# Duck and Goose Loads - What do you shoot??



## ErieAngler

I shoot a Berretta Extrema 12 with 26'' barrel.

Last year I shot a ton of different loads, black cloud, old Rem nitros, old winchester drylock, expert hi speed, and some older federals. I wasn't real impressed with the Black Cloud at all. To be honest, I had the best performance with my old Rem Nitros in 2's and BBB. The BBB was stoning honkers dead at some impressive ranges. I shoot all factory chokes, typically modified, but will use IC if the ducks are decoying.


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## I_Shock_Em

I shoot a Benelli Nova, 12 gauge, not sure of the barrel length off the top of my head. Typically use a Patternmaster extended range choke tube. I'll move to the IC if we are hunting ducks in closer quarters. I shoot nothing but 3.5's at waterfowl. I like to shoot BB's at geese, 2's at the larger puddle ducks, and 3's or 4's at the diver's. Up until buying the Patternmaster, I was typically shooting Black Clouds and was actually impressed with the results in comparison to the other shells I have shot in the past (Kent, Winchester Xpert and Drylock, Federal). However, after purchasing and using the Patternmaster, I am no longer able to shoot Black Clouds through it. Patternmaster has a specific choke tube made just for Black Cloud ammunition. I did not want to get the Black Cloud choke tube due to the fact that I wanted to use the tube during turkey season (it worked great for that). Now I typically shoot the Winchester Xpert or Drylock with the patternmaster with great results. It throws nice tight patterns and long ranges. If I am using my factory choke when hunting ducks, Black cloud is what I'm shooting. Only 41 more days, but who's counting....


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## ducky152000

I shoot a beretta extrema also, I use a carlson full choke, and shoot winchester experts 3.5 1 3/8 2 for ducks and BB for geese. it works great for birds decoying in your face and up to 45 yds.


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## ErieAngler

ducky152000 said:


> I shoot a beretta extrema also, I use a carlson full choke, and shoot winchester experts 3.5 1 3/8 2 for ducks and BB for geese. it works great for birds decoying in your face and up to 45 yds.


You shoot a full choke at birds decoying?? Im not that good of a shot!

I very rarely take a bird that isnt decoying, so the only time I shoot a bird further than 30 yards is when Im tryinng to pick up another as they are flying away. I clobered too many geese last year with a mod choke to even think about using a full. I know a lot of guys use the LR pattern master but Ive always wondered if they shoot a lot of fly bys


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## I_Shock_Em

I prefer to shoot at decoying birds as well. the extended range tube let's you smack another bird or two as they fly away


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## ducky152000

Yep 95% of the birds i kill are 25 yds or less (DECOYING BIRDS) but i still shoot a full choke, i like hittin them in the head and neck and not worrying about cripples, realy a full choke is not much tighter than a mod, ive pappered the mod factory choke and the carlson full choke and the carlson was a little tighter than the factory at 25 yds but no much, the carlson full had no open spots in the spread which is want you want. the factory mod had a few open holes in the spread which means birds running around your decoys!


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## goose commander

i shoot two guns depending on how i feel when i leave the house. winchester SX3 and a Franchi diamond hunter. both with the 28" barrels, i shoot the IC when were on the creek and the shooting is fast and tight (ducks only rarely a goose on the walnut) mod for everything else winchester expert 3" is my load. BBs on honkers 2-3s on ducks. there cheeper than most other shells and you can find them anywhere you go. and there are times when that 2 will knock the life clean out of a goose.


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## ErieAngler

I need to do some patterning this year, Ive never given it much of a thought. It would be interesting to see what it looks like.


