The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Bird Shooting Favorite Duck Loads?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Every waterfowler has a favorite load. In my case, after years of doing it one way, I think I just may have found a better plan. A guide put me onto it and I probably wouldn't have even thought of it. It's using BBs in my 3" chambered 12 ga. guns. I was real skeptical at first after getting good results over many decades with smaller sizes, mainly #3 in steel and #5 in lead. I thought BB loads were strictly for those who specialized in geese. However, I noticed that when you do your part right on the lead, there was a big improvement on dropping high-up birds. Enough that I found it almost amazing. What I had been using in steel was 3" factory loads in 1 3/8 oz of #3 shot. That has been my go-to favorite and very effective at most ranges. I found it a good replacement for lead shot, which I used to handload at 1 3/8 oz of #5 in 3" and 1 1/4 oz of #5 in 2 3/4" shells. When they banned lead I gave up on handloading and went to #3 steel. Many others went with #2 or #4. Ones who use #4 say it gives better chances of a head shot. Anyway, I've been trying to carry some of each kind, but have about been convinced on the BBs alone. What are your experiences with shot sizes? | ||
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Many of the Texas coast guides have shot BB's at everything for years. I still prefer Bismuth #5's (etc) in my guns, when available. DuggaBoye-O NRA-Life Whittington-Life TSRA-Life DRSS DSC HSC SCI | |||
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2nd. the bismuth, I prefer 4's, haven't fired any steel in years. When I was using steel I ended up using 1's or B's for everything. C.G.B. | |||
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I far prefer Hevishot to anything else, at least when cost isn't a big factor. HeviShot #4s are amazingly effective, in a whole 'nother world than steel. Also, given that you're shooting smaller shot, there's a lot more of it and you get a denser pattern. Even shooting honkers, you can go with smaller shot and do a very effective job. The load I shoot the most is the 2 3/4", 1 1/4 oz. load of 4s. It is effective on everything from teal to Canada Geese, at ranges as far as most people should ethically shoot waterfowl. | |||
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16ga, 1ounce #6 Hevi. Nuff Said? Andy We Band of Bubbas N.R.A Life Member TDR Cummins Power All The Way Certified member of the Whompers Club | |||
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Hevishot # 6, 3", 1 1/4 oz.,Kills everything from ducks to geese. Chip Pitcairn | |||
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How does Hevishot do in full choke guns..especially the older ones? I have heard not to use the non-steel alternatives in anything tighter than mod chokes in old guns. That was from several years ago, maybe before Hevishot started becoming popular. At the time you could get 3" Win Drylok 1 3/8 oz for under $10 a box. So I stocked up with several cases and still have some left. | |||
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If it were me: In older doubles I would avoid any of the "new" types( Hevi-Shot etc); except Bismuth and Classic- Doubles (unless they specifically state -Safe in Older guns) DuggaBoye-O NRA-Life Whittington-Life TSRA-Life DRSS DSC HSC SCI | |||
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Hunting in flooded timber last year, I was using #7 Hevi Shot. First time I ever tried it as it was on sale in the summer. Shooting a modified choke 20 ga. - no cripples just very dead ducks. This 'ol lead shooter was quite amazed at the effectiveness of this stuff. Some friends who hunt fields say it is the best and killed much better than lead ever did. Merg | |||
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HeviShot definitely kills ducks and geese better than any lead load ever did. | |||
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Gonna give the new Hevi-Metal loads a try....just ordered a case of 3" #3 for 189.99 delivered......at about .80 per shell for a heavy load, sounds like a deal and Ive heard good things about it. | |||
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Wow, that's interesting. Don't think I' ve ever heard that opinion. Though since almost all the current waterfowl loads are of the "magnum" variety, I guess it could be . I consider the Hevi-Shot quailty rounds and use the in some guns (just not my "Babys".) I spent (some say squandered) my youth swatting ducks in the bayou's and sloughs with 2 3/4 fieldloads of 6's, (even 7 1/2's) , 4's when we could find them; but most small town stores did not routinely have them. I have even killed them with #9 lead skeet loads on occasion. Have shot far too much steel at the coast, was very happy when Bismuth arrived. ( and the other "new" breeds) Have shot Tungsten Matrix, Heavi-Shot , Tungsten-Iron and a few other more rare ones. I think power for power and weight for weight lead is still tough to beat. An interesting article on the current loads : (Hevi-Shot did well) http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/...5_01/01_shooting.php http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/..._01/shooting_DB.html DuggaBoye-O NRA-Life Whittington-Life TSRA-Life DRSS DSC HSC SCI | |||
