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.

[duckmen1]

Been running #4 and #6 bismuth and #7 and #9 TSS. All have been very deadly combo the last 6 years or so for me. Handloading all for the 410. Favorite is by far Number 9 TSS for everything. Nocks geese and ducks stone dead.

[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.

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?

I left a review a few days ago and checked the "let me know when this is approved" flag. I havent heard back, and the review isnt up. That is probably the reason I only see 5 star reviews on the website.

Another user mentioned having the same problem and that it may be from them getting wet. I keep ammo in a sealed can in the boat with a HUGE desiccant pack and refill it 100 shells at a time as it runs out. Ive never had this issue with another shell, even if it is an issue of the loads getting wet, I hunt water and cant affort to spend that much money again on waterfowl ammo that cant handle wetness. It seems absurd.

I'd rather keep this as a shell comparison thread instead of a "hate boss" thread, and dont really mean to rant. Maybe it was a bad production run Ż\_(ツ)_/Ż

[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.

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

It may still be worth picking up a box and giving it a try to see for yourself. Just dont be me and buy multiple cases without trying out the loads first 

[metlhead]

Tried to find a ballistics table that had time of flight for different shot types. All factors considered, I cannot imagine there would be any noticable difference in leading distances between bismuth and steel shot within the short yardages we shoot. Steel starts faster but bismuth retains speed more. At some point one catches the other, and prolly before it even reaches the target.

[Sneaky]

I like bismuth but only in #4 and larger size.  Boss will tell you your gun is the problem with the duds (light primer strike). This may or may not be the case. Try giving your gun a thorough cleaning around the firing pin and see if you can get the duds to pop. Theres lots of reading to do about folks sending duds back and the guys at the BOSS factory getting them to fire.

The owner of boss is the among the most arrogant people I have ever seen/heard of in the outdoor industry. That being said, I do think he makes quality shells and I have killed hundreds of birds with the #4. the #5 and 3/5 are deadly on decoying birds but the #5 really loses its killing power at distance which results in the crippled birds. I have not found the #3 bismuth in the duplex load to make up for the lack of power in the #5 pellets at distance.

The other more recent development with boss is them pricing themselves above other brands of bismuth. I like the copper plated shot and theres no doubt it produces good patterns, but I have shot some hevi-bismuth this year at nearly 50 cents cheaper by the round and had good results. You can even get hevi12 at the same price or less than buying the new boss WARCHIEF loads.

[metlhead]

My first case of BOSS was $245 and three years later $340. It has reached the tipping point. Making the most outa them steel loads now.

[BigCutty3]

I usually start the season with federal blue box or kent fasteel, after November I switch to black cloud 2s when the birds are a little more wary and feathered up, it’s a buck a shot and kills then good inside 50 yards with a full choke.  Works fine on geese too. 

[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

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

  If you have actually patterned your guns it would literally be impossible to have poor results with blindside. I have patterned every shotgun i own and had great results with every  one. Not all guns liked the same choke. Some shot terribly until i found the right combination. This is exactly the same result you will have with Black cloud if you dont use thier choke tubes. Very few people actually  take the time to pattern their shotgun. Well worth the time invested

[johnnyaustin44]

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 didn’t have issues with misfires but I sure experienced the missing more birds than normal and needing to lead much more. Shot 410, 28, 20, 16, and 10 gauge all from boss and love them but the 12 gauge ammo I just cannot connect with. Tried both the 3” #3 and 2 3/4” #5.

[dilleytech]

I have had really great results with hevi shots- hevi steel loads, 3” 2 shot, 1 1/4oz at 1500 fps through an improved modified choke. Ducks and geese out to 60 yards are screwed. Most of the high end shotshells are just gimmicks. I never found any of them to work any better. If I was rich I would just shoot hevi shot.

[lovetogrouse]

Boss is pretty much all I shoot.

A guy I hunt with does really well with Migra's stacked 2/4 loads. You can find them at Sportsman's.

