Waterfowl shells

[Wetwoodshunter]

I'm halfway through my last case. I need to shoot something different. I am currently shooting Blindside 3" 1 3/8 load #2, I watch birds get pounded and they fly off. Range is 15-40 yards on mallards and Canadian geese. The load seems to work better on the geese.

I am planning on switching to bismoth or a layered shot. I can shoot 3.5" shells but would rather stick with 3". What are you all shooting? I broke down the prices of the shells that I am looking at below with current rebates and sales applied. I also get a little break at BOSS being military/first responder.

[C-Money]

I shoot 2 3/4" or 3" 1 1/4oz steel BB, 2, 3, 4. My favorite is 3" 1 3/8oz BB for everything. I tend to grab Remington or Federal ammo first. But, have had good success shooting Winchester ammo. I use a mid range waterfowl choke, basically a modified choke. Grinds them up. What choke are you using? The loads you are shooting sound good to me!

[MeepDog]

I agree with C Money, those are good shells for the money that youre using. You might want to increase your choke restriction. I like the Improved Modified for waterfowl steel and I usually shoot #2s.

[WSU]

I had bad luck with blindside. We called them the cripplers because everything we shot was crippled.  I’ve had great luck with federal blue box steel and fiochi loads.

[CP]

Rio BlueSteel in #2.  Cheap, deadly. 

[Sneaky]

you need to up your shot size in bismuth. Boss/HEVI #2 is where its at. This is not what they tell you but having gone through cases of #4/5 boss....the #2 crushes them and the others will leave you frustrated when the birds aren't finishing. The even better option is hevi 12 #4/6. You might have sticker shock at first but you will shoot way less shells and chase way less cripples which really helps you have a more awesome hunt in ways you don't realize until you experience it. You can use whatever remaining stock of the shells on your list as first shot when the birds are closest or sell them and put that money towards better ammo. 

[Henrydog]

My kid shoots alot of ducks and geese, as his wallet we have had poor success with Blindsides.  We have conversely had very good luck with Apex, and just cheap old wal mart Federal Steels.  Several years ago we quit using 4's and went to 2's, cripples decreased dramatically.

As someone who has reloaded close to 100k shotshells I believe the biggest issue is the speed of any waterfowl shell.  You look at any box and they are all running 1400-1550fps, Steel is lighter than lead which would increase the chances of flyers.   My theory is this is blowing the pattern apart.  Thus the "I smoked him and he fly off" issue.

[HooknoseHunter]

I have been using 3” Hevishot Hevi-Metal for a few years now and I have noticed better terminal performance than just a standard steel load. I use BB for everything. Wish they made them in 10ga.

[metlhead]

15-40yds- your original load will kill everything that flies. Assuming you are a perfect shot, you have a pattern density issue at the far end of your stated range. 1 3/8oz should be plenty. I'm going to suggest that maybe birds aren't as centered as you may think.

[ducks4days]

Rio BlueSteel in #2.  Cheap, deadly.

 

Every single time i try a different shotshell for a while i end up regretting it and buying another case of 3” #2 Rio.

[duckmen1]

Blind side is the worst performing shells I have ever seen in over 20 years on the water. Having hunted waterfowl a lot and with a lot of people. If I was on a trip and something happened and I went to the store and all they had was blindside I would rather just go sight seeing and end the hunt that stuff is so bad. I would never buy a box again. Horrible terminal performance, patterns are a hit or miss due to construction of shot. But hardly ever had birds die. And for reference with those who think its the shooter having hunted my last seasons with a 410 and shooting over 150 birds with ducks and geese and only loosing one cripple with the sub guage I can say it wasn't the shooter or the 5 shooters that used blindside. It was just plain garbage shells. Kent faststeel did well for standard steel loads. Hevi metal did even better.  Used black cloud for a few years with good success too.

[JBG]

I just bought a 28 gauge and cant wait to start hand loading TSS duplexed #4 steel / #9 TSS.  I've shot a similar load out of a 20 gauge and was shocked at how well it performed.  Bismuth is great but you have to shoot a real tight choke, like extra full to maximize its potential.  And if you shoot a benelli the BOSS will require a new hammer spring.

[GWP]

I shot steel one time and switched to premium non tox after watching steel literally bounce off of the bird and watching it fly away unaffected.
With the cost of everything else to get there and back, plus generally low bird limits, shotshell cost is a very small part of the equation. Particularly when there are times you may only get a shot or two.
My faves are HeviShot, then Tungsten Matrix, then Bismuth, depending on the shotgun and type of bird.

[boneaddict]

I shot steel one time and switched to premium non tox after watching steel literally bounce off of the bird and watching it fly away unaffected.
With the cost of everything else to get there and back, plus generally low bird limits, shotshell cost is a very small part of the equation. Particularly when there are times you may only get a shot or two.
My faves are HeviShot, then Tungsten Matrix, then Bismuth, depending on the shotgun and type of bird.

SAME!!! With the exception of favorites, Tungsten, Bismuth and Hevi in that order, though I would grab any without hesitation.   

