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Federal Black Cloud Shells?

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Federal Black Cloud Shells?

Old 06-24-2008, 03:05 PM
  #11  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?

I'm not just guessing. I've killed thousands of waterfowl. I've used about every store bought round that's out there for waterfowl. Kent is very good for the cost, and I would have no problem recommending it.Kent Fasteel is what I've been using for the last couple of years, that is, until last year.Black Cloud is as advertised. It is without a doubt the best round I've ever used for geese.If you haven't tried it, you should. If your an avid waterfowler like myself.
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Old 06-24-2008, 04:40 PM
  #12  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?


ORIGINAL: Colorado Luckydog

I'm not just guessing. I've killed thousands of waterfowl. I've used about every store bought round that's out there for waterfowl. Kent is very good for the cost, and I would have no problem recommending it. Kent Fasteel is what I've been using for the last couple of years, that is, until last year. Black Cloud is as advertised. It is without a doubt the best round I've ever used for geese. If you haven't tried it, you should. If your an avid waterfowler like myself.

Did you throw any at a pattern board at all?

I tried like hell to get it to do something different (good or bad) with different choke tubes... but the results were so similar it just didn't matter whether it was skeet or IM.... same results every time!

I found the #4 steel Black Clouds to be great on teal inside 30 yards... but even after the field journal write up when I got ahold of BBs.... the results were the same... IC type patterns... and just flat too sparse past about 35 yards.

My guns still shoot Hevi-steel and Win Supreme (black box) better than anything else.

I guess the end solution is that there is an ass for every seat... and you just gotta find which seat your's likes.... or in this case what your gun shoots well.
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Old 06-24-2008, 05:50 PM
  #13  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?

When I made the switch to BC, I also changed my choke. I had been shooting KFS with an IC choke for a couple of years. Iswitched to a modified choke and BC at the same time. I left the modified choke in for duck hunting with KFS. I could see no difference from prior years. I could however see a great difference in goose hunting. I hunted with the modified choke and BC #2's. I shoot only decoyed geese, but I could still tell a great difference. I bet I only used half the amount of shells this year than in previous years.I am a terrible shot with a shotgun, because I'm left eye dominant and shoot right handed. I need all the help I can get. All I know is I found a winner that saved me some dough even though they are more expensive by the box. I flat didn't need as many rounds to fill my limit.

Edit- No I didn't pattern them on a board at all. I picked some up one night before hunting. The next mornings results made patterning them not necassary to me. I do plan on doing it this year in the off season. Once season gets here, time for that kind of stuff is sparse. I do agree with you on the ass for every seat, what works for some may not work for others.

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Old 06-24-2008, 08:13 PM
  #14  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?

well...shoot whatever makes you happy, but nothing compares to the heavier than lead shot (costs aside)...field testing or otherwise.... i don't shoot it at light geese during the conservation season then I stick to Fast Steel (or whatever is cheap)because I may shoot3 flats (750 shells) per weekend.... but otherwise I am shooting the hevi-stuff...it's like a roach motel, ducks come in and never get out....
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Old 06-24-2008, 10:54 PM
  #15  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?

ORIGINAL: GordonGekko

well...shoot whatever makes you happy, but nothing compares to the heavier than lead shot (costs aside)...field testing or otherwise.... i don't shoot it at light geese during the conservation season then I stick to Fast Steel (or whatever is cheap)because I may shoot3 flats (750 shells) per weekend.... but otherwise I am shooting the hevi-stuff...it's like a roach motel, ducks come in and never get out....
Gordon, let's just go back to the part where you said you have no personal experience with it. So how canyou say itdoesn't compare? Why would you argue againsta product you haven't tried?Sure the real expensive stuff is great. I would love to shoot Bismuth all year, but I can't afford it. To me, it's the best performance for the price, but that's the way I felt about KFS a couple of seasons ago. I wouldn't even think about shooting it at snows. When I hunt snows, I shoot leftovers and whatever is the cheapest I can find. All I can say is, it works for me. And until I find something better for the money, I'm gonna use it.

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Old 06-25-2008, 06:21 AM
  #16  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?


ORIGINAL: Colorado Luckydog

When I made the switch to BC, I also changed my choke. I had been shooting KFS with an IC choke for a couple of years. I switched to a modified choke and BC at the same time. I left the modified choke in for duck hunting with KFS. I could see no difference from prior years. I could however see a great difference in goose hunting. I hunted with the modified choke and BC #2's. I shoot only decoyed geese, but I could still tell a great difference. I bet I only used half the amount of shells this year than in previous years. I am a terrible shot with a shotgun, because I'm left eye dominant and shoot right handed. I need all the help I can get. All I know is I found a winner that saved me some dough even though they are more expensive by the box. I flat didn't need as many rounds to fill my limit.

