Waterfowl loads

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Grandpamike

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Happy goose opener to the Ontario central district! With kicking off the season, I was wondering what everybody’s go to shot and choke setup is for geese and for ducks. Personally I like running black cloud 3” #4 all around with a full choke for geese and modified for ducks. What are your thoughts?
 
I use one load for geese, 3" Fasteel #2 at 1560fps. I use a Pattrernmaster Code Black Goose for a choke. For ducks. I typically use Fasteel 2-3/4" #4, and a LM choke.
 
I like to use BB for goose and normally run a modified choke on my Benelli super nova.

Stubblejumper, how do you like your Patternmaster Code Black, just got one myself to try out hopefully soon.
 
The BlackCloud High Velocity shells in #4 are awesome. These are the 1635fps loads with the flitecontrol wads. They are my favourite loads, albeit hard to come by. I lucked out and bought 2 flats from Epps a couple years ago for $14/box. They have been hard to find in stock since that time. Other then those shells, I usually shoot BB’s for Canada’s and I’m still a long way away from burning through my current inventory of Winchester xpert

For early goose season, I’m usually only able to get out for 2 or 3 hunts max and I enjoy using my Browning Gold 10. BB, BBB and T shot is usually what I use. With T shot, its common for pellets to pass through the birds which I really like if my intention is to run the meat through the grinder to make sausages. If there is an odd chance that a pellet makes its way into the meat, it wont pass through the holes of my grinding plate.

As for choke, I use a modified Kicks High Flyer in my Mossberg 935 and the factory modified choke in the Browning gold 10
 
We shoot mostly harvested grain fields that have feeding flocks of Mallard ducks, snow geese, lesser and greater Canadas. All may come in to the same setup the same morning. Decoying birds, shooting from layout blinds. Depending on the year, I shoot anywhere from a couple dozen birds to a couple hundred. There is no one perfect load choice for our hunting because the game is so varied. I have had acceptable results with most brands of steel shells if velocity is at least 1450 fps, and I don't often bother with 3" loads. They just aren't necessary for properly decoying birds. And 3-1/2" shells make me laugh. Kick you silly, don't pattern or kill any better, and cost more. What's to like? 1-1/16 or 1-1/8 oz of #2 or BB works fine. I really like the Kent Faststeel #1's but they seem to be impossible to buy lately. I have found no advantage to special wads, after market chokes, or odd shaped shot. Most of my guns have standard modified choke tubes installed. Bismuth & Tungsten matrix loads are wonderful and deadly, and necessary if you like shooting older guns. They are clearly superior to steel. But they cost at least double the price of decent steel loads.
 
Longwalker said:
We shoot mostly harvested grain fields that have feeding flocks of Mallard ducks, snow geese, lesser and greater Canadas. All may come in to the same setup the same morning. Decoying birds, shooting from layout blinds. Depending on the year, I shoot anywhere from a couple dozen birds to a couple hundred. There is no one perfect load choice for our hunting because the game is so varied. I have had acceptable results with most brands of steel shells if velocity is at least 1450 fps, and I don't often bother with 3" loads. They just aren't necessary for properly decoying birds. And 3-1/2" shells make me laugh. Kick you silly, don't pattern or kill any better, and cost more. What's to like? 1-1/16 or 1-1/8 oz of #2 or BB works fine. I really like the Kent Faststeel #1's but they seem to be impossible to buy lately. I have found no advantage to special wads, after market chokes, or odd shaped shot. Most of my guns have standard modified choke tubes installed. Bismuth & Tungsten matrix loads are wonderful and deadly, and necessary if you like shooting older guns. They are clearly superior to steel. But they cost at least double the price of decent steel loads.
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There is a lot of good information to digest in this post guys....
Very good Longwalker, thanks for sharing.
Rob
 
KMG Canada said:
I like to use BB for goose and normally run a modified choke on my Benelli super nova.

Stubblejumper, how do you like your Patternmaster Code Black, just got one myself to try out hopefully soon.
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The Patternmaster provides a very tight pattern, great for getting pellets in the head/neck area, but if you shoot center mass, you will destroy birds at closer ranges, so it is a terrible choice.
 
3" BB for goose, 3" #2 for duck.
Both 12ga through factory modified chokes.

I have been shooting Kent loads for years. Loved the SilverSteel, now that it's discontinued, I shoot FS2.0
 
I use mostly 12ga fast steel or Remington nitro steel 2.75" BB and #2 or #4 for cripples and smaller ducks

I also use a 10ga often shooting 3.5" BB

This year will likely see 20 and 28ga
 
the spank said:
My wife and I shoot 20ga for waterfowl hunting. We shoot what we can get. Mostly 3" 7/8oz #2 steel but if we are going on a duck shoot only I take from our stash of 2.75" 3/4oz #4's...
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Me too, as well as some 2 3/4" 4's for ducks .
Mostly I use 3" Kent Fasteel 2's in my 20 SxS.
Cat
 
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53Izzy744 said:
I found the patternmaster shot way low for the steel i was using. But it has found a new life as a turkey choke lol
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My shotguns pattern very well, and to the proper point of impact using the Patternmaster and Fasteel 3" 1560fps loads. I have been using that combination for a few years now, and used it again yesterday, to over 50 yards on Canada geese.
 
Kent Fasteel 1s at 1550, Pick your shell length and payload but aside from teal and wood ducks in close it is pretty much perfect for all waterfowl.

I don’t hunt honkers as much anymore, I shoot small bores of all kinds for some variety with Bismuth
 
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