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I looked at that first link and it was interesting. I noticed among other things that Kent got pretty good test results. It's one I've been using along with Rem and Win. Going back to when they put in steel shot on us, I noticed like everyone the big obvious difference in killing range. So I followed the crowds and went to a larger shot size (for me it was #3 in place of handloaded lead #5s). I found however that one more thing was needed to solve the problem of how to get clean kills. You just wait til the bird is real close and then no problem. "Real close" is hard to define, but I'd guess it's roughly 25 yards or less. We've all made steel shot kills at more of course, but day in day out I think that's probably a fair estimate. That was my solution until I discovered BBs, which reach out more. I know I've had many 35-40 yard clean kills with those but I wouldn't recommend trying any farther. As a matter of fact I would say the same even of lead in its day. And yes, I remember pacing a dead susie off at 80 yards, but that doesn't necessarily mean I think it was a good idea. In any event the steel IMO is perfectly fine for producing dead dux as long as it's over decoys or otherwise close up. But why use it if Hevi-Shot or other better alternative is available? Cost. That's assuming there still is a cost advantage. And that part I don't know about, since I still have lots of it left. Oh, one other thing about steel duck loads. Don't try to use them on pheasants in an effort to save on shot costs in non-tox places...at least not in #3. Maybe it was the going away shot angles or maybe pheasants are just tougher, but I found that overall ducks are easier to kill with it...that's just fwiw advice. | |||
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FYI....Roger's has some great ammo buys right now.....free shipping on Federal steel, Hevi-Metal, and as always Fiocchi. I've found they can't be beat for case prices. No deals on Kent though, which I've moved away from anyway. | |||
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Dugga, yes that's my opinion. It's one I'll stand by. I've shot tons of lead over the years, way more stell than i care to, bismuth, tungsten matrix, and most other types of shot available over the last few decades. I DO believe that HeviShot is the best stuff I've ever sent down a 12 gauge barrel. I'm partial to #4s, though 6s are also very good. For close range shooting on teal and woodies, 7 1/2s or 8s would be fine, but you don't need that kind of shot to kill those little buggers anyway, so I usually just shoot less expensive stuff for them. | |||
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I guess the OP doesn't hunt teal much...  It truly depends on what I'm hunting. Bull eider and GWT are not exactly built alike, and up close shots at teal with BBs will leave a little something to be desired if you're at all interested in actually eating the bird. Assuming you find enough left to try to cook, of course... For years, Winchester Supremes in #2 @ 1550 FPS was my go-to load, but even it is rough on the tinies at close range. Sooooo, I use #4s for early season in close decoying birds and teal, 2s as the season wears on with birds that don't always decoy in as well as early ones, and BBs almost exclusively for seaducks and geese. 1s and 2s will work, but anyone who's hunted big, late season seaducks knows they are incrediby tough birds, and will be served well by relatively heavy loads of largish shot. I'm not a wealthy man by most any standard, and as I usually shoot almost 3 cases of shells waterfowling a season, go with steel. Is it my preference? Nope, but we all have to live within our means. When I do my part and limit my shots, steel will kill 'em every time. Kent is OK, Federal is OK, but Hevi shot and tungsten kills better, without question. I just can't justify, or maybe more accurately, can get away with the wife spending $700 on ammo every season.  Tried a couple of boxes of Black Cloud last year, and I must say, with my limited experiment, found it to be pretty damned effective, but it also ain't cheap. This year I think I'll go back to the Supremes: a case each of 4s, 2s and BBs, and call it good. Stopwatch start..NOW. Gato ought to be here in a minute to tell me I'm all wet.  ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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Gator won't have to. I actually agree with much of what you said except the part about how many teal. On that, trust me when the "OP" says he's killed about as many teal as you'd ever want to fool with. You don't hunt regularly nearly every year since the 1960s in some of the oldest and best clubs, rivers, lakes, rice water reservoirs, swamps, fields and bayous that the Mississippi Flyway has to offer without getting your share including both kinds of teal. That's from blinds, stands, boats, pits or just leaning against a pin oak or hunched down in buckbrush. And you can include hunting regularly with guys whose calling you can't tell from a real duck. Not that it matters here, but my closest duck hunting partner was a former duck guide and runnerup in the world championship duck calling contest at Stuttgart, Arkansas. That's also where my 1200 acre club was located, until the ground got sold out from under me. That's happened twice when I get onto a really good place and word gets out about it to people who have the deep pockets. Anywho, I guess that describes many of us. As to green wing teal only I've tried hunting the first few minutes of legal shooting with #3s just because that's the main time when they show up and the denser pattern is good. But that's in order to hit the teal instead of for edibility. I have killed many of them after switching to BBs and all have been edible. So really I find which shot for green wings to be more a question of how close the shooting rather than the shot size. If you hit one with a BB it's most likely only one pellet. On the other hand if you hit one that's right in your face with ANYTHING including the #3 steel, then you can forget it. The teal will have more holes in him than he doesn't... Blue wing teal are a different story since no other birds are legal...then no reason to use anything except the #3s. | |||
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Kent Fast Steel in 3" #1's for Ducks. BBB 3.5" for our Giant Canada's unless they're decoying well, then BB's. 3" BBs for Snows/Blues/Ross in the conservation season. LDK Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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Where I kill the majority of my teal is in salt marsh creeks. Ranges are from 10-30 yards on the outside. You do what you like, but I love eating teal, and beating them up with BBs ain't high on my list of things leading up to a nice rice stuffed, whole roasted teal dinner. And yeah, I have killed them with BBs in years past, and is exactly why I don't recommend it. ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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Who in the name of Benelli shoots teal with BBs???? They die if the pellet is anywhere in their vicinity. I can't recall the last time I saw a teal cripple.  | |||
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Here are a couple of shots of the kinds of creek areas I hunt teal just in from the coast. Small little fingers of brackish water running far up into the marsh. Some hold LOTS of the little green-winged beauties. The first pic shows ole Norton on one of his first times out there with me at that spot. He said something about crossing the creek. I of course responded by immediately whipping out the camera. I believe in the pic he's just changed his estimation of the creek's depth...   Me with a few of the little beauties and a bonus mallard in another pool. Funny, but this place is one of those that holds teal almost exclusively. Still haven't figured out why, but I'm not complaining... Man I am already getting pumped for October! Cheers, KG   ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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LMFAO....that's some funny sheet there you spot burner. Can't wait to hit that teal spot with a box of BBs! That day was a cardiac stress test for me.....you wisely stayed behind.....and killed more birds. I, on the other hand, followed the lead of our other comrade. | |||
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 When I go impromptu swimming I always try to make sure no one has a camera around. I know that creek's depth well, especialy when the tide is up, as it is in that pic. Don't ask me HOW I know this, though..  ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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Well, I did say I try to use #3s early because that's when teal are most likely to show up... More important, real early you're more likely to get a shot at mallards that appear very close unexpected in the low light conditions of the first few minutes of legal shooting time. Our "teal season" AS SUCH is a two week affair in Sept only. Blue wings only. Practically no one even bothers with it. Some states substitute a wood duck season in place of that. It's the only "teal hunting" done by itself in the Mid-South. During the normal Nov to Jan main season MALLARDS are the name of the game. Green wing teal and other small ducks including lots of spoonies are not something you set out to hunt. Most normally would not want to be constantly switching shot sizes for something that's strictly incidental and is come and gone way too fast for that anyway. I think the majority here just use one size for everything and mostly that's going to be steel shot in whatever size. The BBs is just something I got onto myself only a few years ago in a down season when the mallards were few and high. As far as the "whole roasted teal dinner" I'll just say look out now...teal are sure enough good eating but the green wing teal I know have only slightly more meat than a Jan. late season dove and about as much as a woodcock. Hardly a feast. It takes two or three for the meal not to be a starvation diet. Now, if you cook a couple in the same pan with a plump rice fed mallard, that's OK...no one will complain or anything... Anyway, for the most part there're gonna get shot with whatever the mallards get shot with. | |||
