Speed is not all that important. It doesn't matter if you are shooting 1500 fps or 1300 fps, if you swing with the bird, get in front and shoot when you pass the bill and keep the gun moving even after the shot, you will hit the bird. Lets say the birds you are hunting fly at 65 mph and you are using shotshells that produce a payload at 1500 fps, that equates to the payload moving at 1,022.7 mph and if your payload is moving at 1300 fps it equates to 886.4 mph. If your duck is moving @65mph you could use slower payloads and still kill the duck. It is more about the shooter and his skill than the fps of your shotshells. When you are shooting behind a bird, it is almost always because you stop the gun.
Last edited by Oldtimr; 01-22-2015 at 08:55 AM.