What size shotgun shells do you use?

Thanks for all the replies guys. But with so many opinions it sounds like i can grab blindly at the shelves when i buy shells and still come home with birds. I never gave patterning much of a thought but i guess it's something i should consider. Right now i'm shooting 3" Winchester Xpert #2's (because they were on sale) and I'm guessing they pattern ok since they helped me bag my limit of mallards this morning. I'm hearing alot of good things about Kent ammo so I think I'll try them next if they're priced low. Me and my dad are on the last box of our second case of shells this year. Thats a first! After this weekend Iknow it'll be time to pick up another case. So I'm proud to say this is the most expensive duck season I've ever had; so thanks for all your input on what to shoot. I'm almost thinkin about picking up a mix of different shells but it kind of sounds like if they're in range and you miss, it's not the ammos fault. Guess I can't use that excuse anymore, but thats ok because the sun's always in my eyes (atleast when i miss)
Good luck out there guys,
Brian
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Brian, I don't where you are so I don't know exactly how long your season has been open but if you and your Dad have shot 500 rounds already this year and you haven't had to buy a third freezer for the carcasses then you either have the greatest network of places to give away dead ducks OR your problem isn't "what size shot should I be using".......

Dani
 
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I used to use the red rosin paper but switched to a 4 foot roll of the white plastic stuff because it was easier to get a good centered pattern of 30inches without going off.
Start with what you have and go from there.

Another thing that is nice to have if you can get it is a round cut out of plexi glass 30" dia. That way you can move it around and then trace the circle over the pattern seeing the hits thu it.

I used to screw around with 22" core numbers but gave that up till I retire and my kids are out of the house. Too much counting.

Now I just look and go from there, after having counted quite a few. As I said earlier, you will see very interesting differences in some shells. But when you see a nice even pattern with over 120 hits you will know what a good duck load looks like.


Skeet or Sporting clays in the off season is very good practice for the ducks and shows when it counts.
 
I used to use the red rosin paper but switched to a 4 foot roll of the white plastic stuff because it was easier to get a good centered pattern of 30inches without going off.
Start with what you have and go from there.

Another thing that is nice to have if you can get it is a round cut out of plexi glass 30" dia. That way you can move it around and then trace the circle over the pattern seeing the hits thu it.

I used to screw around with 22" core numbers but gave that up till I retire and my kids are out of the house. Too much counting.

Now I just look and go from there, after having counted quite a few. As I said earlier, you will see very interesting differences in some shells. But when you see a nice even pattern with over 120 hits you will know what a good duck load looks like.


Skeet or Sporting clays in the off season is very good practice for the ducks and shows when it counts.
Click to expand...


Given that 2's are pretty much the standard duck load, you can guess that most people haven't ever patterned them.
 
I just did a little math... With a few ASSUMPTIONS The season is about 1/2 over... call it 30 days... If 2 individuals hunted every one of those 30 days.. and shot 500 shells... that equals just under 17 shells shot a day .... or 8.5 shells per day per man.... Wow......

I think more shooting at the trap or skeet range is in order in the off season....JMO
 
I just did a little more math their 40 days into the season 'two man limit is 12 a day thats 480 birds sounds like dam good year to me jmo
 
Ok,. Pat.. Yep.. since this topic came up.. we can bet that they haven't taken 480 birds.... I would doubt that they have hunted all 40 days... Which I am not judging by any means... I just can't imagine shooting 5 boxes of shells as of this point of the season.... even if I lived on the river... instead of 50 miles from it....

Only 20 days left in WI??? :( dang!
 
Pat-

Perhaps I am mistaken, but if they were limiting out everyday, hunting everyday and already gone through 500 shotshells, then he likely wouldn't be asking for advice, because he wouldn't need it. But based on his previous responses, I would guess that is not the case. Nothing wrong with asking for advice, that's for sure. In fact I think it's great.

Dani
 
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Kent Fasteel 3" #4 shot shot through IC or mod choke on a Benelli M1 Super 90. Like others have said - speed kills. If we are going exclusively for divers on Lake of the Woods, I'll go up to #2 shot. This sheel paterns well though my gun and choke combo.

My cousin used to be an important person with Galyans before it became Dicks. He got free shot shells and we used to shoot quite a bit of Heavy Shot. That product was unbelievable and if I wanted to spend that much oney per shot, I would keep shooting this product. We even made up a slogan - "Why not, Heavy Shot". We were able to shoot at ducks at ranges we would never consider with steel, thus the slogan.

Mark W
 
I used to use the red rosin paper but switched to a 4 foot roll of the white plastic stuff because it was easier to get a good centered pattern of 30inches without going off. Start with what you have and go from there.

Another thing that is nice to have if you can get it is a round cut out of plexi glass 30" dia. That way you can move it around and then trace the circle over the pattern seeing the hits thu it.

I used to screw around with 22" core numbers but gave that up till I retire and my kids are out of the house. Too much counting.

Now I just look and go from there, after having counted quite a few. As I said earlier, you will see very interesting differences in some shells. But when you see a nice even pattern with over 120 hits you will know what a good duck load looks like.

Skeet or Sporting clays in the off season is very good practice for the ducks and shows when it counts.
Click to expand...

Given that 2's are pretty much the standard duck load, you can guess that most people haven't ever patterned them.
Click to expand...

Ah yes.... I would belong to that group :) I have every intention of patterning my shotguns... someday.
 
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