the shell. its almost as if the shell would swell up in the barrel?

Sounds like your shells were wet?

[SHABA]

i like to use the remington or winchesters in 3". usually in a #2 or #1 i like these brands namely for the price. and ill tell ya now ive killed many a duck with em! one shell i wont ever buy again are fiochis. i bought some last year and they jammed my girlfriends and my bromning pump! never even heard of a shell jammin a pump gun before, buy you'd have hit your stock on the ground and hold the pump action for it to eject the shell. its almost as if the shell would swell up in the barrel?

Sounds like your shells were wet?

That should not happen even with wet shells if they were plastic!!! That just about happened in the paper shell Days... Wow im dating myself unless someone put too much wad pressure on the wad!!!

[ghenry]

I bought some Hevi Shot #4 recently and had a very slow hunt with a guide out of POC. Had four PT drakes decoy in and had a perfect bead on them. Pulled the trigger, and!!! Click. No shot. It was sickening cause this is my favorite species in the world. I was to stupid to see if it was the shell. Gun fired fine once there were no birds around.

[SHABA]

I bought some Hevi Shot #4 recently and had a very slow hunt with a guide out of POC. Had four PT drakes decoy in and had a perfect bead on them. Pulled the trigger, and!!! Click. No shot. It was sickening cause this is my favorite species in the world. I was to stupid to see if it was the shell. Gun fired fine once there were no birds around.

Yes you can get a bad primer now and then... Also sometimes the firing pin doesn't strike the primer hard enough... Had that happne when I would relaod shells with old primers... I put a stop to that... Run the shell through your gun sometime not hunting and see if it still doesn't fire!

[NotAGuide]

i like to use the remington or winchesters in 3". usually in a #2 or #1 i like these brands namely for the price. and ill tell ya now ive killed many a duck with em! one shell i wont ever buy again are fiochis. i bought some last year and they jammed my girlfriends and my bromning pump! never even heard of a shell jammin a pump gun before, buy you'd have hit your stock on the ground and hold the pump action for it to eject the shell. its almost as if the shell would swell up in the barrel?

Sounds like your shells were wet?

That should not happen even with wet shells if they were plastic!!! That just about happened in the paper shell Days... Wow im dating myself unless someone put too much wad pressure on the wad!!!

In regards to both 870's and BPS models, jamming can and will happen with with damp shells. Back in the days before reliable semi-auto's, we use to joke about who was bringing the rock to beat the gun against. Didn't really matter what shells you were shooting.

[myronja]

3 1/2 in blackcloud all the time #4, #2 for ducks BB, BBB for geese $25 a box or if your like me wait til after the season at walmart and i got the for $13 a box. Had 40 boxes left bought all of them.

[540 mountain motor]

I like the most expensive shells I can buy, since I can't hit anything...... and think twice before shooting....

[rost495]

I bought some Hevi Shot #4 recently and had a very slow hunt with a guide out of POC. Had four PT drakes decoy in and had a perfect bead on them. Pulled the trigger, and!!! Click. No shot. It was sickening cause this is my favorite species in the world. I was to stupid to see if it was the shell. Gun fired fine once there were no birds around.

At least for us pintails are a dime a dozen on the coast.. there are always more coming.. I don't know that I've ever not shot my pintail(s) when down there.

One thing.... I know I THINK I saw y'all wiping all your shells down with an oily rag at the house once... the primers SHOULD be sealed but don't bet on it... and the other thing.. besides a dud primer.... is keep that firing pin lubed.. IE oil in the bolt so that it doens't get gummed up.. OTOH you gotta hope it wasn't so cold when that happend that the oil was gelling...

Best guess is it was a bad primer more than likely.. I had 4 out of one box of Rem 20 ga dove loads years ago... figured a bad batch or something.

I gotta hurry up and order a case of short shells for teal again and a case of 2s for regular...

[cummins diesel power]

i not a duck expert. nor a pro duck hunter. but i've killed quite a few. i shot all mine off tanks creep over the dam &
shoot em when they take off. I used 2 3/4'' 4 shot & 6 sometimes but 4 worked real well. I think
all my rounds were plain lead shot lol. but public waters i think your suppose to use tungsten or something like that,
no lead?

[cummins diesel power]

i like to use double barrels, b/c they generally have one barrel made for shooting close & one for shooting farther, so i could
use that one barrel up closer & the other when they were flying higher?further then i could still reach out there & touch em

[NotAGuide]

i not a duck expert. nor a pro duck hunter. but i've killed quite a few. i shot all mine off tanks creep over the dam &
shoot em when they take off. I used 2 3/4'' 4 shot & 6 sometimes but 4 worked real well. I think
all my rounds were plain lead shot lol. but public waters i think your suppose to use tungsten or something like that,
no lead?

You might want to erase this. Leads a no-no, period!