[duckmen1]

I just bought a 28 gauge and cant wait to start hand loading TSS duplexed #4 steel / #9 TSS.  I've shot a similar load out of a 20 gauge and was shocked at how well it performed.  Bismuth is great but you have to shoot a real tight choke, like extra full to maximize its potential.  And if you shoot a benelli the BOSS will require a new hammer spring.

TSS is next level and is completely insane how much more lethal it is. I run 410 with 9 shot tss for geese and mind blowing results come from it.

[bear]

Anyone want some Apex #2 shot?  Hasn’t been good for me.  Might have shot a box or two out of the case.  I switched to Federal Sea Duck 4/6 and Migra 4/6

[mboyle0828]

Anyone want some Apex #2 shot?  Hasn’t been good for me.  Might have shot a box or two out of the case.  I switched to Federal Sea Duck 4/6 and Migra 4/6

PM sent

[mboyle0828]

The Migra 2/4s are really good. Never shot the 4/6s

[bear]

The Migra 2/4s are really good. Never shot the 4/6s

Ya.  Really loud though.  Kick like a mule too. But the reach on passing birds is very nice with a longer range choke.

[zwickeyman]

The Migra 2/4s are really good. Never shot the 4/6s

I shot a bunch of birds last week with the Migra 2/BB. Pretty impressed

[C-Money]

From what I remember, I've never shot the blindside line of ammo. Sure sounds like you are not alone noticing poor performance. Like I said in my previous post, I like at least 1 1/4oz loads in Rem, Fed or Win. I must ad, I've shot Fiocchi, and Rio as well, with equal success. Where I live, the waterfowl ammo gets pretty scarce. Sometimes I just have to buy what's on the shelf. I truly urge you to try at least an 1 1/4oz of BBs in any brand and see if you get less cripples. Shoot a modified choke, or one of the fancy mid range aftermarket chokes. I shoot the Carlson Delta Waterfowl Extended Choke Tube in a .720, Here is a link to the choke I use https://www.choketube.com/product/browning-invector-plus-delta-waterfowl-extended-choke-tubes/
Modified choke and a good dose of BB shot, I really think will up anyone's recovery rate.

[h2ofowlr]

Blind side is a gimic.  Tears up the birds at close range and patterns like crap at long range.  If you are consitently shooting at longer ranges, go with a high density shot.  If your shooting birds over the decoys, most rounds about 1,400 fps will work just fine.  Find something you like and shoot well and get a case or several and shoot the same load for everything.  Consistency is key for good accuracy and wing shooting.  When I chase big geese, I do step up my load to a larger pellet size to minimize the potential for cripples.

[Wetwoodshunter]

Thanks everyone so far. I am shooing modified from a Benelli SBE3. A buddy had a half case of Rio 3.5” #3 steel I’m going to shoot. Then I’ll make the switch to something else. I have shot Rio 3” #3s, Federal 3”  BB & #2, and Kent Fasteel #3 but that was last season out of my Remington 11-87.

[Kola16]

I bought a box of blindside at Walmart once cause it was what they had. I thought I was shooting blanks it was so bad. And of the birds that went down, I don't know that any of them were stone cold dead. That was a while ago.

I have been shooting Migra 2/4 steel at ducks and the occasional Canada the last 3 years and I love them. 3 weeks ago I shot 9 shells for my 7 ducks and 1 of those 9 shots was a cleanup shot. 9 shells is good for my shooting. My gripe with Migras are you MUST keep them dry. Any water can turn them into duds which is so annoying.

I also occasionally take out my own reloads of TSS shells, and use it as my 3rd shell. I use it as my 3rd shell since they are expensive ($2.50 a shot) and they have a long range which is what is needed often for the third shot. They are so lethal it is laughable. It is lethal beyond any range I can shoot. Ducks and geese thump the ground hard after being stone cold dead from that high up.

[HaydenHunter]

I had been shooting Rio 2s and BBs in recent years through the mod choke on my SBE1.  I had no complaints other than my shooting at times.  My buddy shoots the same load through a pretty tight Terror choke and is deadly.  This year I switched to the Kent layered shells and I don't know if I am on a better shooting streak or the loads are that much better through my gun but I have been blown away with the results on ducks.  The load is a layered 2/4 and I am killing more ducks that are DOA when they hit the water.  I just bought another case of these loads.  I also shoot the Kent layered BB/2 for geese but haven't had much opportunity to gauge this load's success.  I am usually loaded for duck and manage to knock down geese at close ranges with the 2/4.  I will find out in the spring on SD snows how the BB/2s work. 

[Phishead]

I also shoot SBE3 and went through lots of brands to finally settle on what shoots best for my setup. I’ve seen consistent improvement in dead birds hitting the water with fewer crips, shooting the Kent Fast Steel 2.0. I mostly shoot 3”- 2s & 4s and 3.5” BBs for geese. Haven’t tried the layered shells but good to hear the reviews here

[ASHQUACK]

I shoot a Browning Maxus 28" with an aftermarket Hevishot extended range choke tube.
I shoot the Hevi-steel 3" 2's for ducks and their 3" BB loads for geese. My gun shoots those shells really well.

[Oldguy]

The only way to tell how well your particular shotshell is performing is to use a pattern board. In my case my shotgun patterns Federal #2 better than #3. (same choke)