Edit- No I didn't pattern them on a board at all. I picked some up one night before hunting. The next mornings results made patterning them not necassary to me. I do plan on doing it this year in the off season. Once season gets here, time for that kind of stuff is sparse. I do agree with you on the ass for every seat, what works for some may not work for others.

Yeah I was hoping you might have stumbled across something that was different. I can't imagine being left eye/right handed! Sounds like it would be impossible for me! Maybe those things aren't shooting straight... if you are such an awful shot, perhaps a gun that shoots someplace other than where you are aiming is the best solution I might should try that myself!

I'm glad they are working for you bro... keep on pounding those honkers!
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Old 06-25-2008, 06:42 AM
  #17  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?

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Old 06-25-2008, 08:20 AM
  #18  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?

ORIGINAL: Colorado Luckydog

ORIGINAL: GordonGekko

well...shoot whatever makes you happy, but nothing compares to the heavier than lead shot (costs aside)...field testing or otherwise.... i don't shoot it at light geese during the conservation season then I stick to Fast Steel (or whatever is cheap)because I may shoot3 flats (750 shells) per weekend.... but otherwise I am shooting the hevi-stuff...it's like a roach motel, ducks come in and never get out....
Gordon, let's just go back to the part where you said you have no personal experience with it. So how canyou say itdoesn't compare? Why would you argue againsta product you haven't tried?Sure the real expensive stuff is great. I would love to shoot Bismuth all year, but I can't afford it. To me, it's the best performance for the price, but that's the way I felt about KFS a couple of seasons ago. I wouldn't even think about shooting it at snows. When I hunt snows, I shoot leftovers and whatever is the cheapest I can find. All I can say is, it works for me. And until I find something better for the money, I'm gonna use it.
while I personally haven't shot it much (just a handful of shells, not enough to constitute real experience IMO) I shared a blind with more folks than I care tocount shooting it...and there were noticably more cripples on birds they shot than those I shot with Hevi-Shot.... cleaning those birds showed fewer pellets with less penetration than hevi-shot.... Like I said shoot whatever makes you happy, and I am glad it works for you, it may be the next best thing to Hevi-Shot, Bismutch, etc...but the "next best thing" does not make it an equal...that is all I am trying to say....

this is all really just a sidebar to the original question...if you likeblack cloud then shoot it, it will perform just fine, but the most important thing is to sharpen up your shooting skills, that will reduce your ammo expense regardless of what you shoot....
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Old 06-25-2008, 09:59 AM
  #19  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?

I shoot the Black Cloud out of my Mossberg 835 for geese in BBB 3 1/2 in mags. I use the modified choke and this combination works very well from birds in the dekes, to high flyers. I also shoot it out of my 870 for ducks in 3 in # 2's and # 4's. I use a skeet choke for pass shooting and hunting over a decoy spread. I have had incredible results with this combo. I have found the more open the choke, the better the patterns.
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Old 06-25-2008, 09:59 AM
  #20  
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Default RE: Federal Black Cloud Shells?

ORIGINAL: GordonGekko

while I personally haven't shot it much (just a handful of shells, not enough to constitute real experience IMO) I shared a blind with more folks than I care tocount shooting it...and there were noticably more cripples on birds they shot than those I shot with Hevi-Shot.... cleaning those birds showed fewer pellets with less penetration than hevi-shot.... Like I said shoot whatever makes you happy, and I am glad it works for you, it may be the next best thing to Hevi-Shot, Bismutch, etc...but the "next best thing" does not make it an equal...that is all I am trying to say....

this is all really just a sidebar to the original question...if you likeblack cloud then shoot it, it will perform just fine, but the most important thing is to sharpen up your shooting skills, that will reduce your ammo expense regardless of what you shoot....

Comparing ANY steel shot and a high density performance wise.... is like comparing Catherine Zeta-Jones to Rosie O'Donnell. Ain't nobody going to argue or debate the effectiveness of hevi-shot (real hevi-shot that is) to steel.

You can compare Black Cloud to steel... which is really the heart of the matter I think.... but if everyone could afford to shoot hevi-shot all day long I suspect we'd all be shooting it. I use it often as my first shell for geese, backed up by two Win Supreme 3" BBs.... and its a great combonation of power and economics.... its the first one that I try and make count anyway.

I absolutely agree that any type of pellet, put on target by a dead-eye shot is worth three shells of hevi-shot fired quickly in vain to hit nothing but air.
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