type of shotgun shells on geese & ducks, & why?

The regulations prohibit the use of lead for migratory birds, and I choose to use Kent Fasteel, because they are reasonably priced, and they kill birds just fine.
 
Only shoot Remington Sportsman 3" BB (now because it's available and as reasonable as shot shells go) for ducks and geese whether over water or in fields.

Why?

Because back when they banned using lead I guess I bought into the "steel is way more whimpy than lead" and while I used to shoot number 4 or number 2, there was about a bizillion articles (no google or forums back then) about how the sky would fall if you shot the same number in steel. I opted for BB and have been shooting it ever since.

I do note now that we sell a great deal of number 4, 3 and 2 for ducks, so I guess, like the "end of the world" switch from Leaded to Unleaded gas (which was going to kill every motor you burned it in), it was much hype about nothing.

But I still shoot BB - I know how it will hit and haven't bothered to "experiment".
 
I've used Kent Fast Steel 3" #2's in 1 1/4oz as most of my hunting is done over a field spread of decoys. I'm also shooting them thru a Benelli SBE II with a Wad Wizard SWAT12 choke tube with awesome results. I like to test other brands/types of ammo but this is my standard go to load/combo.
 
Over the years, I've tried the expensive ones like Blackcloud and Heavy Metal but at the end of day had just as many dead birds on the ground as when using the cheapo Winchester Xpert CT shells. Now I save my cash, buy the cheap stuff and use the difference to pay for extra rounds of Sporting and Five-Stand to hopefully improve my shooting skills.
 
Faststeel 12 ga 2-3/4" 1 -1/16 oz #1,2,or 3 steel shot depending on the abundance of greater Canadas, Lesser Canadas & Snow geese or Mallards respectively. We usually shoot the stubble fields and have mixed bag hunts. #2 is good for all. If shooting ducks over water, the #3 shot is excellent. I gave up on shooting 3" shells many years ago. If I do the hunting part right, the shooting part doesn't need the extra power, kick, or expense.
 
Back before the rest of Canada mandated the use of steel shot, the Oak Hammock Marsh area was already steel-shot only, so I have been using steel shot going on 30 years.

For geese on the flyways, I use(d) 3" BB, BBB, T's, TT's & F's (TTT's). Tried 3 1/2" one year and noticed zero difference so sold that new Browning and went back to my old guns. Settled on either BB or BBB, whichever is cheaper. Haven't noted much difference in my bags over the years, except that now that I don't use those great big pellets, my hunts are shorter / quicker (bag limits are bag limits), I'm thinking because there are more pellets in the loads I'm using compared to the ones I no longer use.

The last time I purposefully went after ducks (can't stand the taste compared to big grain-fed Giant Canadas), I was still (legally) using some old Canuck high brass, paper case, SPECIAL LONG RANGE (in yellow letters on the faded purpley-blue varnished cases) 3 3/4 DR. 1 1/4 oz. No. 4's!

:)
 
Kent Fasteel out of a Remington 870 ... 2-3/4" - 1-1/4oz.- 2's for ducks, 3" - 1-3/8oz.-BB's for geese.
Kent Impact 2-3/4" for a couple of vintagers.

They do everything I need them to do in spades and are easy for me to get.
 
Depends on the shotgun. Rem wingmaster 2 3/4" fixed mod = black cloud #3s @ 1500 are just murder on ducks. 3" #2 or BBB in most other guns. Kent fasteel is my preference. Hits hard not very many cripples. Rem sportsman are also good shells if I cant get Kents. Blackcloud can be good as well but some guns dont like em.
 
When using one of my 12 gauges, I go with Federal or Winchester #4 (and now Challenger since the local Crappy Tire seems to have abandoned Federal in favour of Challenger) for ducks and BB for geese. For a while I was trying 3" for late season birds, but I think I'm going to switch back to 2 3/4"
 
Since it's off season for me now I'm thinking I should actually pattern my shotgun with various loads. But this past season I stuck with 3" #2 for ducks which worked great. It was Kents premium line with a bit more velocity. For geese it was more dependent on the blind/decoy setup. Shot T's , BB and BBB. Pretty much most in favour of BBB using black cloud as it gives you that extra 10-15 yards.
 
I tried the challenger steel #2 and didn't find it very good.
Winchester blind side withe the poly shot seems to work best for 2 3/4 shells. More shot.
I really dislike shooting steel shot over lead. Hopefully they will come to their senses.
 
I have had very good performance from Imperial shells from Canadian Tire. they are loaded by Challenger in Canada. They work great and are offered in LOTS of shot sizes in steel. Steel Imperial #6 and #7 have become my go to grouse loads too. Don't pull feathers and bust through brush well. Imperial Steel #6 is devastating on cripples too. Overall I would suggest that "gimmick" loads such as Black Cloud and Winchester Blind Side are just that gimmicks.

Darryl
 
Early season I use 3" #2's for geese and 3" #4's for ducks (when hunting water its almost always only ducks, when hunting fields its almost always just geese), but by mid to late season I go to 3-1/2" BB for geese and 3" or 3-1/2" #2's for ducks. I have shot lots of brands but have been hung up on using Blind Sides, they seem to work well for me in my Versamax.
 
I shoot 3" Challenger #3 for duck and BB & #2 for goose.
I buy 5-8 flats at a time and get a good deal. It's cheap as #### and it works flawlessly in my SX3 and patterns decent.

I don't shoot the expensive stuff because I shoot an incredible amount in a year.
 
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