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Ha, ha! My Spidey sense is a tinglin' and I sense doubt of the veracity of my statement. Normally I'll have two whole stuffed and roasted birds as the perfect meat component of a great meal. But then as I don't shoot them with BBs, there's still a decent amount of meat between the two... Tell you what: judge for yourself. I'll make it a point to post pics in a couple months, OK? As far as using one load for everything, I don't doubt it, but I stand by my statements and my choices. Hey, it'd be a boring world if everyone did the same thing. You go ahead and smash your teal with BBs; I ain't gonna' try to stop ya, and whatever it takes to have fun out there is plenty okey dokey by me... Glad you're getting some conversation going on the bird forum, at any rate. Good hunting to you. KG Edited to add: P.S. We shoot teal from the season opener(s) in MA and NH right into January. Most have left before the deep freeze of late season, of course, but not all. Just ask Norton, who bagged his mounter drake GWT in late December last year in that spot I posted with the pics ... ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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I hunt mostly flooded timber here in GA for woodies, teals, and mallards and seldom have a shot over 25 yards. Must admit that my favorite load is a Winchester Xpert Steel 2-3/4" #6. Knocks em as dead as any Bismuth or Hevi-Shot and is 1/3 the price. When I hunt open water I like 3" #4 steel or tugnsten 30+ years experience tells me that perfection hit at .264. Others are adequate but anything before or after is wishful thinking. | |||
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One time a few years back I went to swat a cripple with a load of Win. Xcrement I had in my pocket. At 20 yards, the pattern was 10 FEET across. I tossed the rest out and haven't used them since. Dunno' if they were maybe double charged or what, but that was enough for my 'testing'. That all said, I know guys who kill ducks just fine with them...______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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Uhhh OK. You lost me when you lumped #4 steel and tungsten together as being equivalent.....and on "open water" no less.  | |||
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Norton, Wasn't trying to say they were equivalent at all. When I hunt "Open Water", meaning a place where I will be taking longer shots than in standing timber or on occasions where I will take passing shots, I like bigger shot. I have not killed enough ducks with tungsten/bismuth/hevi shot to say how much better it is. I've never had any problems killing ducks with steel shot, but then I only take head shots I guess I should have should have said "be it steel or tungsten"Kamo Gari: That's a wide pattern. When hunting beaver ponds, I typically have an IC choke in my shotgun, be it my Rem. 870 or my Benelli M1. I patterned that load in both with the IC chokes years ago when a friend told me that was his setup. I think it was at 20 or 25 yards and I admit I dont remember how wide it was, it was nowhere near 10'. 38" or so comes to mind.. I used to use a skeet choke in my Benelli when hunting beaver ponds, but I lost it somewhere. Regardless, its what works for ya that counts. 30+ years experience tells me that perfection hit at .264. Others are adequate but anything before or after is wishful thinking. | |||
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Winchester Xpert steel #6.......just can't wrap my brain around that one......guess there's a first time for everything. | |||
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I've never tried #6 in steel, but I don't doubt that under 25 yds it'd be OK. If under 25 that probably means in practice most/many would be 15 to 20 yds and at that range about anything would work. Obviously it would on woodies and teal. I also found interesting the mention of IC and skeet chokes. That's exactly what I've used since the demise of lead shot. With lead shot I used mostly full and in older guns, a couple Parkers and Model 12s. I use several others instead with steel, but the go-to has been a Rem 11-87. Mine's one of the locally first sold in 1987. At this point you could call it a used gun; it's now on its third forearm and second bolt assembly. I bought a bunch of different chokes for it and discovered right away I could make shots out to and slightly past 25 consistently with both the IC or Skeet. Some of that's due to always using 1 3/8 oz loads, which is on the heavy side of 3" shells. Being that steel doesn't compress much (if any) I prefer these chokes to save wear on the gun. I imagine Mod wouldn't hurt the gun, but the extra choke effect isn't needed over IC or skeet. If there's a "secret" to all this, I think it's the fact that steel shot wads are so thick and hard, that they ARE a choke in themselves. | |||
