Best all around Duck shell. Goose Shell?
 

Just Curious if you could reccomend what you think would be the best single shell/load-shot size if you were to use the same for whole duck season?

Same question for Geese?

Any special choke tubes you would reccomend for these shells?

Thanks and have a great season!

any limit on price? and if I'm using 1 shell for both i would go with no. 2 shot and modified choke tube if its mid range.

#4 shot = ducks

#2 shot & BB = geese


Remember; when shooting steel shot

Imp Cyl choke = Mod choke, and so on......

Price really doesn't matter..... Black Cloud, Hevi Shot ?

If I'm hunting teal over decoys, I use #4 steel with an improved cylinder choke.

If I'm hunting big ducks over decoys, I use #2 steel with IC.

If I'm hunting geese I use steel BBs with modified choke.

If ducks and geese, I'll have both #2s and BBs ready and switch between'em.

The one that patterns the best out of your gun. For my 870 and 835 that is BB and #2

If price doesn't matter, Tungsten or Bismuth.

If your shooting decoyed birds, you will do fine with anything but Blackcloud is great.

If you are worried about what shell is in your gun.......you need to work on a lot more than your ammo.

The kind of ammo doesn't mean crap compared to knowing how to kill waterfowl.

Things will vary sometimes, but in general :

Ducks = 3" Hevi Shot #6 shot
Geese = 3" or 3.5" Hevi Shot #4 shot



.

3" Hevi-Metal 2's for both ducks and geese, then back it up with BB's for both.
Briley Extended choke Imp. Mod for both. DRT!!!!!

If you've got a few buddies shooting different loads, see if you can have/buy 2-3 of each of them. Save a few pieces of cardboard at least 5'x5' and put a dot in the middle. Sit down 30 yards off and pattern your gun with each load. It should go without saying to make sure you've got a safe shooting area with an adequate backstop.

Different guns will pattern differently. Most shotguns will be slightly high, but you need to be more concerned about concentration of shot, not where it's hitting. You can make adjustments for where it's shooting, so long as you've got a nice tight pattern.

For instance, I find that my 870 patterns a lot better with 3" shells than with 3 1/2". It seems that no matter what type of ammo or shot size, that's almost always the case for me. It may be the exact opposite for you.

As for shot size, I like #4 steel for ducks and BB steel for geese. I usually have a 3 1/2" BB Hevi Shot at the end of my magazine for the last, long-distance shot as they seem to pattern well for me but I don't want to spend the money to shoot them all the time.

I agree with SecondChance, I use HeviMetal 3" #2's for ducks and geese so I'm not having to change shells while hunting depending on what happens to be flying in. If I'm strictly hunting for geese, I will use BB's on occassion. I like the new HeviShot choke tubes from Carlson's. They work well with both HeviMetal and HeviShot. Of course, like CessnaFlyer also said, you'll have to pattern shot out of your gun with different chokes to see which works best for you. My Beretta Extrema 2 just happens to like the HeviMetal and HeviShot.

Blackcloud.....its awsome over 20 yards....:fighting0007:

all i use is a 2 and 3/4 inch BB if your on the bird you will knock em dead up to 40 yards every time.

blackcloud for both.. #3 for ducks, BBs for geese ...these loads kill birds

3" BB for ducks and geese I don't worry so much about brand as I do about leading them right.

Though I do still have to T and F from a previous trip goose hunting that I take with when I go out.

Like I said, when I know I've got the potential for shooting ducks and geese in the same outing, I take nothing but 3" #2 HeviMetal's. They kill clean for me out of my Xtrema 2 using HeviMetal waterfowl xtended range choke, but I've patterned that load and choke combo so I'm confident in it. Plus, the HeviMetal is competitively priced to Black Cloud, Blind Side, etc. Good luck.

I could be mistaken, but isn't F shot illegal for waterfowl in wisconsin? I personally use #2 steel, and if im feelin spendy i'll shoot #4 tungsten i mostly shoot ducks, but i'll still shoot #2's at geese.

You are not mistaken - taken directly form WI regs.

Size F shot is illegal in Wisconsin.

JW

Thanks for the reminder. I'll remember to take it out, and use it somewhere else.

3" Black Cloud #4 work great for me for both ducks and geese. I keep the shots on geese inside 30 yards. I shoot a fixed modified choke in my old Ithaca Model 66 Super Single lever action single shot with a 30" barrel and it pretty much hammers ducks and geese.

I could not agree more about the HeviMetal and HeviShot
loads. They simply hit harder than anything else out there.
I love the ability to NOT CRIPPLE nearly as many passing
birds. The HeviShot patterns consistently get more pellets
on target for me.