# Black Cloud???



## lawrence1

Is it everything they say it is? If I center my pattern on the bird what makes the difference?


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## freyedknot

it has a ridge around each pellet. kinda like saturns ring. it cuts bigger holes in your target. but it has also been know to blow up a few barrells also. check in at ohiowaterfowler.com


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## neffy85

From my limited experience,when using black could, it only takes a few pellets to really kill the bird. Unlike steel when you have a lot of cripples and winged birds, the black cloud seems to knock them down to stay. I think it is worth the extra cost. 
I guess it could be my shooting though!!


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## Procraftboats21

best waterfowl load ever made. its deadly. but if you gun isn't 'cloud chosen' it will blow up 




























all proudly killed with the cloud, 12ga 3 1/2'' 1 1/2oz of #2


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## ringmuskie9

Personally I like the Winchester. Its a lot cheaper


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## Kino

Procraftboats21 said:


> best waterfowl load ever made. its deadly. but if you gun isn't 'cloud chosen' it will blow up
> 
> 
> all proudly killed with the cloud, 12ga 3 1/2'' 1 1/2oz of #2





HMMMMM after MANY MANY birds a year, I will stick with hi velocity steel....Save you money and stay awy from the expensive stuff and learn to get them in a little closer


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## firstflight111

Kino said:


> HMMMMM after MANY MANY birds a year, I will stick with hi velocity steel....Save you money and stay awy from the expensive stuff and learn to get them in a little closer


black cloud is for sky busters lol 2.3/4 is all you need


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## JDBrown

Kent Fasteel best bang for ur buck


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## Carpn

I strayed from my kent fasteel and winchest HV this yr when I couldn't find it....I blew my barrel on my 4th round of Black cloud....Will never shoot it or any federal round again.


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## Procraftboats21

all those birds you see in the pictures were over the decoys. I don't believe in sky busting. I believe in clean kills and spending a little extra money on a quality steel load. Fasteel has more duds per box than anything i've ever shot. Winchesters 'windtesters' are absolute garbage cheap components.

Black Cloud is no joke, its wicked stuff. I promise you it will put more birds belly up.

What choke/gun were you using when you blew your barrel up?


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## JDBrown

I got lucky and my buddy sold me 5 boxes of bismuth 4s and 2s for 20$....thats stuffs lights out


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## BFG

Only a few are truly Chosen to shoot The Cloud.


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## JimmyZ

How many other loads have we heard of blowing up barrels like the "cloud" does? 

I use a pattern master choke tube which does the same thing the wad of the black cloud does. Difference is the patternmaster slows the wad down when it exit's the barrel so it doenst blow thru the shot. Makes a extremely tight pattern, but the constriction of the choke it actually very open. Spend $90 once and you don't need to shoot the clould. Of couse never, ever shoot the cloud thru a regular patternmaster. They did come out with a cloud tube, really don't see the purpose though. 

The cloud's wad has notches on it that cause it to slow down also, only problem is you never know when it's going to slow all the way down and get stuck. 

I do think the pellets in the cloud are cool with the extra cutting edge. But I've seen some pics on ohiowaterfowler of birds that look like swiss cheese. Shoot a duck and you get a half a breast to show for it.


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## WeekendWarrior

Procraftboats21 said:


> all those birds you see in the pictures were over the decoys. I don't believe in sky busting. I believe in clean kills and spending a little extra money on a quality steel load. Fasteel has more duds per box than anything i've ever shot. Winchesters 'windtesters' are absolute garbage cheap components.
> 
> Black Cloud is no joke, its wicked stuff. I promise you it will put more birds belly up.
> 
> What choke/gun were you using when you blew your barrel up?


Opinions are like brown holes, everyone has them. My crew shoots Winchesters and Kent exclusively and we don't have a problem with achieving limits....... When you shoot your birds over decoys, are your decoys set-up past the 35 yard mark? That would be the problem. The Cloud is over-rated!


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## KingFisher89

Im a fan of the clouds its about the only shell I shoot, but I think if your on them and they are close enough anything will knock them down


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## k_marshall

If you have used black cloud what guns/ barrels are "cloud chosen" and what guns arent? I wanna use it, but not if it will blow up my Mossburg 500


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## JDBrown

point being dont shoot the stuff if you dont know if its gonna blow your barrel up or not. its the choke thats the problem. if u have a certified cloud choke than go ahead and shoot it. but i wouldnt dare shoot the crap if im wondering in the back of my mind that it may blow up. be smart about it. ive seen a 20 gauge drop a duck just about 50 yds out. ya i know, but i witnessed it. make your shots count and let em come in. Ive shot alot of shells. Some better than others, but most steel loads perform the same. Now when you shoot at a duck n miss and they dont flail, dont just figure that the load you shot was junk. maybe your shot wasnt as good as you thought. maybe you didnt lead em enough or maybe didnt follow thru with it. To tell you the truth I cant recall ever shooting a duck load from the factory that didnt fire either. Its another story if your consistently hitting birds and they continue to fly off. Which ive had happen with a few loads, than I tend to stray away from those brands. Good hunting guys n be safe.


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## BaddFish

I'll spend $4 more dollars per box for hevi-shot. Just can't stand the thought of spending $22 a box for steel.

Hunting over big water heavy loads are the key... Your dekes are set out starting at 30yds away and are scattered around up to 50yds away.

My buddy was using the Cloud with great success last year- plowing birds at 35-40... I was right along with him with the Hevi.


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## ErieAngler

BaddFish said:


> I'll spend $4 more dollars per box for hevi-shot. Just can't stand the thought of spending $22 a box for steel.


Youre also getting 10 shells instead of 25.... Thats a heck of a difference. 

I bought some black cloud this year to try, I guess if my barrell blows im SOL. Ive shot just about every steel load imaginable and at the end of the day they all seem to shoot as good as the person pulling the trigger! As mentioned earlier the black cloud concept with the irregular shape is interesting. I cant recall how many times ive heard shot just bounce off a goose. I have to imagine this steel will do a better job penetrating, but what do I know - time will tell and I can't wait to find out . I think I would stick to reg steel for decoying ducks though.


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## SmallieNut

I've used Black Cloud since it came on the market. I love the stuff. I am using Remington factory chokes with no ill effect. I can say I have shot Hevi, Winchester and Cloud. The Cloud does the most damage of those shells I've used. I have had success on distances from in your face to 60 yards. (No I don't make a practice of 60 yard shots)


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## guido469

If ya shoot em in the lips it dont matter what you shoot


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## ScottiesHotties

k_marshall said:


> If you have used black cloud what guns/ barrels are "cloud chosen" and what guns arent? I wanna use it, but not if it will blow up my Mossburg 500


I shoot The Cloud with my 500.


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## Captain Kevin

guido469 said:


> If ya shoot em in the lips it dont matter what you shoot


That my friends is all truth you need to know right there. Learn to call, learn decoy spreads, and learn to scout, and you'll kill your birds with a fricken' sling shot if you want.


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## ErieAngler

Captain Kevin said:


> That my friends is all truth you need to know right there. Learn to call, learn decoy spreads, and learn to scout, and you'll kill your birds with a fricken' sling shot if you want.


Or whip em good with your flag stick! 

Theres nothing like a cloud of ducks litterally landing ontop of you - God bless field hunting!


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