[Oldguy]

Shooting Estate #2 steel in my Benneli SBE. Preferred #3s but the #2s patterned better.

[duckmen1]

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."

  If you have actually patterned your guns it would literally be impossible to have poor results with blindside. I have patterned every shotgun i own and had great results with every  one. Not all guns liked the same choke. Some shot terribly until i found the right combination. This is exactly the same result you will have with Black cloud if you dont use thier choke tubes. Very few people actually  take the time to pattern their shotgun. Well worth the time invested

Back when I used to shoot 12 gauge a lot we used blindside for one season in 4 different guns and many different choke combinations. They were always the worst patterns out of any shell we tried on the pattern boards. And always got a lot of feathers on hits but birds would keep flying. My experience with blindside was horrible. Black cloud was great for steel shot. Hevi steel always worked great. And as a standard steel load I would use a lot of Kent fast steel. Everyone has their own experiences with different shells but I spent a lot of time at the range and in the field averaging 125 ducks a year and some geese for many years.

Personally now I use a 410 due to circumstances. It was a learning curve in true capabilities of the firearm and learning ballistics to a whole new level with different shot options available. I no longer use steel in the sub gauge shotgun. And almost never loose any birds. I love the 410 and what it has done in making adapt and still see great success. And for anyone on this level thinking about a sub gauge shotgun get into reloading and it will be a gamechanger.

[follow maggie]

Traditionally I’ve shot a lot of federal, a lot of Kent & a fair amount of BlackCloud. They’ve all performed well for me. Towards the end of this season the ammo guy @ Scheel’s showed me he Kent Fasteel+ in a mix of 4 & 6, said they’re deadly on big mallards. He was right. The last part of the season I was using those for ducks & the BB/2 for geese. For me they’re the best I’ve used for a good price

[hunterednate]

I ended up emailing Boss customer about the misfire issue.

I got a quick reply:

"Hi Nate,
Thank you for reaching out. I am sorry to hear of your experience. Can you please provide me with additional information to better help you.
Order #?
Lot #/manufacturing date on the box or case?
What gun were you using?
Did this typically happen on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd shot?
Please provide me pictures of the primer strikes on those shells?
Did you notice a difference in the primer strike on the shells that did go off vs. the 3 that did not?"

I wasn't able to provide most of that info, unfortunately, because I'd purchased the shells two years ago (and worked through most of the case anyway). I told them about my suspicion that the misfires were due to the shells getting wet (I had one squib among the misfires) and asked if they've made any changes to shells to improve water resistance since that first generation.

Here's what I heard back:

"Nate,
So it does sound like that could of been the culprit if the shells got wet and you had a possible squib load from the powder getting wet. Any misfires/light strikes on the first shot are typically from the bolt not being fully seated and closed all the way.
We do not have any sealer yet or waterproofing on our shells.
 
Brittani"

[ducks4days]

We do not have any sealer yet or waterproofing on our shells.

 

[metlhead]

Shouldn't have to yourself on premium ammo but sealing shells is easy.

[MeepDog]

I had never heard of Monarch shotshells before but I got a couple hundred #3 shot for under $20 a box and they worked about as good as all the others. Cycled better than Kent fastteel in my stoeger and the bright orange hulls made it easier to pick up empties.

[ducks4days]

I had never heard of Monarch shotshells before but I got a couple hundred #3 shot for under $20 a box and they worked about as good as all the others. Cycled better than Kent fastteel in my stoeger and the bright orange hulls made it easier to pick up empties.

This is actually great to know. One thing I kick myself over is every time I end up shooting 15 shells and recover 13 hulls or whatever, bright orange would make them easier to pick out for sure.

[Special T]

Every shotgun I've owned I've honed with atf and scotch bright with the the patch rod and a drill. Everything patterns better. My personal favorite is Kent 3" #3 @full price. I'm mostly a discount shooter and shooting Winchester expert2 or federal #2. I personally think shooting the same fps shot consistently is most important. For long shots on geese I like heavy metal 3" bb. Hop that helps