Bird season is coming! What will be in your gun?

Have you tried any of these Premium loads

  • Black cloud

    Votes: 6 16.7%
  • Blind side

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Prairie Storm

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • Golden Pheasant

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • Heavy Shot

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • Heavy shot Heavy Metal

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • Kent (any load)

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • Federal Ultra shock

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • I Just shoot the cheap stuff....

    Votes: 17 47.2%
  • Other specify below

    Votes: 3 8.3%

  • Total voters
    36
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The Waterfowl and Pheasant season are around the corner ( only one month to early goose) Was just wondering with a huge amount of premium loads around in the past couple years Just wondering what you like what you have tried any infor you may have my head is spinning last few years with this stuff!

My experiences

Water fowl

Steel
Sucks but its cheep!

Black Cloud
Happy with the take down power but the pattern seems to leave a lot to be desired even with the special wad.. but better then cheep steel!

Blind Side
Good for close over decoys seems to really fall out of the sky for me after like 15 or 20 yards.. Pattern seems to be similar to black cloud

Heavy Shot
Absolutely the best stuff ever...... Pattern is awesome! Take down is amazing! Price is redonculous! I cant afford 3-4 bucks a round

Heavy Metal from Heavy shot
Just picked up a box its half steel half heavy shot Pattern is nice.. However I have not shot any waterfowl with it yet so it seems to have promise and at like 1.25 a shell not bad! I will try to give some good info on the knock down one I shoot some!

looking for info on any of the dozen or so other premium loads...
Also IF ANYONE HAS TRIED THE SPECIAL BLACK CLOUD CHOKES LET ME KNOW!!! I currently use a modified choke to not strip the wad off the black cloud.. I would really love to know if the choke is worth the 60 bucks!

Pheasants

Fiocci Golden Pheasant
Patterns super nice! Good speed out of the 2 3/4 inch shells got a bird at a good 60 yards last year with it!

Wing Shock
Quite similar to Golden pheasant however I get a little bit better pattern out of Golden pheasant..

Looking for any info on prairie storm.. have some limited experience have not patterned it yet I assume as it is basically lead black cloud it will have no trouble dropping them! I am hoping the pattern from lead will be better so If you have let us know! Also I know they make a special prairie storm choke on the off chance you have tried it..

Turkey...

I know very little however I have had no trouble getting stuff to fall with anything labeled a turkey load.. However I am sure the heavy shot is great!
Any info you may have would be helpful!

Any info you have on premium bird loads post it up.. Yes last year I had a similar thread specifically for pheasants.. and only golden pheasant vs prairie storm! Only a few bits of info and of course this thread is for all bird loads and a lot more has become more readily available in mass this year it seems not sure why!
 
I try and buy the Federal Waterfowl Loads 3" #1 or #2's when I can. If I cant find them I buy whatever is cheap and on sale, usually Winchester. I've tried all the latest and greatest shells, the miss just as good as the cheap stuff.[laugh]
 
I used to only shoot Black Cloud, nothing else! Towards the end of last season I started shooting cheap winchester, and if anything I've found the winchester to perform the same if not better. In the end those rounds are gimmicks and are meant to get hunters and not ducks. Decoying birds can't tell the difference between steel, bismuth, lead, or tungsten.....
 
I have tried Heavy Metal, Black Cloud, Kent, and a few other random steel shells, and I have to say I don't think any of them are going to produce more birds than the others. My best results come from having enough patience to let them come in close, getting a proper lead (or cover depending on how they're coming in) and fanning the shot. For the longest time I couldn't break out of the habit of stopping my swing to pull the trigger. I think what I was essentially doing was following a proper lead, but then stopping the movement of the gun and trapping the shot. I missed more birds than I want to admit until I learned to keep the muzzle moving with the bird. This is all waterfowl, as I've never gotten a shot at a pheasant. I'm trying to convince my girlfriend to let me take her little terrier with me this coming pheasant hunting. [laugh]
 
I shoot polywad shells out of a 16 gage for grouse. I'm not overly recoil sensitive but the gun only weighs 6 lbs and these shells are real pleasant to shoot. Plenty of punch for grouse.
 
I shoot polywad shells out of a 16 gage for grouse. I'm not overly recoil sensitive but the gun only weighs 6 lbs and these shells are real pleasant to shoot. Plenty of punch for grouse.

