Shot options for geese

firejim

firejim

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Hello All;

With the waterfowl season in the (somewhat) near future, I was going over my gear last night. Since the migration to non-toxic shot, the most exotic that I've gotten is Kent Steel which seems to work reasonably well with 3 1/2 inch shells in No. 2. With the number of options (hevishot,bismuth, tungsten, .....) I was wondering if any of you have tried a variety of them and whether you've found one to be superior. I'd pay the extra money for them if they offered a signigicant benefit.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
 
Firejim: I like Hevishot in 12 gauge (3 inch, #4 shot). You can use #2 shot but it is overkill for geese. It is expensive but well worth the cost in my opinion.
 
"a significant benefit" depends on how you intend to hunt and what you are shooting. If you are pass shooting Greater Canadas or Sandhill cranes Heavishot #2's or Tungsten Matrix BB's will kill cleaner much farther.
If you are shooting Lesser Canadas or mallards over decoys, I find 2-3/4" loads of #1 or #2 steel adequate, and "better" shells are a waste of money.
Depending on how your gun patterns and how well you shoot, you may be able to add 10 to 20 yards effective range to your shooting with the premium shells say stretching effective range from 35-40 yards to maybe 50-55 or so.
 
Kent's Impact (Tungsten Matrix) 2-3/4" in 1's works very well for me.

In an old SxS, it performs as well as ( I think even better) than lead, and I've had the opportunity of both pass shooting & decoying a LOT of Giant Canadas. Kent Impact 5's work great on ducks.
 
Over the years, I've shot geese with Hevi-Shot, Kent Tungsten-Matrix, Bismuth, Federal Tungsten, Hevi-Steel and several brands of steel shot. All of the premium stuff (Hevi-Shot, Tungsten, etc) is very effective... more effective than is necessary for any goose under 40 yards.

#2's are about as small as I'd go in steel, but they are fine for early season and decoying geese. For later season use or shooting a bit further, I'd go with #1 or BB. In the non-toxic stuff, Shootshellz is right that #4 Hevi-shot is plenty for geese. In the Kent T-M, I had great success with both #3 and #1. Bismuth #2 or #4 are both great. There's no need for anything bigger in the premium non-toxic ammo.

I now shoot Kent Fasteel #1's exclusively, and kill our big local geese as further than I really need to with ease. I do not see a need for the expensive non-toxic stuff - certainly not at 3x the price. If you can't call or decoy birds inside 40 yards, you might have use for the premium stuff, but I'd rather shoot my birds over the decoys.

I've killed lots of geese, and I can tell you there's no trick to killin' 'em. Pick a quality load of steel in a shot/choke combination that patterns well at the ranges you intend to shoot (no more than 40 yards, please) and learn to hit what you are aiming at. I've watched lots of guys punch holes in the sky with round after round of steel, and curse the ammo as being the problem... so they run out and buy non-toxic and spend a lot more $ to miss.:rolleyes:
 
what's the best case scenario for geese hunting? saw a 12ga 30" barrel full choke for cheap...just not sure about full choke. was talking with a fellow who said with steel shot it would damage the barrel, if not blow the barrel. do you want an open choke?
 
I use a medium choke, Kent Steel #4 12 gauge 3" rounds. Works great for me.
 
Mr. Friendly said:
what's the best case scenario for geese hunting? saw a 12ga 30" barrel full choke for cheap...just not sure about full choke. was talking with a fellow who said with steel shot it would damage the barrel, if not blow the barrel. do you want an open choke?
Click to expand...

Full choke and steel are not the best combo. Patterns are generally poorer than a more open choke, due to the hard steel pellets not deforming and compressing as they pass through the choke, as with lead shot.

This normally leads to "ringing" the barrel at the start of the choke, whereby the force created by trying to compress the shot charge creates a bright ring around the barrel. It is unlikely to blow the barrel up, but is a situation to avoid.

Old full choke waterfowl guns need the softer non-toxic shot choices, such as tungsten matrix or bismuth.
 
