Had an old guy give me a whole case of Win 3" XX magnum lead 2s last year. I'm sure someday they'll get relegated to late season pheasant duty if for no other reason than I can't think of another use for 20 boxes of lead 2s.
I had a friend give me a box of 3" 1 5/8 oz #4s a few years ago. I tried using them as the second shot in my O/U during a late season hunt, but they started making me flinch so I quit. He used them in an 1100 so they didn't hit him quite as hard.
I have settled on 1 1/4 oz of #5 as the best all around load. Sometimes my lab will point and hold one so I have to give it a couple of beats to let it get out far enough to keep from shredding it. If I hunted over a pointer I would probably use a lighter load.
The nickle or copper plated shot seems to penetrate better because it slides through the feathers instead of pushing them into the bird, but plain lead brings down just as many birds in my experience.
Jerry
