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Don_Abbate
12-12-2008, 12:08 AM
Hey everyone just wondering what the most popular goose load is. I use 3'' number 2 blackclouds for ducks but i havent shot a goose yet. and want to give it a try when it opens up again

Big7
12-12-2008, 12:11 AM
2 3/4inch, 1oz #2's.....works every time!!!

Don_Abbate
12-12-2008, 12:13 AM
isnt that a little small lol

Big7
12-12-2008, 12:17 AM
Sometimes size doesn't matter!!

I've just found that the amount of pellets you have in the air isn't a huge consideration if you're a crack shot!!

Also, my Beretta is an older over and under and isn't chambered in 3" but I continue to use it because it's...well...a Beretta and just feels good!

PGK
12-12-2008, 12:55 AM
If you like the #2 Black Clouds, use em. I'll never buy another box after the dismal performance I had from them this fall. #2s will kill geese just as well as anthing else. Strictly for geese, I would suggest a good 2 3/4'' BBB load doing better than 1450 fps. 3'' or 3.5'' is overrated in my eyes.

Don_Abbate
12-12-2008, 01:01 AM
ok sounds good i will look into getting some different types of shells and just see what works the best would those 2 3/4 bbb work well for pass shooting on geese or just landing geese over decoys

PGK
12-12-2008, 01:04 AM
ok sounds good i will look into getting some different types of shells and just see what works the best would those 2 3/4 bbb work well for pass shooting on geese or just landing geese over decoys

If you're pass shooting I would avoid steel completely and go to a heavy shot like tungsten or bismuth.

Don_Abbate
12-12-2008, 01:10 AM
any suggestions on perticular shells

Big7
12-12-2008, 02:04 AM
If you're pass shooting I would avoid steel completely and go to a heavy shot like tungsten or bismuth.
Shot placement, shot placement!!!

The same principles apply when it comes to shot placement as it does with bid game as it does with birds....so....if the bird is in the pattern, it will die (obviously the point above is that with smaller shot you have more pellets in the air, therefore giving you a better chance of hitting the bird!)

There isn't any practice that can prepare you for hunting waterfowl like shooting sporting clays - try it (more than once) and you'd be amazed at how many more birds you hit!! Practice makes perfect!!

Ian F.
12-12-2008, 06:54 AM
Have read a number of reports that steel shot larger then BB doesn't perform well in most guns. If you are restricted to 2 3/4" get some Kent bb's, 1 1/16oz are easy to find, they do make a 1 1/4oz load in 2 3/4" which I really like, buy they are a special order item. Stillwater and Italian carry Kents.

If you are not doing "a lot" of goose shooting, #2 non-tox may be the best for your situation.

Very best,

Ian

Crazy_Farmer
12-12-2008, 07:53 AM
On average it seems most guys shoot anything from #2s to Ts. I either shoot 3" #2s or 3.5" BB, I've ended up shooting more #2s just becuase of how close they are, I dont need that extra distance or bigger pellets to get the job done it seems.

What is your gun chambered in? I know alot of guys just get the 3.5" just to shoot big loads at geese but nothing wrong with 2 3/4 or 3" at all.

It seems to be more of an old school thought for guys shooting Ts. The longer distances maybe if your pass shooting it'll help but the number of pellets is so small compared to a BB or even more to a #2.

Also about the non-tox stuff, if you can afford it, go for it, its pretty much better the lead nowadays but steel will still get the job done for a lot cheaper. Save the money on shells and buy some more decoys. 8-)

shotgunjohn
12-12-2008, 08:21 AM
BB's. Even over decoys you usually need to make a longer follow up shot now and then. Our resident Canada's get up to 12 lbs. and have fairly heavy bones. Personally I don't feel 2's in steel are heavy enough to break those big wing bones or to penetrate all the way through a goose if you hit it in the body. I used to put a T in as my third shot but have been having trouble finding them lately.

Don_Abbate
12-12-2008, 10:02 AM
my gun is chambered for 3.5"

mattchu_19
12-12-2008, 10:12 AM
3" hevi-shot #4s. From 4ft to 40 yards they are pure death. I have shot hevi-shot 4s and 6s at geese for the last 3 years and I have found that they hit harder then steel BBs plus the pellet count is way more. But it all comes down to patterning your gun/choke/shell combo and finding out what works for you. I shoot a SBE2/Wad Wizard SWAT/Hevi-shot 4s and it works great for me.

Sunny
12-12-2008, 10:24 AM
bb will work for you. no 2 umm maybe work with decoy hehehehe

Don_Abbate
12-12-2008, 10:40 AM
where can you get hevi shot can't find it

porcupine
12-12-2008, 10:46 AM
Very interesting topic. I've been all over the place over the years because there are so many variables involved. If they are close in over decoys, I've had no problem with 2 3/4" #2 steel or BB's. If you're pass shooting or trying to reach out you need more power. Under these conditions I now shoot 3 1/2" BB's in steel. I always go for 1550 fps loads in steel.

The most effective shot I tried was about 5-10 years ago when I got a box of 10 Tungsten/Matrix 3" BB'S on sale for just over $40. I killed 7 geese cleanly with those shells, including one at about 75 yards whiich feel stone dead. It was the second goose behind the one I was aiming at
and I felt pretty stupid after that and don't try that shot anymore. I did feel these sheels were a bit to expensive, as well as hard to find, for regualr shooting.

When Bismuth first came out, I dead centered a goose with some BB's at about 25 feet. It fell in the air then keep going. I hit it twice more and watched it fly over a half a mile out of sight. The pellets had broken apart on impact. I've heard that this problem with large Bismuth has been sloved, but I've never used bismuth again.