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## firstflight111

2 and bb 2 when its warm and bb when its cold for geese winchester xpert hi velocity 3.5 

ducks 4 early then 1 or bb when it cold or windy winchester xpert hi velocity 3.5 


teal 6.5 or 7 rem 2.3/4 

i shoot an 870 26 in with a carlsons extended mod choke non ported for all my bird hunting


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## ErieAngler

firstflight - ive been really aprehensive to use anything less than 4s. To be honest ive been pretty disappointed with the 4s ive shot. typically when i know im targeting woodies ill bring 4s, but anything else (as far as ducks) its 3s to BBs. Im sure its being nieve and in my head, but I hate missing and its easier for me to say its my fault when Im shooting 2s or 3s and i miss a duck then using 4s or something smaller. down range I just dont feel like they have the velocity and knock down power, but thats just my opinion. 

Thanks for the opinion . 

Bring on the drake mallards and blacks baby!!!!!! Cant wait to hear the first feet hit near my blind


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## goose commander

i agree erie its hard for me to trust in a 4. firstflite makes a great point with the season change and considering a diff load with the onset of a hard winter. i guess with less down and a thiner fat layer eary on,. the 4 may be more than enough. great tip first


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## firstflight111

ErieAngler said:


> firstflight - ive been really aprehensive to use anything less than 4s. To be honest ive been pretty disappointed with the 4s ive shot. typically when i know im targeting woodies ill bring 4s, but anything else (as far as ducks) its 3s to BBs. Im sure its being nieve and in my head, but I hate missing and its easier for me to say its my fault when Im shooting 2s or 3s and i miss a duck then using 4s or something smaller. down range I just dont feel like they have the velocity and knock down power, but thats just my opinion.
> 
> Thanks for the opinion .
> 
> Bring on the drake mallards and blacks baby!!!!!! Cant wait to hear the first feet hit near my blind


well for teal anything bigger then a 7 is to much ..imo.. we kill geese with 6.5 low brass... i allways shoot winchesters xpert 1550 except 6.5 and 7 rem because winchester does not make steel that small... you just have to find the load that works in your gun ...i cant see buying the cloud its just steel and it breaks guns i broke my wood stock 3 times i went to a synthetic stock... just a tip the smaller you go the more pelletsyour putting out there... now when its windy out i will go up in size or when it get cold you have to find the right choke.. for me a ported choke takes away to much end velocity the same as a semi auto.. my sbe2 i could not kill out past 40 yards thats why the 870...


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## ErieAngler

firstflight111 said:


> well for teal anything bigger then a 7 is to much ..imo.. we kill geese with 6.5 low brass... i allways shoot winchesters xpert 1550 except 6.5 and 7 rem because winchester does not make steel that small... you just have to find the load that works in your gun ...i cant see buying the cloud its just steel and it breaks guns i broke my wood stock 3 times i went to a synthetic stock... just a tip the smaller you go the more pelletsyour putting out there... now when its windy out i will go up in size or when it get cold you have to find the right choke.. for me a ported choke takes away to much end velocity the same as a semi auto.. my sbe2 i could not kill out past 40 yards thats why the 870...


Hmm, I never really thought about the pressure youre losing to cycle a load. Thats an interesting thought, I can't imagine its a lot, but then again its just a guess.


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## ErieAngler

My goal this year is to find the best patterning 4, 2, BB and BBB and buy a case or two of each. I get pretty p'd off when I cant find the load I like to shoot. Its the primary reason I keep going back to a smooth bore shotgun for deer, I know I'll be able to find the cheap winchester slugs year after year.

Time to get the calls out and start driving the wife and neighbors nuts!!!


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## firstflight111

find what you like and buy a case or 2 i buy 1 case of 2... 1 case of bb and ..1 case of 4,6.5,7 ...and i get odd ball stuff given to me during the season .. if i only hunted 3 or 4 days i would buy bismuth.. to me thats the only shot worth the money ...even at 1200 fps... and i have shot just about everything thats made...dead coyote is good to


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## ErieAngler

firstflight111 said:


> ...dead coyote is good to


Ive heard that stuff is sick, a guy my buddy hunts with swears he took a goose out to 60 yards stone dead.


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## Pike

I shoot a Nova, and have not found anything better than 3.5 Kent Fast Steel in a #2.

