I have taken up waterfowling in retirement and don't have much experience with selecting and shooting modern shells.

A friend is promoting the Black Cloud rounds - I have 3" chambered guns, no 3.5 inch guns.

What do you guys find to be effective?

I use Winchester XPert or the Kent Fasteel. #2 & 4 for ducks and BB for geese. Both are 3" and 1 1/4oz shot.

My favorite is 12 gauge, 3" steel DryLok by Winchester, #3 for ducks, BB for geese/swan, pattern very well in my chokes, "Decoy" tube by Trulok for ducks and "Midrange" by Carlson's for geese. Next best are Xpert and Fasteel shells. But you won't know until you get some different shells and pattern them in your shotgun - get your buddy to give you some of his Blackcloud to pattern. A hunting pardner is high on the ultra velocity Remington's (Hypers), he gave me a few, they are the worst patterning shells I have tried in my combination of gun/chokes - glad I didn't stock up on his recommendation - shoot good for him though.

That new Remington Hypersonic stuff is going to by a hammer also. Spence

IT is hard to beat kentfaststill in #4 or#6 for thereprice an hammerbillity dont no why anyone would ever shoot any thing bigger than #4 if you put it onthem nothing can fly away from it!

Depending on how much shells your going to be going through hevi shot and other tungsten alloy shots might be worth it. If you shoot a lot steel is probably your only choice.

I shoot Kent Faststeel and find that price to performance it is the best out of my shotgun.

Depends on exactly what your hunting. I use #4s for early teal, #3s for all ducks midseason, and often switch to #2s for late season. For Canada geese i use bb. For 3 inch loads look for 1 1/4 preferably or 1 1/8 loads pushed as fast as possible. As for brands, I would try several brands to find out what patterns best in your gun at the ranges you hunt. A bargain price load may perform better than a top of the line load in your gun/choke combination.

Hevishot, if you can afford it. I am not convinced that steel really saves you that much either. Hevishot kills like the plague, and you don't have to reshoot swimmers on the water. And you don't have the flyaways that are a problem with steel.

I use 2 3/4 in sixes in an old A5 and and LC smith...the Classic Doubles load in the LC. Both kill better than the 3 and 3 1/2 Roman candles my buds shoot in their Benellis and Berretas with steel shot.

My shells might cost twice as much, but I don't need nearly as many to get six ducks. YMMV.

I use Winchester's Xpert or Federal's version. Often my local funstore puts the Federal/Winchester offerings on sale just prior to the season. Kent's Fasteel is quite good also. I use #3 and #2 for ducks, BBB's for geese. YOu could get by with lighter shot if you are using dekes, close in, and pick your shots. Late season ducks I may even step up to BB's (I'm talking Northern Mallards here). I seldom buy the Boutique loads, if I do it's for geese. Find a load that patterns well and stock up.

Kaiser Norton

Pattern your gun..Pattern your gun..Pattern your gun..Pattern your gun..Pattern your gun..Pattern your gun..Pattern your gun..Pattern your gun..Pattern your gun..

One gun could pattern best with number 2s kent... And so on.. Pattern your gun to find out what it likes..

Kent Faststeel 3" 1&1/8 1560 fps #1'S work well on everything. I like the 3.5" 1&3/8 1550 fps vversion too.

Bb

I'm having an intresting year. I hunt salt water and have over the years accumulated a bunch of shells that have rusty brass from exposure to salt. I spent a few evenings in front of the tube sanding the rust off the brass and giving them a light coat of Johnsons paste wax. So far I've gone trough 3 boxes of #2 and #3's by Rem, Win, Kent, and Estate just loading them in the gun whatever comes out of the bag. I'm having one of the best seasons ever. Out here in the salt I shoot a 21" barrel 870 12ga with a SK-II choke. All my hunting is over decoys so I'm not stretching it. Yesterday I set up with 4 pintail decoys and picked up a Widgeon, Pintail and the flock of eight geese that tried to land in the dekes left one of there bretheren behind for my chistmas dinner.

I pretty much believe that it doesn't matter what you shoot if your willing to let them come in close enough.

erich

Federal Ultra-Shok 3" shells are on sale at Roger's Sporting Goods for around $135 a case delivered, better components, better patterns(at least for me) and they knock down birds consistently. I was in the fast camp for awhile, now I am in the pattern density and payload camp.

I used to reload when steel was first mandated but nowdays it's not nearly as cost effective as it used to be.

Nowdays I shoot the cheapest Remington steel they offer I get with a discoutn thru the state @ around $75/case (every year it seems like they have a new name for it).

I have always shot 2-3/4" #6 over decoys but I am very picky on how close I shoot. I wear glasses and try to keep my head down to avoid glare/flaring ducks and wait till I hear the ducks back pedalling right before they splash down to pop up and shoot. I would say my average shot is between 15-20 yards. Further than that and I can't hear them, unless I have someone else with me.

If I'm going for diver ducks in a layout rig I step up to #4 and #2 on snow geese and BB on canadians all in a 3" size.