I've also had good success with T's but they are hard to find and don't pattern too well in my gun.

My best advice is to make sure that you've let the geese come into reasonable range, shoot a load that patterns well in your gun and try for head and neck shots.
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HuntNHookSports
12-12-2008, 11:12 AM
You can shoot a moose with a 270 but if you have a 300 Weatherby wouldn't you use that instead? Same as 2 3/4 #2 vs 3 1/2 BB.

If I had the $$ I would only shoot Hevi-Shot. It would cost me about $2500/year. 3 1/2 #4 1300 fps is lethal past 60 yards.

Delta Waterfowl did a study a few years ago on all the different waterfowl loads.

http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/magazine/2005_01/01_shooting.php

http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/magazine/2005_01/shooting_DB.html

rishu_pepper
12-12-2008, 12:11 PM
If money was no object, what is the best goose load? I can use 3.5", and sometimes we have to do pass shooting.

Currently using 3" BB in Kent.

PGK
12-12-2008, 12:17 PM
You can shoot a moose with a 270 but if you have a 300 Weatherby wouldn't you use that instead? Same as 2 3/4 #2 vs 3 1/2 BB.

If I had the $$ I would only shoot Hevi-Shot. It would cost me about $2500/year. 3 1/2 #4 1300 fps is lethal past 60 yards.

Delta Waterfowl did a study a few years ago on all the different waterfowl loads.

http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/magazine/2005_01/01_shooting.php

http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/magazine/2005_01/shooting_DB.html

lol

No, I'd use the damn 270

Marc
12-12-2008, 03:00 PM
I had a box of 3" HD #2's from Remington for the first couple of times out this fall and this stuff just crumpled the geese. I also picked up a new shotty this summer in a 3 1/2 ultimag. Managed to put some 3 1/2 BB through it this fall that crumpled geese as well. The 3 1/2 can hold 20% more shot = fuller pattern for larger shot and still pushing 1550fps. Over decoys I'm going to stick with the 3 1/2 BB steel as they seem to work well in my shotgun and less then half of what it cost for the other non toxic varieties.

Qwa-honn
12-12-2008, 03:30 PM
BBB seem to work the best for me. I also use T's when I can get them. I find that BB is just a touch light if the birds don't want to finish it right in. If you are getting them in your face BB's - 2's work effectively.The nice thing with this size shot is that you don't have to worry about changing shells if ducks come in.
All my shotguns are chambered for 3 1/2 inch but I don't use them all that often. I think I have about three boxes(BB Kent Fasteel 1625 fps) of it at the moment andd three cases of shells in three inch.(#2,BBB,T)

f350ps
12-12-2008, 07:24 PM
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Pattern your gun!!! No shell will work worth a shit if it doesn't pattern well out of your gun. Take a bunch of different shells and see what patterns good outta yer gun then stick with it. I don't shoot 3.5" and only use steel and don't have a problem killing Geese. Lots of times I'll use 2 3/4" #2 or BB over decoys if they're in your face. Also remember, Speed Kills! K

Marc
12-12-2008, 08:45 PM
Also remember, Speed Kills! K

This is true but I reload steel shot and I've found that after a certain point the pattern goes to crap if they fly to fast. The best patterns I've seen so far out of my shotgun were between 1475 and 1550 fps. The 1475fps actually patterned better than the 1550 fps ones but not enough to worry about it. I'd sooner have a 1 3/8 load of steel doing 1550 fps then 1 1/8 load doing 1625fps just for a denser pattern/higher pellet count.

Everyone has a different opinion and that's fine, he asked what we preferred and he got the replies. I used to use #2 lead for geese when it was legal but I wouldn't have #2 steel in my gun if I was targeting geese. Yes it works and I've shot geese with it when no time to change shells and geese in the decoys but I'd sooner have something with a bit more thump for the larger resident Canada's we have here on the island.

longshot
12-12-2008, 09:13 PM
Honestly, we dont believe in anything bigger than a BB. Infact our favorite shot size is 3" #2's for the geese out our mod. choke. They are the 1 1/8 1550fps Super X drylocs from Reliable. Our guns now haven't shot anything else for over two years now. My son and i have made some super shots of pass shooting geese up to 50 yards with them. Dead in the sky. This is also the only thing we use for ducks as well. (Note: Let Teal fly away, then shoot :-D) Got a mallard mount on the wall right above me and got shot dead at 65 yards. Amazingly, we dont get any smoked birds at 20 yards or even less. But these days we're only shootin' them within 25-30 and love it.

The thing with these bullets is, they're not to powerful (1 1/8 2's). And don't have the smoking power of BBB or T's. Tight spread but if you hit em', it's comin down.

Gunner
12-12-2008, 09:37 PM
I shoot a lot of geese,for the big local birds I use Kent 3" BBs,and for smaller prairie geese(lessers,snows and specs),I use 3" #1s.My wife does just fine using the same loads in 2 3/4".We do not pass shoot,decoys and layout blinds only,but have killed our share out a ways,the shot is either right or it's not worth taking. Gunner

longshot
12-12-2008, 11:19 PM
Just a quick question, do the birds ever have a fair amount of meat ruined from the BBB's or T's? I have personally only shot the largest of BB's at the geese.

porcupine
12-12-2008, 11:22 PM
I've shot some with BBB's and T's and wouldn't say the meat damage was bad. Because to the larger shot size, you don't have as many pellets hitting the bird in most instances.

dutchie
12-13-2008, 01:55 AM
I shot a teal at about 10 yds with kent #3's and there was more breast gone then was left! I have decided to let the teal fly and take limits on the bigger birds that don't resemble swiss cheese after I shoot them.

dutchie