Shotshell Preference?

[ducks4days]

What do people like using for ducks and geese?

I bought a couple cases of BOSS shotshells for this season and have just had a horrible experience. Im probably going to go back to Rio 3" #2 as a standard duck load. Black Cloud BB for geese has always been a favorite.

Curious what others like or dislike for each.

[fowl smacker]

What I like using and what I usually use are two different shells.  I'd love to be able to shoot Hevi-shot all the time but I really don't like paying for it.  Black Cloud has always been great for me, seems to be better knockdown power than regular steel.  That said, I've shot a lot of Kent Faststeel and it has been decent, especially for the price.

[mboyle0828]

My preference for the Winchester SX4 is Fiocchi #1s and BB for geese
Fiocchi #3s for ducks.

Great deals on Rogers right now for both.

Went through a case of cheap blue box federals this year, #4s. I like them but they dirty up my gun pretty quick

Would shoot Hevi-Shot if it weren’t so expensive

[frazierw]

3" 2's for ducks, usually Winchester, but Federal has worked too.  3 1/2" T's for geese, tough to find, but I stock up when I can.

[ducks4days]

What I like using and what I usually use are two different shells.  I'd love to be able to shoot Hevi-shot all the time but I really don't like paying for it.  Black Cloud has always been great for me, seems to be better knockdown power than regular steel.  That said, I've shot a lot of Kent Faststeel and it has been decent, especially for the price.

Hevi shot may be worth messing with. I only bought one box, and used on a goose hunt where they were coming in so close the shotshells probably didnt matter. Im definitely not convinced that Bismuth has enough performance over steel to be worth the price.

[Come Get Some]

I shoot Blindside. 3"-#1 for ducks and BB for geese. My Benelli  SBE3 i shoot the stock modified crio choke. At 40 yds i have 150+ out of 175  hits in an 24×24 pattern. 1-3/8 oz in 3" and 1-5/8oz in 3-1/2"  that shape shot is deadly. Almost never have a cripple. Bone breaking shot. I have patterned every shot sold.
  Blindside  for me has been the best for deadly kills and patterns. I have stone killed birds in excess of 60yds.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CKSKGYBJLfrZVqLg8

[ducks4days]

I shoot Blindside. 3"-#1 for ducks and BB for geese. My Benelli  SBE3 i shoot the stock modified crio choke. At 40 yds i have 150+ out of 175  hits in an 24×24 pattern. 1-3/8 oz in 3" and 1-5/8oz in 3-1/2"  that shape shot is deadly. Almost never have a cripple. Bone breaking shot. I have patterned every shot sold.
  Blindside  for me has been the best for deadly kills and patterns. I have stone killed birds in excess of 60yds.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CKSKGYBJLfrZVqLg8

Ive never even heard of this. That for sure is a weird shaped shot.

[bigdub257]

What do people like using for ducks and geese?

I bought a couple cases of BOSS shotshells for this season and have just had a horrible experience. Im probably going to go back to Rio 3" #2 as a standard duck load. Black Cloud BB for geese has always been a favorite.

Curious what others like or dislike for each.

What was the problem with the Boss?  I have some I'm going to try this weekend.  I think mine are 2 3/4 #5.

[metlhead]

Sorry to hear you had bad experience with BOSS loads. I started shooting their 3" 5s in my 20ga and they are death ray just past 40yds. My go to early/mid season load has been a 7/8oz load #4 20ga Herters. Inexpensive and my reality is shooting under 30yds all season has the bismuth just sitting in the blind bag. Got a smoking deal this summer on some 2 3/4" #4 Federal Speed Shok in 12ga. Dusted off the old gopher gun and put it to use this past weekend with awesome results. 3" performance in an inexpensive shell. I'm a believer in high volume of shot for a denser pattern. Not a fan of spending more money than necessary and feel anything other than round shot is a gimmick. Shoot em up close in the face!

[WSU]

I shoot Blindside. 3"-#1 for ducks and BB for geese. My Benelli  SBE3 i shoot the stock modified crio choke. At 40 yds i have 150+ out of 175  hits in an 24×24 pattern. 1-3/8 oz in 3" and 1-5/8oz in 3-1/2"  that shape shot is deadly. Almost never have a cripple. Bone breaking shot. I have patterned every shot sold.
  Blindside  for me has been the best for deadly kills and patterns. I have stone killed birds in excess of 60yds.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CKSKGYBJLfrZVqLg8

I had the exact opposite experience with Blindside.  My hunting buddy and I actually nicknamed them the "cripplers." 

[ducks4days]

What do people like using for ducks and geese?

I bought a couple cases of BOSS shotshells for this season and have just had a horrible experience. Im probably going to go back to Rio 3" #2 as a standard duck load. Black Cloud BB for geese has always been a favorite.

Curious what others like or dislike for each.

What was the problem with the Boss?  I have some I'm going to try this weekend.  I think mine are 2 3/4 #5.

