[QUOTE=E Robert Fabian;6400]Made up for the poor shooting today-with a little luck added in. Managed these birds with 3 shots. Got a double on the green heads first thing, moved over to another pond and caught the geese up in a narrow marsh, they had to come at me to exit, both came down dead with the first shot 15-20 yrds.
First band of the year.
Francis I reload Bismuth and Nice shot.
1890 NH 10ga. 32" full and fuller-- Nice old 10 bore Parker, Sie. I notice you use a slip-over pad, as I do on some of my waterfowling guns as well (no 10 gauge YET) - as I value gun fit and performance over "correct period pads"-then in the later season, wearing heavier clothing, I can remove the pad if necessary for proper fit- also, the LOP that might work (for me) shooting out of a field pit blind from the seat or a crouch, might not be right on the same shotgun, when I use it for pass shooting where I do better standing--I recall Gene Hill's story about the late shotgunning legend Rudy Etchen- how Rudy arrived w/o a shotgun at a duck hunting club, borrowed a pumpgun and used tape and something else to get it to fit him properly- and no doubt, was the high gun for that day-
What hulls do you use to reload your 10 gauge non-toxic waterfowl loads? I am going with a friend tomorrow (Sat 31st.) AM to hunt a flooded cornfield- we have had a very wet October so far here in West MI- the big storm front that dumped snow in CO and WY is moving our way- all bodes well for some flight birds- He had a LC Smith Hammer 10 with 32" Royal (proof steel) barrels and wants to start using it. Tomorrow I will probably leave the GHE at home and take a "weather gun" instead- we shall see. Wow- 4 birds/three shells- both Geese down with one shot in the "boiler room" as judged by the blood on the chest feathers= My old duck hunting mentor once told me that if you have a dead bird in hand (cripples being finished off included) for every three shells you have fired, you are in the "big leagues"--He mainly hunted Geese and puddles- not divers- On those Mach 3 ducks, I'd say maybe one bird for four shells expended--just my guess!!!