I thought that you were not supposed to shoot steel shot through a full choke?????


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## ducky152000

Pike said:


> I shoot a Nova, and have not found anything better than 3.5 Kent Fast Steele in a #2.
> 
> I thought that you were not supposed to shoot steele shot through a full choke?????


Its a full choke for steel, you are rite factory chokes that are for lead should not be shot with steel shot. because of steel shot being so much tighter and harder than lead.


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## goose commander

pike you must be a HECK of a man. nova with 3.5 must kick like a mule. i think that gun weighs in around 7 pounds dont it? theres a good mix of men here shooting the 3" versus the 3.5. so now the question is, would you rather be a stage quality caller or lots of motion in the spread? what are some tricks and tacktics for movement or to calling better?


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## I_Shock_Em

goose commander said:


> pike you must be a HECK of a man. nova with 3.5 must kick like a mule.



In my opinion the Nova with 3.5's doesn't kick too bad. I've never had problems with it.


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## ErieAngler

I may be wrong but I dont think being a good stage caller makes you a good hunter. That being said, I wouldnt tell anyone I'm a good or a great caller for that matter. All I say is I put my fair share of feet on the ground last year. 

IMO, the secrete to hunting is know when and when not to call, and once you know that, its how much. I take the approach of trying to keep their attention. I only really blow hard to get them to look my way. Once I have them looking I try to let them tell me what they want. I blow few cadences when duck hunting, mostly single quacks and feed chuckle. Geese, well I blew a 12 year flute all last year. I messed with some short reeds this summer and didnt really find one I liked, I picked up a Foiles Migrator off of Ducksdemise and I think its going to be the cats meow this season...real goosey and quick as you need to be. 

As for motion, if youre after ducks its mojos and jerk cords. I killed probably half my ducks last year using only two mojos in a goose field spread. They are leathal.


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## goose commander

I_Shock_Em said:


> In my opinion the Nova with 3.5's doesn't kick too bad. I've never had problems with it.


dont get me wrong shock its a great gun. i shot one once with and 2 once load and thought i lost some teeth afterwards, now it was lead i was shooting.


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## ErieAngler

Are 3.5s really necessary?? I used them on geese last year, but had better results with my 3 in rem express mags. I have to imagine if i would have patterned my gun there would have been holes in the 3.5s and choke i were shooting.


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## I_Shock_Em

The 3.5 in shotgun was designed specifically for waterfowl when lead shot was banned. I look at it as it is more knock down power and more pellets in the air. I'll shoot 3.5's at waterfowl until my shoulder physically cannot take it or they legalize lead for waterfowl again (which I'm not holding my breath on)


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## firstflight111

ErieAngler said:


> Ive heard that stuff is sick, a guy my buddy hunts with swears he took a goose out to 60 yards stone dead.


i killed one last year at 85 yards with 3.5 dead coyote and there were 9 other guys with me


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## Carpn

I shoot a berretta extrema 2 also..Love the gun...I use a factory Modified tube and either 3.5" kent fasteel #2s for ducks or the same shell in BB's for geese...Towards the end of the season I end up throwing BB's at both geese and big ol' fat mallets.


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## firstflight111

goose commander said:


> pike you must be a HECK of a man. nova with 3.5 must kick like a mule. i think that gun weighs in around 7 pounds dont it? theres a good mix of men here shooting the 3" versus the 3.5. so now the question is, would you rather be a stage quality caller or lots of motion in the spread? what are some tricks and tacktics for movement or to calling better?


get a limb saver recoil pad i shoot 3.5 all day.. heck me 8 year old shoots my gun and hes only 85lbs


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## goose commander

firstflight111 said:


> get a limb saver recoil pad i shoot 3.5 all day.. heck me 8 year old shoots my gun and hes only 85lbs


no thanks dont own a nova and prob never will. my SX3 does me just fine!!!!


