Ammo dilemma

Okay, so right before opening day I damaged my factory MOD choke and bought a Kick's High Flyer MOD to try and replace it. I also am conducting an experiment this year only using 3 1/2" shells to determine if they will add any benefit over other shells. Well, the first box I tried was Federal Ultra Shok 1 1/2oz #4's at 1500fps. Dismal results while hunting. Couldn't seem to hammer the birds that were 40yds and in. I dropped a couple, but missed twice as many that I KNOW I should have had. I moved over to Federal Speed Shok 1 3/8oz #2's at 1550fps, and it was even worse. I went to Academy for one more try at the big shells and got some Winchester Supreme Drylock 3 1/2" 1 9/16oz #3's at 1300fps (way slower) and killed a few with it, but still wasn't like normal. So that got me thinking, and since I haven't gotten to the range to pattern, I grabbed my teal loads which are Winchester Supreme Drylock 2 3/4" #4's at 1300fps and headed out for an evening hunt... well to make a long story short- three hunts with those little shells so far and I've stoned every duck I've pointed my gun at including two canvasbacks and a few mallards. Stone dead. Today I popped a Gadwall that flared off of us and I swear it was 40-45yds when I pulled the trigger. Boom! Dead as a door nail. I'm seriously thinking that Kick's choke and my Maxus barrel like the light loads going relatively slow... What would y'all do?

I'd ditch the 3.5" loads, I don't remember you being that short.

No need for 3 1/2'S, they do not give you anymore distance.

More importantly, why are you taking 40-45 yard shots, unless they are on the way out and you are cleaning up that is a shot that is going to cripple more times than kill.

I see people taking these shots all the time on birds they can not finish, if we can not finish them closer than that, we will not take that shot, more times than not it just results in crippled birds all over the lake.

I shot 2 3/4 inch shells for the past 3 years, they kill birds just fine. No need for 3 1/2'S unless you're shooting geese

You should stop over thinking this.

You've found a shell combo that works. When you can no longer find that shell, go buy a few different boxes of shells to pattern.

My favorite is 3" #4. I'd shoot #5 or 6 before going to #2. Nothing wrong with 2 3/4 either. Never shot and will never shoot 3.5's. Way too expensive, don't have a gun that shoots them, and haven't seen even a slight benefit from them when friends of mine shoot them.

For ducks and the occasional goose, i agree a 3 inch #4 pellet is as good as it gets. Plenty of punch and witha good choke, excellent patterns.

I too bought a case of 2 3\4 shells. Much cheaper and they perform very well.

What is shocking to me is near half the commenters don't p a ttern their shotguns. I don't understand not doing it. I lump that thinking into this example. My truck might sputter and puke its way over a 100 mile trip. Well by God it did the job and I finished the 100 mile trip. Though it did the job it could have been tuned up and performed much better over the course of the trip. My question is why would you not want to spend some time shooting your shotgun. At worst case scenario you were blasting some rounds off.

I don't know everything about shotgunning. I have been shooting a long long time before I patterned a weapon. I learned a whole bunch when i started patterning my weapons. I now would never take a weapon to the field without fine tuning it on paper.

I was a mechanic for years and I'm still basically a glorified mechanic, so you can bet my truck ain't sputtering without something getting taken apart and fixed/replaced. I don't pattern my gun.

I really don't understand what y'all do when saying you fine tuning a shotgun on a piece of paper. Do y'all have several different chokes and shell combination you can change? That's why patterning is worthless to me. I'm not buying several different chokes and shells. I shoot regular modified that comes in the gun and whatever cheap shells Wal-Mart has. Kill loads of duck and sandhill, no geese yet but if one wants to try flying past that modified and cheap #4's he's more than welcome to try.

I agree with you brother. Most folks shouldn't be attempting those. I had a very confident feeling that I'd drop that bird and I did just that.

I know WAL. I don't have access to a place to go and pattern it for free- and paying $15 for an hour at the range doesn't appeal to me. I'll get to it eventually- probably during the split.

I might be coming over to the dark side...

I just wanted to prove it...

2 3/4 nr 4 kent is perfect for decoying birds within 30 yards with IC choke.
For higher birds, or windy days I use 3 inch bismuth nr 4 or heavy metals nr 3 in a patternmaster long range (not the extra long range) choke.

I avoid 3 1/2 except for snows and cranes

By all means ditch what is inexpensive and works and find an inferior and more expensive option.

Yes, exactly.

I would never shell out the cash on 3.5" shells for ducks.

I lucked into a good deal for a few cases of various 3" steel loads, so that's what I shoot currently.

Before, I bought Kent Fasteel (or however they spell it) 3" #2 and liked them a lot. I'll probably keep buying them if I ever get through the rest of this steel.

I normally wouldn't either. I was conducting an experiment during this first split, but the results speak for themselves in my experience so far. My gun and my on-board anti-aircraft fire control system (brain) are favoring the 2 3/4" 1 1/4oz loads of #4 going about 1300fps.

