# What kind of shells do you shoot?



## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Sometimes when I am out looking for shells I get a little overwhelmed with all the different types of shotshells available. I would normally prefer to shoot 3 inch shells, and so I will assume most guys are the same here. I have a SBE-II and have Federal Premiums, Black Cloud, Hevi Shot, and some (can barely admit this one) some Winchester X-Perts

So I started wondering what you guys prefer to shoot:

What SIZE of shot do you shoot, and why? What BRAND do you shoot and why?


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

3" size 3 or 4 works for me. if i'm going to an area with lots of goose potential then i shoot 3.5" #2's


i either load my own or shoot kents. mostly i'm shooting kents because that leaves more time to hunt.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Estate 3" #2's 1 1/4 oz. (I have a few boxes of Kent that I will trade for Estates)


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

anything under 10 bucks!!!


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

Winchester X-Perts Im going give the Winchester supreme a try this year.


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## RJ-Max4 (Sep 11, 2007)

Estate 3" #2's & BB's
Estate 3 1/2" #2's & BB's
Black Cloud 3" #4's, #2's & BB's


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## quackcommander (Aug 20, 2009)

I have shot just about everything. I really like either black cloud or kents. Not much of a fan of the winchesters. The Black Cloud is one of the best shells I have ever shot.


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## PepperMarsh (Apr 6, 2009)

I usually shoot Estate 3" #2s at ducks and 3 1/2" #2 HeviShot at geese. I just picked up a case of Federal Speed shok 3" #2 for $99 bucks shipped, so i will be shooting that this year.


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

Kent 3" #2


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

stablebuck said:


> Kent 3" #2


+1. Need to pick up some up actually. Picked up some Xperts for close up work (jumpshooting / layout stuff) late in the season, still have 23 of them in the shell belt. I'll probably save those for some late season action again... they seemed to work ok when the ducks were 20 yards or less away.


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## MarkM (Sep 7, 2007)

Estate 3in 2's or 3's, I have heard good things about the Federal Speed Shok steel and am going to try some this year. It all depends what patterns best in my new Benilli Supernova.

Mark


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## Donttreadonme (Sep 11, 2007)

Ducks:
Federal Speed Shok 3" #2
Fiocchi Speed Steel 3" #3

Geese:
Federal Speed Shok 3" 1 & BB


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

Whatever I have on hand at the time. I shoot a lot Experts, I like them unlike most people. I have some of those Estates, Kents, and a few Remington's. I don't like the cheaper federal steel loads, but I like the Blackclouds.

I usually run with 3" 3's or 2's for ducks and will shot 3 1/2" 1's or BBB's for geese.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

PepperMarsh said:


> I usually shoot Estate 3" #2s at ducks and 3 1/2" #2 HeviShot at geese. I just picked up a case of Federal Speed shok 3" #2 for $99 bucks shipped, so i will be shooting that this year.


You must shop at Rogers sporting goods also. Great store! :wink:


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## woollybugger (Oct 13, 2007)

I mostly shoot 2 3/4" reloads of 1oz. steel size 3, or 4. I have shot this load for over a decade now. I bought an obscene amount of components a 'few years' back and reloaded many cases of this load (of which I have 2 left). I shoot most of my birds over decoys at ranges less than 35 yards. I don't reload 3" so I just buy it. For longer shots I like Kent, Remington, or Federal 3" 1 1/4 oz. #3. For geese I prefer 3" 1 3/8 oz. BB or 3" 1 1/4oz. #1. My last goose, however, was taken with a 1 oz. #3 steel reload. 30 yards, graveyard dead in the air. Go figure :wink: 

I am of the opinion that it has more to do with the indian than it does the arrow, if you catch my drift. 
This year I finally caved in and bought a 3 1/2" gun (not sure why, just because). I bought a box of 3 1/2" Federal 1 1/2 oz. steel #1 at 1500 fps. (sounded like good goose medicine). And I bought a box of Remington 3 1/2" 1 9/16 oz T shot. I'm thinking red fox, striped skunk, goose, elephant...etc. Actually I bought those on a whim, a very sadistic whim :twisted: .


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## benelli man (Oct 4, 2007)

I've been shooting the winchesters. But I shot kents first and really like them. but it seemed like at the first sign of condensation they would rust like it was going out of style! Are they still like this?


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

I've never experienced this problem before...are you putting salt water in the humidifier in your house???
I've kept them in my jacket in the off season and pulled them out in October and they look just fine...you must've gotten a bad batch or something...


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

stablebuck said:


> I've never experienced this problem before...are you putting salt water in the humidifier in your house???
> I've kept them in my jacket in the off season and pulled them out in October and they look just fine...you must've gotten a bad batch or something...


Depends on where you hunt Justin I guess. I've actually had my brass tops rust up pretty bad on me before but I just take one of those steel wool scrubby things and a couple turns on the top, they look brand new. I don't like to let the rust sit, because then they seem to stick in your gun, won't eject normally. Once I clean em up, they work just fine.


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

yeah that's right I suppose...and the steel wool thing does work like a charm with a lil rem-oil...I did get a lot more rust when I hunted in the bays in Texas...not so much in Colorado or here...
I usually only take like 12 shells with me at a time into the marsh and if I don't limit out with those 12 then I need to go back to the range...plus I get pretty hungry by about 930-10 :lol:


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

The way I have been shooting the past couple of years, I buy whatever is cheapest at wherever I find myself needing shells. Mostly I shoot Xperts, Kents, and the random Estates, when they are competitive with the Xperts.
If I am going to be shooting like crap it doesn't seem to matter how much my shells cost, and on those days when I cannot seem to miss, it didn't seem to matter either.
I like #3 shot and #1 shot early in the year, 3's for ducks at close range and 1's for backup when they get a little further away after I miss the first time or two. :roll: 

Later in the season when the feathers are thicker and the bigger birds are down from the north, I switch to #2 and BB. I always carry some 3 1/2" BB or BBB or T (down to my last 3-4) for when the geese get close enough to think I might actually get a shot. I also carry a few Tungsten loads and some Heavy Steel for exactly the same reason.
I have used some of the premium loads from time to time, and frankly I cannot tell the difference. As I said, if my shooting is on, it doesn't matter WHAT I am shooting at them, and if it is OFF, then I would just as soon waste cheaper shells anyway.
If I were going strictly for geese and could only take one shot size it would probably be BB. Same scenario for ducks, it would probably be 2's.


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