I have 5 shotguns and they're all 12 gauge. I like the Remington 11-87 for Duck/ Goose/ Turkey but damn does that gun get heavy after lugging it around all day. I recently picked up an Ithaca model 37 featherlight and while I don't know the difference in weight off the top of my head, it's substantial. The featherlight surely lives up to it's name. That gun is actually at the 'smith right now getting a new large white front bead on it. Can't wait to try it out during early goose and see if it'll take over the roll of my go-to waterfowl gun. Cool thing about the Ithaca is you can hold the trigger and pump all the rounds out pretty quickly.
 
I try and buy the Federal Waterfowl Loads 3" #1 or #2's when I can. If I cant find them I buy whatever is cheap and on sale, usually Winchester. I've tried all the latest and greatest shells, the miss just as good as the cheap stuff.[laugh]

BINGO! Never hunted for waterfoul so no need for me to worry about lead so remington #6 shot "game loads" do it all for 28 cents a shell.....pheasant, rabbit, squirrell.........If I hit em they die.......if I miss they don't. I don't think more expensive ammo is gonna help my aim any.......and missing with a shell that costs over a dollar a round just seems stupid IMO! I don't get hung up on super high dollar "wonder loads". The only load I change for is Turkey season.......go to a 3 inch #4 winchester load.......$15 fur 10 of em and I now have enough to get me through 5 years of Turkey season........well......with my calling skills say 8 years of Turkey seasons......well.....maybe 9.
 
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I find the prairie storm shoots tight,hits hard. Depending on the gun I'd go improved cyl. or light mod..
 
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So far this goose season it has been heavy metal in 3.5 inch bb for goose Quite happy with it however my hunting partner shoots exclusively heavy shot and it still blows everything out of the sky... But early season seven birds we often blow through 15 rounds at 5 bucks a shot I can't afford that so heavy metal will be my load for geese this year.
 
So far this goose season it has been heavy metal in 3.5 inch bb for goose Quite happy with it however my hunting partner shoots exclusively heavy shot and it still blows everything out of the sky... But early season seven birds we often blow through 15 rounds at 5 bucks a shot I can't afford that so heavy metal will be my load for geese this year.

Do you mean 5 bucks per shell?
 
Yup its about that.. Heavy shot you will see priced at 25 bucks a box box=5 shells... Heavy shot makes heavy metal which is heavy shot mixed with steel... about 30 bucks for 25... I can see why some people say steel is as good as black cloud or even heavy metal.. But heavy shot.... there is no contest it is far better far better If you can't see the difference between heavy shot and any of the steel your eyes can't be open
 
Waterfowl - 1 1/4oz #4 itx or 1 1/8oz steel BB' @1450 fps - 1500
everything else 1oz or 1 1/8 oz 71/2 lead .
I have worked hard over the years learning to call waterfowl . It's the odd occasion that anyone in the crew of guys I hunt with has to take a shot past 30 yards . As for upland and small game the above load will kill any game out to 40 yards . Not to say I don't enjoy hunting them over a well trained dog . But when comes to pheasants in New England there nothing more than glorified chickens and you don't need much more than 1 1/8oz of 71/2 shot .And when it comes to waterfowl learn to scout set were and set up in their shit and all you have to do is not screw it up . In the immortal words of Tim Grounds " Anyone can set up in goose shit and kill birds " .
 
Also if anyone tries hevishot speed ball this year let me know! At about 2.50 a shell its at the top of what I can afford.. However Seems that some of the hevishot folks like it better then the original...

You may as why I am so into these loads.. Basically a few of the spots I hunt (golf courses mainly) I simply can not afford to cripple a bird... A bleed broken wing bird spotted buy a moonbat tree hugging golfer and I lose my spot.. So we can spend a good chunk of time chasing down a crippled bird that most folks would never look for.. Aside from that I am kind of a geek
 
I usually shoot kent(kent kills in my experience), have shot black cloud but the pattern was tighter than i liked. I shoot a xtrema 2. Federal has been ok. Dont like cheap remington or winchester. Hevi shot is great, but as everyone knows very expensive. Im sur ive shot others but cant think of them right now
 
Where are you fellas finding golden pheasent? I picked up a lot a cabellas in CT a few years back But I am down to my last box.... I don't believe I can by ammo in CT anymore with there new laws
 
Pheasant for dinner last night. My son bagged two on Saturday at the MA Youth Pheasant Hunt at Martin Burns. 12ga with 7-1/2's that were 30yrs old.

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remington game loads for 6 bucks a box at wal mart never fails to bring some pheasant home, no need to waste money on the expensive stuff, wont make you shoot any better

this
 

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Yes you can take lots birds with the cheap stuff! However especially with waterfowl you will not cripple as many and you can down birds at greater distance with the good stuff, and as I have said before I am a ammo geek
 
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