Duck hunting shot shells

boltster08 · Nov 6, 2016

What brand and size do you use when hunting and what gun are you using?

I just got a benelli supernova with stock chokes. I am looking at 3 1/2 inch black cloud shot size #2

Archeryrob · Nov 7, 2016

I use Kent Faststeel, in a Baikal MP-153,and never shoot larger than 3" and if I did it would only be for geese, ever. I use #1 as an all around load for all waterfowl and ducks only #2 and Geese only BB's.

IMO, don't waste money on expensive chokes. Use the black cloud, Kent or other medium priced round. Winchester and Remington have made from real trash in years past and I've seen a lot of those round wound a lot of birds with weak penetration. I had some Win Super X #2 someone gave me and I shot a duck 3 times and the dog had to get her still and lots of pellets under the skin. $14 to $15 for 3" and $15 to $19 for 3.5" as box for shotshells per box is pretty standard. Cheaper and your buying cheap ammo cutting a corner somehow.

Paper test each round @ 40yards and find which one your gun likes to pattern best and stick with that one. Expensive doesn't mean your gun will like it and all guns and chokes can throw a different pattern. Don;t count on what I, or someone else did, with a similar gun will NOT always cycle the same in your gun/choke. I had shotshells I used to love, IE Heavysteel 3" B's. It killed geese good but had trouble with ducks. Paper test proved the pattern was a bit thin as 40 yards for the smaller waterfowl.

kstone803 · Nov 7, 2016

Kent Fasteel #2 if I can only shoot one load for the rest of my life. But Black Cloud BB kills sea ducks dead (sea duck cripples take forever to get) and I'll shoot Remington Nitro Steel at snow geese (cheaper shell). But overall if I only had one to pick it would be #2 Kent.

lazarus · Nov 7, 2016

Haven't been duck hunting. Been goose hunting once and saw nothing. I walk by dozens of Canadians at work every day. Sigh.

I use #2 Kent faststeel for ducks and I am looking at blackcloud BBs for geese once I go out again this winter. My neighbor is my goose hunting buddy (friend of his has a place) is out of commission for a couple of months but January is a possibility.

To clarify the #2 3" faststeel patterns pretty decently out of my 870 with modified choke at 40yds.

94hokie · Nov 7, 2016

If you decide to go with Black Cloud, would highly recommend getting a choke tube designed for Black Cloud. I have seen some very bad patterns out of factory chokes with that ammunition. Personally, i use Hevi-Metal 4's for ducks and BB's for geese.

boltster08 · Nov 7, 2016

94hokie said:
If you decide to go with Black Cloud, would highly recommend getting a choke tube designed for Black Cloud. I have seen some very bad patterns out of factory chokes with that ammunition. Personally, i use Hevi-Metal 4's for ducks and BB's for geese.

That is good to know. I am using factory chokes right now until next season most likely.

kstone803 · Nov 7, 2016

boltster08 said:
That is good to know. I am using factory chokes right now until next season most likely.

You won't actually know anything until you shoot the ammo through your gun. I get pretty decent results with black cloud BB, slightly clumpy at 30 yards but not horrible. Don't go out and buy a choke tube just cuz it has the same name as the ammo.

Archeryrob · Nov 7, 2016

kstone803 said:
You won't actually know anything until you shoot the ammo through your gun. I get pretty decent results with black cloud BB, slightly clumpy at 30 yards but not horrible. Don't go out and buy a choke tube just cuz it has the same name as the ammo.

Ditto, You should buy several different boxes, of different manufacturer shot shells from Dicks or other store and target shoot loads into paper with various chokes @ 40 yards. Only then will you know which is the best round for various chokes and your gun.

I've seen guys but $80 chokes and get poor performance with various loads still. Factory chokes will most likely work with various loads.

Archeryrob · Nov 7, 2016

Attached is a paper is did years ago with Hevi-steel B with Mod choke at 40 yards. You only know once doing this. The circle is 30"

This pattern was too open for shooting ducks.

kstone803 · Nov 8, 2016

Archeryrob said:
Attached is a paper is did years ago with Hevi-steel B with Mod choke at 40 yards. You only know once doing this. The circle is 30"

This pattern was too open for shooting ducks.