I would only consider using 3 1/2s for high-flying Snows. Certainly don't need them for ducks. Also Mod choke is tighter than neccessary for shooting ducks over decoys.

Not necessarily if you are shooting an over-bored barrel like the Maxus or the 835 ulti-mag. I have knocked down a bunch of decoying ducks with my IC choke on both shotguns, but in my limited experimentation and experience, I seem to have fewer cripples with a little more constriction.

I've had the Mossberg 835 for a lot longer than my Maxus and it patterns and kills birds very well with the 3.5" shells and a Cabela's/Carlson's extended IC Hevi-Shot choke... In fact, that gun has yet to have ammo that it doesn't consistently kill ducks with.

I like shooting my Maxus better- but it seems to be a little more finicky with ammo as far as how it patterns. The Maxus cycles everything perfectly and kicks off a lot of the felt recoil so it's a very comfy shotgun for waterfowl.

My experimentation continues, but for now- I'm sticking with the #4's in the 2.75" Winchester Drylock Super Steel load out. There's almost no recoil and it has been putting ducks feet up on the water the last three hunts with no cripples.

You might consider something in between. I've used a Decoy (Light-Modified) choke in my Benellis for about 15 years now. The only time it comes out of the gun is when I am cleaning the gun. Honestly cannot remember the last time I used IC or Pass (Improved-Modified) choke. I shoot Kent 3" 1 1/8 oz. 1550fps shells. Speed Kills!

Don't over think it. Shoot what works. I think confidence is the biggest factor in wing shooting. If you're doubting yourself every time you pull the trigger, you're gonna miss

If its cheap and goes bang

Just like a gun fitting you, go with ammo that fits your gun

I shoot lots of second birds 40-50 out in the rear end- that is were you need 3.5- stone them dead-30% more lead. I shoot both #3 and #2. I rarely cripple birds. On decoying ducks- don't think it matters what you use if u smack them in the face.

I would shoot a better load- I swear by heavy metal 3 and 3.5 inch. Very reasonable at Rogers online

Tomcat- u measure the bore? I believe flooded timber is typically skeet, decoy is IC, passing is mod.

2 3/4 #4 remingtons from academy work great for me. Especially on a teacher's salary at $12 a box.

Nope. Just going by the manufacturer's numbers/labels. I've had very good results so haven't fealt the need to do my own measurements.

Honestly, I don't think any of my duck guns have ever seen a Remington shell.

That's why, you're using lead !

3" Kent #4's for my Maxus. I have always wondered how you account for shot string when patterning your guns?

Scooter..... I'm not one for jumping around trying new shells and have shot drylok 3"- #3's for a many, many years. But I recently took a trip to Canada and the outfitter was furnishing the shells. When I noticed they were Remington Sportsman 3" - #4 at 1300 FPS I wanted to hitch a ride to town to buy my own. We had 11 hunts with nine shooters and shot almost 22 cases of shells and I have never witnessed a shell killing birds like it did. We shot greaters, lessor's, snows and ducks and it was truly amazing. I'm not sure why but it made a believer in 9 very seasoned waterfowlers. Good luck.

I hunt with folks that use cheap shells from Wally and Academy, 12GA 2 3/4 #6 as well as 20g 3 inch #4-#6. They consistently spank more ducks using patterned and properly choked shotguns than folks shooting fancy pants Hevi-kryptonite-blah-blah-blah shells costing $5000 per shot out of high -dollar shotguns.

I have yet to see a shotgun that shoots the same POI from a POA with different shells and chokes. Yet hunters will shoot a smorgasbord of shells out of a shotgun during a season and bitch why they can't hit anything. The same hunters that go deer hunting with a scoped rifle that they've spent adequate time sighting in at the range. Go figure.

If you lead a target properly, shot string is an insurance policy to ensure that the target and some of the shot converge at the exact same same point in time and space.

IMHO, shot string isn't that much of a factor at shorter engagement distances.

Its very good for the economy, let them...

USA is the biggest consumption driven economy in the World. People keep on buying stuff they cant afford. If we stop buying stupid stuff the country will go to the

I wonder if that extra recoil is what's getting to you with the 3.5"ers? You can get very scientific patterning your shotgun or you could just bring a couple scraps of cardboard with you on your next hunt and set them up and shoot them after your hunt. No $15 range fee required. Does the pattern look good or not...would you put several pellets in a duck at the range you want or not?

Marc, that would explain 2nd and 3rd shot mistakes- but not cupped and committed 1st shot whiffs. It was probably me and my terrible shooting from the layout blind- I have noticed a few times that my shotgun is not anchored where it needs to be when I pop up and shoot. I have since become hyper-aware when I come up out of the layout to mount, aim, then shoot. Nerves get the best of me sometimes.