I wouldn't really worry about heavy shot or anything like that in the early season, maybe sometimes in late season when they seem to have alittle more to them. if you want to have something with abit more but still at a good cost go with the federal black cloud. those things work great, seems to be all in the wading, quite different and wow does it work great!
 
I'm using Challenger 3"BBB at the moment... price is right, and they work well for the shooting I do over decoys. We generally us IC or LM chokes.

This load has killed hundreds of birds for me.

Get out to a range and shoot some clays. All the waterfowl loads work if you hit what you are shooting at.
 
I like Kent fassteel myself. For geese #2 or larger is probably best. BB. BBB or T shot will pack more energy, but the bigger the shot, the less dense of a pattern you are throwing and you will have to shoot your best. But geese are big birds and offer a bigger kill area. A modified choke with steel shot patterns like lead through a full, so it's the best "happy medium" and will probably suit everyones needs with the most versitility.
 
I use a Wad Wizard Supreme Choke with Kent 3 1/2" #1 Fasteel. It's a very effective combo for me and I've settled into using it exclusively, from opening day to the last day of the February goose seasons.

I would not recommend a full choke for any steel or non-toxic shot. Modified is about the best compromise from a fixed barrel, and IC can be great if the birds are decoying well. I used to shoot a Briley extended Modified and Remington Nitro Steel 3" BBB for geese/ 3" #3 for ducks and had great luck with that.
 
more of a question for the shotgun forum, probably, but how hard is it to get a shotgun with a fixed choke altered? say you have a 30" fixed choke barrel. can you have the fixed choke cut off and have the barrel threaded for a changing choke system?
 
I think that depends on how thick the barrel steel is. From what little I know, most single barrel guns (pumps, etc) are think enough to thread for chokes, but some doubles are not. Also, if it happened to be a very old gun the barrel steel might be too soft to handle steel shot - I'm sure I read that somewhere so I figured I'd mention it, but I'm no expert. Best answer is probably to source a gunsmith who can do the work and give him a call.
 
Mr. Friendly said:
more of a question for the shotgun forum, probably, but how hard is it to get a shotgun with a fixed choke altered? say you have a 30" fixed choke barrel. can you have the fixed choke cut off and have the barrel threaded for a changing choke system?
Click to expand...

You would only " cut off" a very cheap and non-ribbed barrel. Reaming out the choke is a better option. I have had several shotguns with fixed chokes opened up from full to modified. it is a simple matter for a good gunsmith equipped with a reamer that is inserted from the Breech end - do NOT let someone work on your gun with the cheap reamers that go in the muzzle. The job must be done from the breech end to ensure the choke is concentric with the bore. I had two bad experiences with a choke reamed off-center by a poorly equipped smith. So ask before you order the work. The job to ream and polish the choke is typically about $60, some may charge as much as $80 or so. It is much cheaper than screw in chokes and in general, modified is OK for most shooting.
 
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Yup.

Shane at Reliable in Vancouver did my 1957 Wingmaster from full to mod for me several years ago.

Two years ago I bought a 2nd hand 20 gauge Ithaca pump that said "Full choke" on it so I brought it to him to open up as well and he said "just a minute" and took it in the back, came out a minute later and said:

"I thought that looked familiar, I opened that one up already. Go shoot. Enjoy."

He does good work too, the guns shoot true.
 
I have a new Rem 870 super mag with full choke that says its for steel.
I was thinking about useing Federal Black cloud ammo.
Is it a good idea.
 
Don't forget for the people in ontario there and the spelling won't be right but Hummason in ancaster and lawries in calidonia that are the importers for remington kent and federal, looking for good cheap shells look no further, I get the best prices around!
 
Hello All;


Thanks for the thoughts thus far. I think I'll switch up this year and try some HeviShot for later in the season when the geese seem to be a bit farther out. For early in the season, I'll probably keep to the Kent Steel - hard to beat the price.
 
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