I've made the switch to tungsten. I'm pushing an ounce of #5 tungsten at a smoking 1300fps through a full choke. I'll never shoot steel again. For Geese, I bump it up to 1-1/4oz of #2 at 1200fps. I've said goodbye to recoil and realize that I must have been wounding a lot of birds before.
Regardless, within 40 yards, any common loading of 1-1/8oz #2 steel going over 1400fps with put the bird in the bag. Past that becomes unethical. One can shoot a bigger load, but the pellets lack energy. Choose a larger shot and you lose pattern density. YMMV.
