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< 16ga. Ammunition & Reloading ~ Question on shot size for waterfowl. |
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Posted:
Sat Sep 28, 2019 7:04 pm
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Joined: 17 Jul 2019
Posts: 78
Location: Illinois
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This year, for the first time ever, I will be hunting waterfowl and am wondering what size shot to buy for my 16 ga. What brand do you guys recommend? I will be hunting mallards, wood ducks and Canadian geese.
EDIT: I posted the same question in general discussion, hoping it would get more traction. |
Last edited by SweetAndNot16 on Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:07 am; edited 4 times in total |
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Posted:
Sat Sep 28, 2019 7:05 pm
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Joined: 05 Oct 2017
Posts: 284
Location: Central MN
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Factory offerings of #4 steel work well in most situations. |
_________________ What's behind what your shooting at? |
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Posted:
Sat Sep 28, 2019 8:59 pm
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Joined: 24 Jul 2016
Posts: 548
Location: Ohio
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I'm a big fan of Bismuth. But my guns are like me. OLD! |
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Posted:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 4:58 am
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Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1851
Location: Central ND
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I like bismuth and most of my guns aren't old. #5's & #4's and I like to buffered loads. |
_________________ Mark...You are entitled to your own opinion. You aren't entitled to your own facts. |
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Posted:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 5:53 am
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Joined: 09 Sep 2006
Posts: 863
Location: NoDak
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Hey, depends on what duck your hunting. Smaller ducks like teal, butterballs etc #4 should be ok. Larger and medium size ducks, I like #2.
You don't get a lot of payload with 16ga steel, so you'd really have to pick your shots.
Just a side note and a personal opinion........I hate steel in 16ga. Never had much luck with it, wounded more birds than I killed with it.
IMO, you'd be better off with one of the other lead like Non-Tox. More expensive for sure, but much better performance.
Good Luck!
Greg |
_________________ Gregory J. Westberg
MSG, USA
Ret |
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Posted:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:34 am
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Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 1460
Location: Eagle, Nebraska
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factory steel loads in 16ga are atrocious.
Not enough payload, not enough velocity |
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Posted:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 6:33 pm
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Member
Joined: 19 Nov 2013
Posts: 381
Location: NW Arkansas
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Factory steel loads in 16 gauge have limitations. During the 1990s, I used my 1988 Citori almost exclusively with steel for mallards and other ducks when hunting in the green timber in Arkansas. When I hunted fields, I used a 12 gauge Benelli M1/90, but mostly with reloaded 2 3/4 steel #3 shot. Since I was mostly shooting mallards, I used #2 shot in 16 gauge, but used #4s on teal and small ducks on occasion. In the green timber, with ducks coming down through the trees and usually within 25 yards (about 30 at most with a 16), it was deadly.
I quit serious duck hunting around 2005 due to aging/lack of ducks. However, when a mid-day situation presents itself. . . . . . .
My brother and I had killed 11 quail one morning and moved to a spot where we had previously found a covey to kill one more (two limits), when we spotted ducks piling into a flooded native grass field about 300 yards away. I always keep an assorted flat of 16 gauge shells in my truck during winter, so it was no problem finding a box of Remington 15/16 oz. steel. We scared the ducks off and proceeded to shoot ten over about 30 minutes as they came back, most of them within 20-25 yards. DJ was shooting his M37 Ithaca, me my Citori.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2hnThPH]
[/url]djduckquail by Michael Widner, on Flickr |
_________________ 16 gauges:
1954 Win M12 IC
1952 Ithaca M37 Mod
1955 Browning Auto-5 Mod
1940 Ithaca NID M/F
1959 Beretta Silver Hawk
Ranger 103-II M/F
Browning A-5 Sweet 16
Browning Citori Invector
Rem 870 Remchoke |
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Posted:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 6:51 pm
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Joined: 05 Oct 2017
Posts: 284
Location: Central MN
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4setters, that is one heck of a hunt, story and memory! |
_________________ What's behind what your shooting at? |
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Posted:
Mon Sep 30, 2019 6:00 pm
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Joined: 03 Sep 2014
Posts: 398
Location: Rochester, MN
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I reload all my steel shot for waterfowl hunting with my 16 gauge. 7/8 oz of #3 steel is a solid performer for ducks. For geese, I use the same load with #1 steel.
Prior to reloading, the best factory ammo I found came from Sporting Ammo.
Their 15/16 oz of #3 @ 1400+ fps was outstanding.
https://www.facebook.com/sportingammo/
It easily out performed the Federal loads in my opinion. |
_________________ John Singer |
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Posted:
Mon Sep 30, 2019 6:42 pm
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Joined: 03 Sep 2014
Posts: 398
Location: Rochester, MN
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To the OP, do you live near a Fleet Farm?
They have Hevi Bismuth in 16 gauge.
Also Boss Shotshells out of Michigan carries 16 gauge bismuth shot.
Both brands are available in #4 shot at 1350 fps.
They will run you about $1.20/shell.
If you can afford it, I would think these would be solid performers on both ducks and geese. |
_________________ John Singer |
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Posted:
Mon Sep 30, 2019 11:20 pm
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Joined: 17 Jul 2019
Posts: 78
Location: Illinois
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I will definitely check out farm and fleet. Did not think they had much of a selection of 16 gauge ammo last time I was there but maybe I missed something. |
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Posted:
Mon Sep 30, 2019 11:22 pm
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Joined: 17 Jul 2019
Posts: 78
Location: Illinois
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Posted:
Tue Oct 01, 2019 1:53 am
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Joined: 03 Sep 2014
Posts: 398
Location: Rochester, MN
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SweetAndNot16 wrote: |
I will definitely check out farm and fleet. Did not think they had much of a selection of 16 gauge ammo last time I was there but maybe I missed something.
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Not Farm and Fleet, but Fleet Farm.
https://www.fleetfarm.com/ |
_________________ John Singer |
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Posted:
Tue Oct 01, 2019 3:03 am
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Member
Joined: 06 Oct 2007
Posts: 2357
Location: West MI
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John Singer wrote: |
I reload all my steel shot for waterfowl hunting with my 16 gauge. 7/8 oz of #3 steel is a solid performer for ducks. For geese, I use the same load with #1 steel.
Prior to reloading, the best factory ammo I found came from Sporting Ammo.
Their 15/16 oz of #3 @ 1400+ fps was outstanding.
https://www.facebook.com/sportingammo/
It easily out performed the Federal loads in my opinion.
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+1, great advice!! |
_________________ Sorry, I'm a Duck Hunter so shouldn't be held strictly responsible for my actions between Oct 1st and ice up. |
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Posted:
Tue Oct 01, 2019 11:12 am
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Joined: 13 Oct 2015
Posts: 348
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John Singer wrote: |
To the OP, do you live near a Fleet Farm?
They have Hevi Bismuth in 16 gauge.
Also Boss Shotshells out of Michigan carries 16 gauge bismuth shot.
Both brands are available in #4 shot at 1350 fps.
They will run you about $1.20/shell.
If you can afford it, I would think these would be solid performers on both ducks and geese.
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This is my advice too. Except boss 16ga is just in 5s right now. Someone recently cut one open and measured shot, got 4.5 diameter, so that makes them good for me. 4 to 4.5 bismuth is the sweet spot I think, 5 bismuth too small for me. |
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