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I've started reloading and my current favorite load is McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning, and I'm also fond of black sesame seeds. As long as I shoot them within 6 inches of the barrel they're dead.....and ready for the grill! | |||
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When you guys are talking BB's, do you mean the hard gold BB's for Daisy BB guns or are you talking a BB size shot of some kind? | |||
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They are probably talking about BB steel shot. American standards for shot sizes are: #1 / .160" dia. B / .170" dia. Air rifle BBs / .175" dia. BB / .180" dia. BBB / .190" dia. | |||
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It really comes down to what kind of ducks are you shooting and how far do you want to shoot them. Obviously, shooting teal at 30 yards is a different load and choke proposition than shooting mallards at 50 yards. If you get ducks inside of 40 yards they just aren't that hard to kill, just tough to put the pattern on their front end sometimes. At normal decoying ranges (20-40 yards), steel #4s, #3s or #2s (provided they are choked properly) will take care of most any duck business you have. Obviously, it is better to use small pellets on small ducks to increase pattern density and larger pellets for larger ducks to maintain pellet energy, but generally any of these would be a good starting point for ducks over decoys. Yes, #6 steel will kill'em if they are inside of about 30 yards and you put the pattern on their front end, but I prefer to just go with #4 steel since I am usually shooting a mixed bag. And, I too have shot many Sept. teal with Xpert #6 and #7 steel but when the regular duck season gets here I'm loading #4s. It doesn't take a 3 ½" or even a 3" shell to kill ducks. A 2 3/4" 1 1/8-ounce load @ 1,375 fps will kill ducks at reasonable ranges if it is choked properly for the distance you are shooting. For chokes, take your SK, IC, LM and Mod with your shell/load of choice and head to the pattern board to see which one works best in your gun. Inside of 30 yards the SK will probably be the best choice, out to about 35 yards the IC will probably do best, 35-45 the LM may be the top performer, and from about 40-50 the Mod may be the best choice. The ONLY way to find out is to pattern them! Normally, I am shooting steel #4s and a SK or IC for close decoying and/or small ducks and later in the season when I'm shooting mostly mallards I shoot steel #2s with a Mod choke. Steel #3s are a great compromise, but many times I can't find them so I go with some combination of #4s and #2s like having #4s in for the first two close shots and following them with a #2 for the last longer going-away shot. As far as velocity, get loads in the 1,300 to 1,500 fps range and neither you nor the duck will ever know the difference. Many in the high-velocity bunch don't agree with me on this but the facts are you just don’t need super high-velocity pellets to kill ducks! I'll give you a few of my gun’s pattern numbers so you can see what you might get, but you still need to pattern your gun/chokes/loads because they may differ. Remington 870 SP 12-Gauge 3" w/ 28" barrel and factory flush Rem-chokes (patterns average of five, 30" post-shot scribed circle, yardage taped muzzle to target, and in-shell pellet count average of five). 30 YARDS IC Rem. Sportsman 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #4 steel (218 pellets) – pattern 181 (83%) Rem. Sportsman 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #2 steel (139 pellets) – pattern 120 (86%) 40 YARDS Mod Win. Xpert 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #4 steel (222 pellets) – pattern 141 (64%) Rem. Sportsman 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #4 steel (218 pellets) – pattern 150 (69%) Win. Xpert 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #2 steel (136 pellets) – pattern 87 (64%) Rem. Sportsman 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #2 steel (139 pellets) – pattern 110 (79%) Even with these cheap steel loads, those are dead ducks if I do my part and put the pattern on the front end of the duck! If you don't believe me just look at CONSEP/Roster's Lethality table numbers for proven duck killin' pellet sizes and minimum pattern counts. Good luck. | |||