The more I hunt the more I shoot full choke. I find myself switching so I didn't have cripples and could kill that 2nd or 3rd bird as they turn away. If you hit them with a full and 2s or BB they drop dead. If you miss you likely made a clean whiff so the bird isn't crippled.

Derwood · Nov 8, 2016

BB for when I hunt geese in fields. #2 for ducks over water. #1 if ducks and geese are both on the menu. I like Kent Faststeel since they're semi-local. I also buy Heavi Metal brand when Kent is out of stock. I've never had problems with either brands. I have had problems with crippled ducks when I hunted once with #4.

gtodave · Nov 8, 2016

BB for goose, 1 or 2 for ducks.

FYI I had a full day on the water shooting Black Cloud. I went through a box and a half of ammo, and only had three ducks on the boat. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong until a cripple hit the water 20 yards from the boat. I hit it three times with Black Cloud, and it still was just as alive as it was when it hit the water. The guide shot it once with a different brand of ammo, and it rolled over immediately. When we pulled the bird in the boat, about a dozen pieces of cubical shot fell out. The Black Cloud wasn't getting past the feathers, and this was a small duck! I'll never use the stuff again.

kstone803 · Nov 8, 2016

gtodave said:
BB for goose, 1 or 2 for ducks.

FYI I had a full day on the water shooting Black Cloud. I went through a box and a half of ammo, and only had three ducks on the boat. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong until a cripple hit the water 20 yards from the boat. I hit it three times with Black Cloud, and it still was just as alive as it was when it hit the water. The guide shot it once with a different brand of ammo, and it rolled over immediately. When we pulled the bird in the boat, about a dozen pieces of cubical shot fell out. The Black Cloud wasn't getting past the feathers, and this was a small duck! I'll never use the stuff again.

Black Cloud doesn't have cubical shot. That would be Blind Side. You get them confused? I have no personal experience with blind side but one of the guys I hunt with who is an absolute addict swears by it.

pbharvey · Nov 8, 2016

It absolutely amazes me how hard it can be to kill ducks sometimes. My son is out hunting today and he gave me a report of dropping two birds with one shot and another bird that had four pellets in its head and was still living.

gtodave · Nov 9, 2016

kstone803 said:
Black Cloud doesn't have cubical shot. That would be Blind Side.

Yes, they do.

boltster08 · Aug 22, 2017

So I finally got around to doing a small pattern sample with my Shotgun today. Attached are the results and I plan to expand the distance and kinds of ammo(once I get out with my buddy) within the next couple of weeks.

Racer Doug14 · Aug 22, 2017

For ducks?#4 in 3" Black Cloud and Hevi-metal. I do have a Carlson BC chokes mid&long ranges. They were affordable and I had a ton of B.C..
For geese, 3&3.5" BB, BBB and#1.

Archeryrob · Aug 23, 2017

Bolster, pay high attention to speed. I have seen cheap remington and winchester shot used by people I was hunting with. They got it on sale for $7.99 a box at Dick's. They couldn't kill a duck at 20 yards with it. I tried it too while with them and hit one duck with all three shots to drop it. I saw the bird flinch on the first two before falling on the third. Pellets hardly penitrated the skin all over it. Don't even bother with the 1300 FPS rounds and get 1450 to 1550 FPS rounds.

Cheap ammo is just that and if its not $15 a box its probably not worth shooting.

Racer Doug14 · Aug 23, 2017

I agree with using good shotgun shells. I got Black Cloud from a friend that worked at ATK.So I have tons. I've been using it for years with good results. When a ran out of #4, I tried Hevi-metal. It's worked good. Water fowling is an expensive sport. Why save a few bucks on the one thing that actually kills them?

Archeryrob · Aug 24, 2017

Kent Fasteel case on sale at Cabelas $104.99 + $5 shipping for 3" shells. I've paid $149.99 and thought I was getting a deal.

Load up boys!!

Duck hunting shot shells

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