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## firstflight111

Pike said:


> I shoot a Nova, and have not found anything better than 3.5 Kent Fast Steele in a #2.
> 
> I thought that you were not supposed to shoot steele shot through a full choke?????


a lot of miss fires with that


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## firstflight111

ErieAngler said:


> Are 3.5s really necessary?? I used them on geese last year, but had better results with my 3 in rem express mags. I have to imagine if i would have patterned my gun there would have been holes in the 3.5s and choke i were shooting.


3.5 more pellets in the air = more dead stuff... i am fat and old dont like to run after birds


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## firstflight111

we will have to get toughter and have a goose and duck shoot i have a place


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## I_Shock_Em

firstflight111 said:


> we will have to get toughter and have a goose and duck shoot i have a place


sounds like a plan to me....i just scored a killer winter wheat/corn field...can't wait!!!!


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## ErieAngler

Mark, we will test this during the season! I have no opinion other than my own exerience it'll be interesting to see once I pattern and also when I hunt with you boyz


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## firstflight111

ErieAngler said:


> Mark, we will test this during the season! I have no opinion other than my own exerience it'll be interesting to see once I pattern and also when I hunt with you boyz


when ever after the sept 2 i got some bands to kill


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## johnrude

i use my trusty 13 year old remington 1187 30" barrel and modified choke and i use 3" 2's or BB and usually remington ammo.i have shot a couple hundred geese over the years. and a few ducks and lot's of pigeons while waiting for geese. also my turkey gun.


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## quackpot

Erie you know what I shoot 31/2 federal t-shot. You saw the shot last year they are deadly. Killed one that was on the ground that wouldn't come close enough to shoot in the air. Keep thinking that was a long way so I walked it off 70 yards.


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## firstflight111

heres something i found on shooting 

We will have to wait for others to test these loads to find out if the low readings were the result of a bad batch, or are what you can expect from them.

"Survived the heat/humidity long enough this AM to chrony some loads.

All were fired from a Beretta AL390...28" bbl...PM tube.

Chrony used is a Chrony Beta model and was benchmarked with Federal match .22 cartridges.

2X averages

Remington Hypersonic 3" 1 1/4 oz. of #4'[email protected]'...1333fps (79% of published 1700fps)

Federal TI 3" 1 3/8 oz. of #4'[email protected]'...1242fps (96% of published 1300fps)

Winchester ED/ER 2 3/4" 1 1/2 oz. of #6's..[email protected]'...1213fps (99% of published 1225fps)

At 5' the Remington dropped off to 1309fps, Federal was at 1213fps and Winchester was at 1193fps.

With the pellet count coming out a bit light (per RSI manual) for 1 1/4 oz. yet the weight (digital scales) running more like 1 3/8 oz. and with velocity considerably less than published as reported by multiple sources, I'm calling Remington in the AM and asking WTH is going on...will report what they say."


just another reason to shoot 3.5 and a pump just saying


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## ErieAngler

quackpot said:


> Erie you know what I shoot 31/2 federal t-shot. You saw the shot last year they are deadly. Killed one that was on the ground that wouldn't come close enough to shoot in the air. Keep thinking that was a long way so I walked it off 70 yards.


Im still kicking myself thinking about that goose I leaned out the blind to shoot on the ground.....then missed!


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## I_Shock_Em

ErieAngler said:


> Im still kicking myself thinking about that goose I leaned out the blind to shoot on the ground.....then missed!



You should ask Kyle about our last day of goose last season. 2 geese landed behind us, told Kyle to turn around and shoot on the count of 3. Six shots later the two geese were on their way. I think we've all been there at least once!!!


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## quick draw mcgraw 15

does anyone know where i can get federal black cloud 20 ga. bb shot or 2 shot.... plz help i cant find it anywhere..
[email protected]


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## quackpot

Shockem don't worry it didn't get away. After I shot it erie asked what I was shooting. I thought it stopped like it hit a wall. Erie said it went sideways. Man I love shooting t-shot. One of these days I will learn how to goose hunt.


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