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Good post. A couple of thoughts, though. It'll do I suppose, but personally I wouldn't call a 64% pattern that great. Second, you talk of 'as long as you're doing your part and putting the load in the front half of ducks'. Not so easy on a going away shot. Also, I agree that you don't need light speed for duck killing, but I am a proponent of speed. To my somewhat simple mind, I think of it this way: if I had a choice, would I rather have a brick lobbed at my face underhanded, or hucked at me full force as in a baseball throw? Seems to me that (assuming a direct hit) one might lead to a cold compress, and the other a trip to the ER. I agree with patterning a load being a smart thing to do. Exact same loads can and do shoot very differently in different guns. Again, good post. ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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Thanks Kamo, Remember, pattern percentages tell you about load/choke "efficiency" while raw pattern numbers tell you how "effective" the load/choke will be at the yardage tested. I won't quibble if they are "great" patterns or not, the 64% only tells you that they are performing up to Mod. choke standards from that choke at that distance. Yes, steel loads tend to pattern a little tighter than normal lead load standards but not always. The Xpert #4 steel load has plenty of pattern density for small ducks and the #2 steel load is still maintaining adequate mallard pattern density at 40 yards. That said, I wouldn't want to push the #2 Xpert steel load any farther, it is at its max effective range! The Remington Sportsman #2 steel load has the potential to be lethal out farther but of course addtional patterning would be needed to confirm. Good luck. | |||
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And to you, sir. Early goose opens in about 2 weeks. About time! Cheers, KG ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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Kamo, regarding which way you'd want that brick thrown, have you seen some of the speeds underhand softball pro pitchers reach? Anyhow, I very much agree, Joe's post was an excellent bit of research and frankly I couldn't find anything in it to disagree with. I have to admit something. I've never patterned any of my guns except at ducks themselves or shooting at cripples or snakes or other things on the water. And that's in about four decades of constant waterfowling. Should have done it on a range at some point and I recommend it, but just never found it necessary. The reason is because once I shot enough to learn to hit stuff consistently I KNEW where the pattern was going according to past results. The #3s were a compromise for me between the #2 and #4. Just like #5 were the same in lead shot. I was fortunate in that much of my hunting was at one of the oldest and best clubs at Stuttgart, Arkansas, the self-styled "Duck Capital Of The World" and you could find literally any kind of shells you wanted there, and usually excellent discount prices. (The club was 1200 acres of swamps, woods, fields, a bayou and included a 400 acre rice water reservoir with willows, buckbrush and in the more open areas, lilly pads.) As for adding a new thought to this discussion, I think the energy levels of different size shot at longer ranges is critical. While the pattern may show at 40 yds 60% plus for #4, as a practical matter in steel I'd want the slightly larger #3 at that distance or even better the steel BBs. I know however, you're killing dux at 40 with #4; I understand that because I've seen it done often enough, especially if you get in a head shot. But, I'm just saying I prefer a little or a lot more size. To make up the difference in patterns is why I use the 1 3/8 oz loads. Now, how about the out to 50 yd shot? I'm speaking only for me, but either one of two things...that's something I either don't try at all or only if I have the BBs. Overall as a personal opinion I think that's pushing it with steel because of the energy levels. One other thing. Those going away shots that were mentioned. I'll avoid getting into a long speech on it, but it all depends on the target distance and circumstances. If he jumps from a few yards away just direct aim is fine. If he jumps and is quickly rising from farther like amongst the decoys he will appear as if he's going up so the tendency is to lead high over him and miss. Actually he's going away at the same time and since you're at water level, in order to make the shot you lead by pointing UNDERNEATH him and the shot and he will meet at the same point. I hope I'm saying that where it's clearly understood. It's just an optical thing that doesn't always seem what it is. As for ducks going away much farther out, I typically point for the wing/body joint on the side where I can see that the most. It has worked surprisingly well many times, not always, but many. I honestly don't know why unless it's just a thing of doing something so much you finally get it down... | |||
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The point, which you apparently missed, was not at all about *how* my analagous brick was thrown, but the *speed* at which it is delivered and impacts. Note the word 'lobbed' in my post above. As to your going away shot words: I know how it works, but thanks for your insight. My point was that Joe mentioned leading a duck on its front end for best results. Hard to do if all you see is duck arse... Best, KG ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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