Goose guns
- Thread starter sunborn
- Start date
Can you make a 12 ga 2-3/4" effective? That is basically my question.
Yes, quite easily. Don't pull the trigger when the geese are 60 yards away.
Absolutely, and a good shooter with that 2-3/4" twelve gauge will bag more geese than a lesser shooter with a 3-1/2" ten gauge.
cdn1canhunt
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- southwestern ontario
To the OP, once upon a time...not in a galaxie far, far away. 12 ga 2 3/4" 30" full chokes shotguns were the only shotguns available to slay the all mighty Honkers with..the old saying "it's the Indian not the arrow" never rang more true. Have your partner get some good quality ammo, keep shot distances ethical and enjoy your hunt together.
I see a lot of shooters that take a lot of long shots and wound and lose a lot of birds with the 10 and 3 1/2" 12 gauge shells. I firmly believe that most hunters have no business shooting at healthy birds past 40 yards, regardless of gauge, shell length or shot loaded. Closer birds are easier to hit and even more important easier to hit on the front edge. I am not saying that the 10's and long 12's contribute to more wounded birds or are ineffective far from it, just that most people stretch themselves far beyond their limits.
I kill a few geese every year with my 20 gauge shooting regular old steel and a 2 3/4" 12 gives much more effective patterns with goose suitable shot sizes.
To answer your question regarding effective goose loads for 2 3/4" 12, I personally really like 1 1/8 of 1's or BB's at around 1400-1450fps. I am not too picky about brand as long as they give an even pattern at 30-40 yards.
I kill a few geese every year with my 20 gauge shooting regular old steel and a 2 3/4" 12 gives much more effective patterns with goose suitable shot sizes.
To answer your question regarding effective goose loads for 2 3/4" 12, I personally really like 1 1/8 of 1's or BB's at around 1400-1450fps. I am not too picky about brand as long as they give an even pattern at 30-40 yards.
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Well for starters most people use a 2 3/4 until 1995. Pretty sure we killed gees back then. The 3 and 3.5 really became popular when lead was outlawed.
It all depends where you hunt and the set up
When I hunted out west in fields I think I could take them with a stick so yes 2 3/4 steel was fine, down this way shots are long and normally pass shooting so you will struggle for sure since a close shot would be 40 yards
Cheers
When I hunted out west in fields I think I could take them with a stick so yes 2 3/4 steel was fine, down this way shots are long and normally pass shooting so you will struggle for sure since a close shot would be 40 yards
Cheers
TheCoachZed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Yes, this. Totally depends on setup.
I have only killed a handful of geese, but I've watched guys hunt them my whole life, since I grew up on PEI.
If you can get them to land in front of you, you could kill them with a .410, if you could hit them in the head every time.
But, they are very hard to kill when conditions aren't right.
I'd have no problem using 2 3/4; I shoot them all the time on redlegs and sea ducks, which aren't that far off from a Canada in difficulty to kill. But I'm very, very self-discplined in my shooting. I won't take any Hail Mary potshots. I know guys that do, and their success rate is terrible.
I doubt he is going to have much fun with you and your boom stick when it speaks.
Depending on his skill level he may do well with some Fast No2's in Federal Blue box and you offer some self restraint and allow him to shoot first and you follow up?
Those are the details you guys need to figure out.
Rob
I would suggest the gun makers have won this round when "young-ish" hunters (I'm 58 and have hunted waterfowl since I was 15, only ever with 2 3/4" chambers) think/feel that somehow a 2 3/4" chambered gun is somehow inadequate for hunting geese. "Better get out there and buy one of the new and improved".....sound like an ad for Tide.
At least the OP is asking.
At least the OP is asking.
