SHOT SIZE

hey guys i have always used #4 steel for my duck hunting but i am thinking of trying out a few box's of #2.im thinking that the #2 will cut down on the cripples.is there a big diffrence in speed between the two?what do you guys use to take down those big green heads without wounding to many? o and i always use a full choke.

I USED #2 FOR ALOT OF YEARS NOW I SHOOT BB OR BBB AND IF THERE OUT ILL GET #2 SHOT . THIS YEAR IM THINKING OF TRYING SOME OF THAT NON TOXIC SHOT THTA 20.00 FOR 10 SHELLS.

I have been duck hunting for a long time. When lead shot was legal #4 was perfect and #2 was big, but in this lighter steel shot world I would not use any shot smaller than #2 and like previous poster I would use BB or BBB usually unless the ducks are Decoying good and getting real close and in your face. If the ducks are passing you need the larger shot. The hunting I do is almost all Mallards and I use #2, but would never dream of using #3 or #4.

I have been moving up in the past year from #4 to #3, and I am going with #2 this year even if it is for teal. Like you, too many cripples and follow up shots on the water with the #4s. I would rather miss them clean or kill them clean rather than have to shoot them twice on the water or drive the boat across the lease to find them. As far as speed goes it won't change. 1 1/4 ounce of BB will have the same velocity as 1 1/4 ounce of #6's, just more of the #6 pellets than of the BBs. I have never had a #2 tear up a duck, even a close teal, and I think they will pack more punch on the longer shots, leaving me with less follow up shots or cripples on the water. Good luck

I shoot #2 for smaller species with rarely a cripple. When hunting fat mallards or if geese are prevalent in the area I consistantly rock BB. Dead on the water means no lost birds 99.9% of the time.

if 1 1/4 oz. of #3 shot is crippling ducks over decoys, lets not blame the shot size..bb or #2 wont help. I'm not saying I've never cripled a duck, but you gotta remember the shot is not the challenge of duck hunting. Pay attention to detail in your decoy spread, make your duck call practice a weekly ritual all year, not just in the duck blind, and last but not least, know when to shoot and when to pass on marginal shots. Out to 50 yards, a modified shot patern of #3 steel well placed will take down any duck, key words here.....well placed! Oh and one more thing, with a good retriever, there is seldom a lost bird, and believe me....NOTHING add more enjoyment to the sport than a good lab in the blind next to you!!! Good luck this year!!

When Marsh hunting I usually find pretty good wind. Several times we were making good shots on birds and by he time they knew they were hit and the 20 mph winds carried them a ways we had a tough time recovering birds. So I uped my shot size from #2 to BB. Boy let me tell you they fell DEAD after that... I like #2 and #3 most of the time. But when the wind is blowing and the Birds are passing. Modified choke and BB will flat drop them if they are hit. When shooting birds that are decoying #2 is hard to beat.
See what patterns the best??

Boy there would sure be a lot of pellets if they made #4's in 3 1/2
Safe Shooting,
Southnboy

Well, I can already tell that my $.02 isn't going to make a hill of beans, but----I've been hunting probably longer than most of you and I order and shoot #6 or #5 steel shot in 3" out of an improved cylinder Berretta Extreme and put 'em on the water in front of me all morning. I would NEVER try to kill ducks over decoys with #2 or even worse, BBs. Shooting BBs over decoys for ducks in my experiences will leave you thinking you are the worst shot in the country! Please---this is JUST MY OPINION based on shooting hundreds of cases of shells in my shooting career with the ATA. I also learned that shooting the lighter loads(3" 1 1/8 steel) will improve your accuracy because you are less likely to flinch when you pull the trigger.

Also, FYI, I have shared a blind with many a hunter over the years and didn't get the nickname "PALADIN" for NOT being able to hold my own with a long gun!

If you're shooting at ducks over the decoys it shouldn't matter whether or not your using BBB or #6's. However, in my experience, I've found that I have far fewer cripples when using the larger sizes.

When I was shooting my Rem 1100 I would shoot #3's to give me a few more pellets because I could only shoot 2 3/4". Now I'm shooting a SBE and can shoot 3 1/2" shells, I shoot #2's almost exclusively. I find I have far fewer cripples with the #2 shot.

The bottom line is to shoot what you have confidence in. If you have confidence in a particular load, you'll probably shoot more accurately with that load. I have seen people shooting 4's and 6's constantly cripple ducks and once they start shooting 2's they get clean kills.

As far as the speed difference between the shot sizes, I may be wrong but I don't think there is any difference. I believe the speed depends on the amount of shot you have in the shell, not the size. I may be wrong, but I think it depends on the weight of the total shot not the individual pellets.

Hunting the marsh on Sabine (obviously haven't the past year and a half), we started shooting 3's at teal and greys and more recently shot 4's and 6's. If you are shooting decoy shots, that should be all you need. A BB will stone a greenhead, but if you are shooting primarily ducks, the more pellets, the better, in my opinion. Now I'm hunting primarily geese, and I'd say over half the birds I killed last year were with 3" 1's. Also, something I've done the last two seasons for geese which would probably work with ducks is increasing the shot size in the magazine. For example, when shooting specks over decoys, I'll have a 1 in the chamber, followed by another 1 then a BBB. That way, if you get a higher passing shoot, you can eject the first two and be ready.

The speed is constant no matter what the shot size, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the more shot you have in the air, the more ducks you will kill and kill cleanly. I have NO problems with #6 steel in 3" 1 1/8 out of improved cylinder for ALL ducks and go to BBB out of modified choke for geese with 3.5" 2oz loads.

You can't kill but 6 ducks in duck season anyway and 4 teal during special teal season. Wait on your shots and quit skyblasting!

I have experimented with a lot of loads. I like the #2 and #3 shot. It is right in the middle and gives good range. I also like that most of the shot goes through the duck and there are not many shots in the meat. The smaller shots does kill, but in my opinion, I don't enjoy the bird as much at the table with all the shots in the duck. Those steel shot are sure hard on the teeth! It is still better than lead poisioning though.

Been using 3" #2's for the last few years. Decent results but by no means perfect. Still have my share of crippled's that are swimming when they hit using a Light Mod. choke. Never patterned that gun so plan on patterning my new Xtrema2 for #2's out of an IC choke. Mainly shooting over decoys, may consider 3" #4's for close in over decoys. If you're pass shooting (within reasonable range) I'd stick with #2's or BB. Also #2's and #1's will certainly knock a goose! just my 2-cents from the last few years.

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