Favourite steelshot.
- Thread starter Amelio
- Start date
I shoot skeet and sporting clays regularly, as do my friends, so our hit ratio is pretty good. However, I believe my observation about "casual" duck hunters is accurate. What are your observations?
madtrapper143
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Steep Rock Lake NWO
Bismuth kills ducks out to 45 yards with duck size shot. So does steel. The main reason for bismuth is if you are shooting a classic shotgun not steel proofed. Bismuth in BB buffered loads becomes a serious goose load though.
Darryl
Casual duck hunters that I've seen over water over the years are around 20-25% as long as they're not sky busting. 30-40% over fields
I bought some score and tried it out. I was impressed and I bought 4 flats when it went on sale. I also did a comparison of Winchester vs score. I am now burning off the last of my Winchester and will be shooting mostly score in the near future. They shot 1550 fps as they are rated and the shot was well formed. At $12/box on sale for 3" they are hard to beat. At $14/box regular they are still a great buy.
Here's the comparison.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...t-Steel-1-1-8-oz-Win-vs-Score?highlight=score
- Location
- Calgary, AB
Thanks for the review information. I have been using Challenger 3" BB and also picked up some Winchester 3" BB that was on sale recently at Cabelas. Not overly impressed with the Winchester. Something just didn't seem right when we fired them. The report was much "softer" than the Challenger. Going to try some Score 3" this weekend for goose and see how they perform.
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
I shoot trap and skeet regularly and I can hit decent scores of 80% plus. But I find that my wingshooting is far superior. I guess this is in large part because I'm more selective on the shots I take. The only time I find that I'll go through a lot of shells is when hunting divers. The wounded buggers sometimes need a few more shots after they have dropped
As for my favorite shells.....xperts and federal. They are cheap, they kill birds and the red hulls are easy to spot so makes clean up easier
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DragonFire
CGN Regular
- Location
- mid Canada
We used Winchester Xperts for years then switched to Score and haven`t looked back.
DF
DF
Try #6 steel for cripples on the water. You get more pellets and they bounce off the water and make it easier to hit them when they only show their head. Works great until your buddy points at a stick and yells there he is. It was rough it looked like a cans head. It happens lol
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Haha...I've done that myself, not going to lie. Sometimes anything sticking out of the water looks like a duck when its playing submarine. And i have used both 6 and 7 shot to finish with success. Just this past weekend I used a #7 steel Challenger shell to finish off a goose that I was tired of chasing. It was good medicine on that goose inside 15 yards
prairie lover
CGN Regular
- Location
- southern MB
delete
prairie lover
CGN Regular
- Location
- southern MB
I have done tons of patterning and I "caught" a couple black cloud patterns in foam and dug out all the pellets. this is exactly what I found at 40 yards. all the fs steel shot is on the outside and there r many plain old round steel shot that throw better patterns than black cloud for a lot less $$$
prairie lover
CGN Regular
- Location
- southern MB
score patterned by fat THE WORST in my versamax. it was middle of the pack in my 870. the one I cut open had the wad slit half way down. this is so the wad stays with the shot longer and keeps the pattern tighter in theory at long range. challenger are way better if you ask my guns and the pattern board.
CoryTheCowboy
CGN Regular
This was the Ringer I hit with the lot of 3" Score that MT143 was talking about. He was about 30 yards away
I can't find the pictures, but I had wads blowing clear through the patterning paper at 40 yards. I have about half a case left that will likely never be shot by me. Not saying they didn't kill ducks, I had decent success with them, but I also remember missing some shots that even I shouldn't have missed and it put a doubt it my mind. Also, they're the only steel load I've ever ran through my Auto-5 Magnum Twelve that would cycle it on the "Heavy" setting. I was less than impressed by Score's response to me and offer of a replacement box when they admitted they had issues.
Anyways, letting bygones be bygones, this season I've been shooting mostly Imperial (Challenger) 3" 1 1/4oz of #3s. The seasons past I've used pretty much everything under the sun, but have a hard time spending more cash when Winchester Xperts and Remington Sportsman will kill a duck or a goose further than I have any business shooting at it. For my kind of waterfowling, I like the heavier, slower load.
Most important thing I've found is find a load that patterns well in your gun and stick with it. I've also found don't pattern a load after you've killed game with it...I think it's a psychological thing. I have a Remington 11 in 16 bore that I hunted 2 seasons with factory Federal steel 4s before I put it on paper and the patterns while less than impressive, had been killing ducks for 2 years...haven't been able to seem to kill anything with it since
Cory
All this talk about waterfowling and I can't get my waders or boots on. This season sucks. At least I made it downstairs yesterday and now my ammo I sorted by brand shell length and shot size for steel Bismuth and lead. Same with my rimfire ammo and slugs and buck shot.
I'm going so crazy I'm refinishing guns that don't really need it. My mossberg classic looked like it was wearing 1/8" of glass on it. Then I just sold it
I'm going so crazy I'm refinishing guns that don't really need it. My mossberg classic looked like it was wearing 1/8" of glass on it. Then I just sold it
Recently acquired a good Hastings choke which gave me the reason to pattern it using different brands of shells. Surprisingly, it likes the el-cheapo Winchester X-pert loads the best. That's the equivalent of your new Ferrari running best with regular unleaded from an independent gas station, no complaints here!
It's been my experience that expensive shells do not increase my shooting percentage and/or range. I force myself to limit my shots to reasonable ranges and Winchesters do their job. For some reason I've had terrible luck with Remingtons, especially their supersonics, and avoid them altogether.
It's been my experience that expensive shells do not increase my shooting percentage and/or range. I force myself to limit my shots to reasonable ranges and Winchesters do their job. For some reason I've had terrible luck with Remingtons, especially their supersonics, and avoid them altogether.
All my guns prefer slower loads unless they're light loads. Seems to me the more equal the diameter is the length of the shot in the shell the better the pattern. Especially true with lead loads. My 7/8 oz loads pattern great in ever shotgun I own. As the shot charge increases and gets longer in the shell differences start to emerge. My guns I shoot steel out of pattern denser with 1-1/8 to 1-1/4 oz then with heavier loads. This has been my experience. Btw none of my guns have patterned well with the Remington supersonic loads or anything over 1550 fps for that matter.
Also from my chronograph at 35 yards says that extra 300 fps muzzle velocity is only about 50 fps faster when I get readings. For that I've gone back to the slower loads and kill more ducks. Less recoil less muzzle rise less muzzle blast equals faster follow up shots.
Also from my chronograph at 35 yards says that extra 300 fps muzzle velocity is only about 50 fps faster when I get readings. For that I've gone back to the slower loads and kill more ducks. Less recoil less muzzle rise less muzzle blast equals faster follow up shots.
