Duck hunting this morning, my pard on my right fires once, misses, fires the follow up shot and WHAM, the report deafened me.

He was pointing straight out from the blind, same position we had been firing in all day. Guy with gun says there was a fireball out the barrel, pard on far right said his pattern opened up and sprayed pellets everywhere, hitting water 20 yards in front of us, trees 20 yards to the right, etc.

Any Ideas as to what happened? Some kind of Stoeger pump shotgun, pattern master choke, Kent fasteel ammo #2's

Possibly the wad from the first shot never cleared the barrel and he had an obstruction or overloaded factory shell.

Wads not clearing the barrel while rare have happened.

That was my thought as well, the wad hanging up slightly then clearing or the first wad was hung up.

Fireball and blown pattern pretty well describes a substantial over load. I'd be checking can the choke still be unscrewed after one of them, especially with steel shot.