Home Forums Birds & Dogs Waterfowl What is your standard duck shotgun/load ?

What do you use as your every day duck shotgun, load and choke? Do you use something different to hunt in different spots (such as flooded woods vs. fields)? Let's hear it.

RS

Puddle ducks over decoys #4 IC or LMod
Puddle ducks jump shooting #4 LMod
Divers #4 first shot #2 after LMod
Sea Ducks #2 LMod

The gun 99% of the time Benelli M1 Super 90.

So if I had to pick one shot size and one choke for all I would go #4 with LMod.

Most always Kent Fasteel #3 out of a Remmy SPR453 with a Kicks Mod

An ounce of #2 Nice Shot for decoyed geese, 7/8 ounce of #4 Nice Shot for decoyed puddle ducks, both at 1250 fps. All out of LC Smith Longrange double, extra full chokes both barrels. (The dense patterns are what allow me to put sufficient pellets into the birds with those light loads.)

Remember, the market gunners of 100 years ago decimated the flyways with an ounce of lead.

1 to 1-1/8 oz is all you need. Anymore specially in Steel is only compromising your pattern.

I didn't add goose loads as he only said ducks. But #2 has always worked for me on them. Besides decoyed geese beg to be shot in the face!

12ga:

Beretta 390/391 w/MC barrels, #3 & #4 Federal Ultra-Shok 1 1/4oz thru a IC/LM/Mod choke

20ga:

Beretta 390 IC/LM & #3 & #4 Federal Ultra-Shok 1oz

My favorite is an 870 12 gauge with an extended modified tube.
Used federal speed shoks this year. 1 1/8 oz at 1550 fps as what is advertised in number 2 shot for ducks and decoying geese, but also use bb's. All 3".

Original 1987 Rem. 1187, 2 3/4", #4 or #2 IC over duck tollers. 3" BBB for pass shooting geese and #1 over goose tollers. MTG

Get my best patterns through a PatternMaster LR tube in a Benelli M2 12 gauge with 3", 1-1/4 oz. steel shot loads running 1500 to 1525 fps. I shoot #3 or #2 shot for ducks (decoy or pass shooting). I use Kent Fasteel or Winchester Super-X Drylok - both offer very similar loads.

90% of the time I'm shooting my SBE I with Briley LM choke with handloads.......1oz of #3's at 1600fps. It's hell on both decoying ducks and geese.

The other 10% I carry either my 20ga or 28ga. The 20ga is a Benelli M1 again with Briley LM choke. I run factory Winchester DryLok 1oz or 7/8oz #3's.

I just got the 28ga. It's a Benelli as well. I was using factory chokes with 3/4oz Hevi-shot 7.5's handloads. I only used it on a couple of hunts this year, but dang did it stone some ducks. Going to try some Trulock chokes in it to open up my pattern a little. Have a feeling I'm going to carry this gun more often after the results I had.

I shoot Black Cloud #4 2 3/4" and occ 3" through a Mod choke in my BPS. I picked up a Full choke recently that I am looking forward to trying out this coming Fall. Most of my shots are fairly close range as I jump shoot over irrigation ditches mostly. Am going give the BC Close Range shells a try as well.

We have had excellent results with Federal "Shok" loads (in the red/orange boxes).

For ducks, #2 steel preferably in 2.75 inch.
For geese, BB steel in 3 inch, but have been going back to 2.75 for less recoil.

We shoot a variety of shotguns, including Ithaca 37, Rem 870, Mossy 835, and Browning Gold, all with Carlsons extended tubes.

Ducks: 3" Kent Fasteel 1 3/8 oz #4, angle port LtMod or IC choke, Super 90.

Beretta extrema II with a light mod. comp-n-choke
Shooting Federal premium 3" #3.

Early season ducks: 3" #3. Patternmaster choke

Late season ducks/divers 3.5". #1. Pattern master

Geese 3.5" BB or BBB. Patternmaster


Guns. Are a Benelli SBEll. And Beretta Extrema2

Over decoys I like 2 3/4 7 1/2's and 6 Hevi-shot, I'm starting to run out of those shells, when I do, Hevi-Metal 3" 2's. For longer shooting I like 3 1/2" Hevi-Metal or Black Cloud 2's.

20 ga O/U (old 101) 3" Fed 1's. Works well for both ducks and geese over dekes.

Dober

Sandman-I'm a bit out of the loop on shotguns but I didn't even know that Benelli is making a 28. Auto I assume?

I love my old M1/90 Benelli with a 24" tube in 12 I have to get to looking to see what they're making for a 28.

Thx
Dober

http://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns/benelli-ultra-light.php

Is this the one?

Thx
Dober

1 1/4 oz Federal Blue Box #4s (hard to beat $100/case shipped) through a Carlsons mod in both of my duck guns