2 problems

First, the dud rate. Of the 2 cases, I am seeing ~1/10 that get a hard primer strike but never go off. It was REALLY bad this last weekend, I hit a mallard at 40 and a little high, it didnt go down but it locked its wings and started circling down toward the decoy spread. The next 2 failed to fire when I went to finish it, I loaded in another from the ammo box, and that one failed too. The duck kept its wings locked and sailed off into the bay. I loaded another and pulled the trigger as a sanity check and THAT one fired.

The other is the speed. They are advertised as shooting 1350fps, but I consistently need to lead birds about twice as far as I need to with Federal 3" #4 that supposedly shoot at the same speed. Combine lower speed with heavier shot and I have missed SO many shots that I just dont miss when using a different shell on the same day. After a few hundred shells I think I can safely say it is the shell and not my shooting.

The ones I ordered were the 3" #3/5 split.

[hunterednate]

What do people like using for ducks and geese?

I bought a couple cases of BOSS shotshells for this season and have just had a horrible experience. Im probably going to go back to Rio 3" #2 as a standard duck load. Black Cloud BB for geese has always been a favorite.

Curious what others like or dislike for each.

What was the problem with the Boss?  I have some I'm going to try this weekend.  I think mine are 2 3/4 #5.

2 problems

First, the dud rate. Of the 2 cases, I am seeing ~1/10 that get a hard primer strike but never go off. It was REALLY bad this last weekend, I hit a mallard at 40 and a little high, it didnt go down but it locked its wings and started circling down toward the decoy spread. The next 2 failed to fire when I went to finish it, I loaded in another from the ammo box, and that one failed too. The duck kept its wings locked and sailed off into the bay. I loaded another and pulled the trigger as a sanity check and THAT one fired.

The other is the speed. They are advertised as shooting 1350fps, but I consistently need to lead birds about twice as far as I need to with Federal 3" #4 that supposedly shoot at the same speed. Combine lower speed with heavier shot and I have missed SO many shots that I just dont miss when using a different shell on the same day. After a few hundred shells I think I can safely say it is the shell and not my shooting.

The ones I ordered were the 3" #3/5 split.

I had the same two problems when I ordered a case of the Boss 2 3/4" #5's two seasons ago: trouble connecting on crossing shots I can usually make (had to increase my lead much further than I was used to) and occasional failure to fire. I think the failure to fire was due to some of the loads getting wet.

In terms of lethality, the ducks I hit died quickly. And the #5's are an ideal swatter load for cripples. That's how I've been using my leftovers from the case.

I'm very happy with Federal Blue Box or Rio 3" #4's for mallards in decoy range. #2's for jump shooting. BB's for geese.

I got several boxes of Remington's Premier Bismuth for free last year (3" #2's). They may be the best all-around duck/goose load I've ever shot. Too expensive for my budget, though, compared to the performance of the cheaper ammo.

[bigdub257]

What do people like using for ducks and geese?

I bought a couple cases of BOSS shotshells for this season and have just had a horrible experience. Im probably going to go back to Rio 3" #2 as a standard duck load. Black Cloud BB for geese has always been a favorite.

Curious what others like or dislike for each.

What was the problem with the Boss?  I have some I'm going to try this weekend.  I think mine are 2 3/4 #5.

2 problems

First, the dud rate. Of the 2 cases, I am seeing ~1/10 that get a hard primer strike but never go off. It was REALLY bad this last weekend, I hit a mallard at 40 and a little high, it didnt go down but it locked its wings and started circling down toward the decoy spread. The next 2 failed to fire when I went to finish it, I loaded in another from the ammo box, and that one failed too. The duck kept its wings locked and sailed off into the bay. I loaded another and pulled the trigger as a sanity check and THAT one fired.

The other is the speed. They are advertised as shooting 1350fps, but I consistently need to lead birds about twice as far as I need to with Federal 3" #4 that supposedly shoot at the same speed. Combine lower speed with heavier shot and I have missed SO many shots that I just dont miss when using a different shell on the same day. After a few hundred shells I think I can safely say it is the shell and not my shooting.

The ones I ordered were the 3" #3/5 split.

Interesting and good to know.  They aren't cheap and I was looking forward to giving them a try. Will give them a go on any cripples and see what happens.  I have plenty of other steel ammo so will probably stick with that for ducks and geese for now.  Have you mentioned this to Boss at all?

[Duckslayer89]

What do people like using for ducks and geese?

I bought a couple cases of BOSS shotshells for this season and have just had a horrible experience. Im probably going to go back to Rio 3" #2 as a standard duck load. Black Cloud BB for geese has always been a favorite.

Curious what others like or dislike for each.

What was the problem with the Boss?  I have some I'm going to try this weekend.  I think mine are 2 3/4 #5.

I was going to try the Boss but I think I’ll pass now

[hunt6226]

That is interesting to hear about the Boss.

I have went through 2 cases on 12 gauge 3” 3s and 2 cases  of 20 gauge 3” 3/5s . And didn’t have any miss fires.