Modern steel shot loads tend to produce much higher velocities, and when combined with using slightly larger shot, the penetration is quite adequate for providing clean kills on geese at reasonable ranges. As for geese being killed by pellets striking the head and neck, that often isn't a fluke, many hunters specifically target the front of the goose, greatly increasing the odds of pellets striking the head/neck area. If you take the time to do some patterning to choose a load, and a choke, and you have decent shooting skills, steel isn't nearly the handicap that many people , that don't know any better, would have us believe.