When I worked as a part time I guide I shot BB or T shot (whatever I could find locally) out of a 10gauge 3-1/2" shell to knock down cripples someone else had shot and only shot at cripples.

I took a pic because I coudln't remember the name of it. Order these thru the state @ $75/case and still have about 8 cases from last order. I don't know what retail is - hell for all I know I am getting ripped off but I keep ordering cause they have been working.

The Black Cloud is good stuff . 3" all you need.

If you want something a little more affordable than the original hevi-shot, try hevi-metal. It is a mix of steel and hevi-shot that is extremely lethal for the price. I have shot #3's at anything from Teal to big Canadians and have found it extremely effective.

Thanks,
Nick

We use 1 1/4 ounce of steel. Actually, have gone back to using Federal 2 3/4" loads as they shoot very well. Have had our best results with Federal (either blue box or expensive stuff), but the Federal seems to work better than cheap Remington and Winchester. Never could get Estate to shoot well. Lots of people around here like Kent Fasteel (never tried it yet myself).

#2 for ducks all season, though #3 works well early.
#BB for all geese all season.

We had #4 in Alaska 2 years ago on seaducks... lets just say you can see your impact, and I knocked down a number of birds in centers of patterns that just woke up a bit later and flew off.... I wanted to grab 2s, but tehre were none to be found on short notice.... Of course on passing shots, we had no dekes on a deer hunt, the distance was not real close but certainly close enough to kill had I larger shot...

I used steel in #3 or #4 shot this season, all in 2-3/4" shells. Brands were Challenger, Kent, and Winchester Drylock. Teal and mallards over decoys, some out to 40 yards with a Mod. choke, but usually I use an Imp Cyl. Even one nice big Canada at about 30 yards fell dead to the #3s. Choose velocity over payload, and you won't go wrong.

P.S. I rarely if ever feel a need to use 3" for ducks.

For the past five years we've (four hunters) been shooting geese over decoys using 20ga IC chokes. Three inch 1 1/4oz Hevishot #4's are the hammer of Thor on these big honkers.

Ducks...Hevishot #6's with devistating results.

Cost more, sure, but the results are worth the extra dollars. IMHO.

Dunn's has Federal Speed Shok 3" 1400/1550fps loads for $99 delivered

So your saying I need to pattern my gun?

Your right and I need to get un-lazy and follow your advice.

I want to thank you all for your responses.

I really like the Rem Nitro-Steel. 3" in #1 or #2 shot. Also, the Federal , (blue box) in #2's. All 1-1/4 oz loads. For geese, I like the Winchester XPert 3-1/2" BB 1-1/4 oz loads. 1625 FPS seems to hit em harder and kill quicker then 1-3/8 loads at 1550 fps.

But yes, pattern your gun and usually, buy a good choke. I haven't seen too many factory tubes that are as consistent as the aftermarket ones. Plus, I have read that an extended choke tube is better with steel. The flush mount ones can get beat up by the hard steel. I don�t know if there is any truth to that or not, but my Carlson sure does pattern nice.

Anyone out there try the new Winchester Blind Side yet?

I've shot blind side last year (Got it at Mack's in stuttgart), got a case this year. So I like it, we shot some last year. We tried it out one afternoon, and the results were great, no cripples and good results. It seems to hit hard, but don't make for good mountable birds sometimes!! lol

Hey Schenk,

I will be hunting just south of Stuttgart in early January. Can you give me an update on the conditions down there. Thanks on the Blind Side review.

More than a few of us in LaGrange TX appreciate that heads up!

Used Winchester Drylock or Supreme shells until I picked up a box of Kent Fasteel. All I use now for 12ga, in 3" 1560fps. Like BB for geese and #2 for ducks, although I've felled a good number of geese with 2s.

Hevi-Metal 2's!

We shoot the young ones before sending them south to you folks. so your needs may be different, but I doubt it. I have been completely satisfied with Kent Faststeel 2-3/4" 12 ga. 1-1/16 oz. 3's for all my duck shooting, and 1's for all my goose shooting. I have used a couple cases of the 1-1/8 oz 2's with satisfactory results too. I have tried the Win. Expert, Remington promo and premium stuff, and Federal. They all work OK, but the Kent seems to be the best bang for the buck, in Canada anyway. We have high volume waterfowl shooting, and I would deplete my budget shooting the exotic ammo. I have friends who shoot Federal black cloud, but they don't kill any more birds. We hunt over decoys and don't pass shoot much, if at all. In our area, It is not unusual to shoot Mallards, Pintails, Ross', Snows, Lesser Canadas and Greater Canadas on the same morning. With a modified choke in my Rem 870, Browning Citori, or Winchester Model 12 the birds drop if I do my part.

A photo of a typical goose shoot last October, we left the ducks fly on this morning.

Put me in this camp except I've been known to use BBB and TTT for geese

i am using the same.
getting dressed right now to head out to quality waters by navajo dam.
report later !

kent faststeel 3 1/2" #3

I tried the Blindside in 3" #2 this weekend in Arkansas and they worked great. Most ducks that hit the water alive were not able to swim away. I will use them again.