Pheasant and Duck Loads

[Feathersjr]

I am shooting DHE Reproduction guns, a 12 and 20. Even though they are built for some of the newer magnum loads I really don't want to shoot the guns "loose" by hammering them with some of the hot loads out there. Secondly, I don't think it takes the 1500fps to 1700fps to kill the birds. What do you generally shoot on wild pheasants hunted with and without dogs and duck hunting which is mostly pass shooting? Unfortunatley I don't live in an area where they decoy in very often and we can then shoot'em in the face, instead it is more pass shooting than anything else.

I would be grateful for any information you can pass along.

Thanks

John

[Harry Collins]

John,

I have been useing Kent "Impact" Tungsten Matrix Pheasant loads. They are 1 1/4 oz of #5's at 1400 fps. I agree that this is over kill on velocity. I prefer 1200 fps, but this is what is available. I purchased several flats of this stuff in 12 and 20 gauge a few years ago for $12.50 a box of 10. Another way to go is NiceShot that you can load yourself just like lead with no buffer or order shells from www.rstshells.com Their velocitys are more to my taste.

Harry

[Feathersjr]

Thanks Harry. I have used Kent's Impact loads and they are good ones. Your purchase of several flats at $12.50 a box was a smart move. They are somewhere around $30.00 to $33.00 a box now...Thanks for the feedback. I had ordered some Bismuth but the dealer is out and has a backorder in but it seems Bismuth has a production problem so it will take awhile to get any shipped. Looks like Kents Impact or Bismuth will get my business for a time.
John

[Harry Collins]

John,

NiceShot is what I reload for ducks and geese. I know you've done the math, however to purchase 25 rounds of Bismuth or tungston matrix you would have to get it for less than $30 a box of 10 to beat RST's price on NiceShot.

Harry

[SXS OHIO]

Soon it will be cheaper to make pellets from pure silver!...or maybe scrap gold??? 75.00 for a box of 25 nice shot!...not so nice!

[TARNATION !!!]

Originally Posted by Kenny Graft

Soon it will be cheaper to make pellets from pure silver!...or maybe scrap gold??? 75.00 for a box of 25 nice shot!...not so nice!

Ouch !!

This used to be expensive. I started buying these around $5 when other brands were in the $3 range. I cannot get my head around $3 per shell.

[charlie cleveland]

why not just shoot the 2 3/4 inch steel load lots cheaper and not hard on gun or pocket book.....charlie

[Opening Day]

Charlie is right, in Repo's (not original Parkers) with open chokes you can shoot steel. You need TM or Bismuth if you are going to original old Parkers.

[Feathersjr]

Charlie and Eric:

I agree with both of you. BUT, I do not like steel. Admittedly they are making much better steel shot loads then several years ago, but I've seen to many ducks hit with steel still continue to fly off and you know they were going to die a short distance away. If you don't break a wing bone or get a neck or head shot they continue to fly. Losing a wounded bird, duck, or animal is painful for me and my experience with steel tells me it just doesn't have the same impact and killing power that lead, Bismuth, Hevi-shot, etc. has. I know it costs considerably more but so far I have been able to just "grin and bear it".

John

[Opening Day]

Agree with you on that John, I don't do much waterfowl hunting so I was looking at it from a cost point of view.