# Winchester Hex shot



## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Anyone use the Winchester Hex Shot for ducks or geese and have any good or bad reports on it. I've never really noticed it today and saw some at Cabelas but it seems to me hex shaped shot is not very aerodynamic but I guess I could be wrong.


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## rjefre (Sep 8, 2007)

I can't remember what brand of shell I was using during one particular goose hunt last season (it may have been blind-side), but the pellets were kind of square shaped. Anyway I mostly only hunt with a 20 gauge and the reason I know what the pellets were shaped like was because the bird was absolutely destroyed and there were a few pellets that I recovered from the carnage. I used this same box of shells several times last season and it killed geese very nicely with my 20 ga. Most birds were picked up dead and no lost birds. After all that, I should also say that round pellets in size #2 were just as deadly.
R


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Every year the ammo companies come out with a new "gimmick" to market to hunters. That's fine and dandy if you want to spend $20+ on a box of shells. The bottom line is this, you hit em' or you miss em'. I have tried just about every shell out there, and for me personally I have NOT noticed much of a difference in the cheap loads vs. expensive. I usually buy Estates or Federals for around $11 a box and they do the job just fine. (I don't like Winchester Xperts though, sorry Dkhntrdstn) :mrgreen:


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Fowlmouth said:


> Every year the ammo companies come out with a new "gimmick" to market to hunters. That's fine and dandy if you want to spend $20+ on a box of shells. The bottom line is this, you hit em' or you miss em'. I have tried just about every shell out there, and for me personally I have NOT noticed much of a difference in the cheap loads vs. expensive. I usually buy Estates or Federals for around $11 a box and they do the job just fine. (I don't like Winchester Xperts though, sorry Dkhntrdstn) :mrgreen:


I mainly shoot 12 gauge 3" shells. Who do you find usually has the good deals on those. I guess I need to be watching out for a pre-season deal about now.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

LostLouisianian said:


> I mainly shoot 12 gauge 3" shells. Who do you find usually has the good deals on those. I guess I need to be watching out for a pre-season deal about now.


 That's what I shoot. Rogers Sporting Goods and Scheels seem to have the best prices for the Federal loads.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

I use Blind Side for geese and love it! 3" BB does some impressive damage on them. I seem to drop them harder than my buddies in the blind next to me shooting round shot. It gets excelent penetration through their thick down. I don't bother shooting it on ducks though.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Every year the ammo companies come out with a new "gimmick" to market to hunters. That's fine and dandy if you want to spend $20+ on a box of shells. The bottom line is this, you hit em' or you miss em'. I have tried just about every shell out there, and for me personally I have NOT noticed much of a difference in the cheap loads vs. expensive. I usually buy Estates or Federals for around $11 a box and they do the job just fine. (I don't like Winchester Xperts though, sorry Dkhntrdstn) :mrgreen:


dont lie you love them sucker as well. I buy a box of heavy shot just for swans and geese. that last me a the whole season if not two seasons


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Every year the ammo companies come out with a new "gimmick" to market to hunters. That's fine and dandy if you want to spend $20+ on a box of shells. The bottom line is this, you hit em' or you miss em'. I have tried just about every shell out there, and for me personally I have NOT noticed much of a difference in the cheap loads vs. expensive. I usually buy Estates or Federals for around $11 a box and they do the job just fine. (I don't like Winchester Xperts though, sorry Dkhntrdstn) :mrgreen:


This!

All the hex loads are, are expensive spreader loads. But then again many people tend to over choke there loads and actually benefit from loads like these. A cheaper solution is to pattern there guns and find the right combination for the ranges they are shooting.


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## Joh Fredersen (Sep 24, 2013)

The funny thing about steel shot in strange shapes (hexagonal, with a little belt, or any non-round STEEL shot), is that that shape is the normal, stamped shape of the steel before it's rolled round in production.
So the ammo companies are charging you more $ for a product they can produce by skipping a step in making it. Brilliant marketing!!!!


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

I've killed a lot of ducks using the crappy cheap Xperts. This year I got a deal on Federal blue box loads at $10 a box no shipping or taxes. I'm sure they'll do the job for as close as I regularly shoot at ducks. The only shot I've actually seen a difference with are the Blindsides. My buddy had a pattern master choke in and every duck he shot had pellets fully penetrate and go through the body of the duck, break both wings and feet, and he never had a criple. But in return, the duck was pretty f-ed up.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I have to admit that I like the Remington Hypersonics. Sometimes I don't lead the bird enough so it compensates for my crappy shooting. 

I know it's not a weird shaped shot but I bought into the hype of speed.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Bax* said:


> I have to admit that I like the Remington Hypersonics. Sometimes I don't lead the bird enough so it compensates for my crappy shooting.
> 
> I know it's not a weird shaped shot but I bought into the hype of speed.


I'll never shoot hypersonics again. They dang near ruined my dearly departed dad's Browning B2000. They build up too much pressure.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I've killed a lot of ducks using the crappy cheap Xperts. This year I got a deal on Federal blue box loads at $10 a box no shipping or taxes. I'm sure they'll do the job for as close as I regularly shoot at ducks. The only shot I've actually seen a difference with are the Blindsides. My buddy had a pattern master choke in and every duck he shot had pellets fully penetrate and go through the body of the duck, break both wings and feet, and he never had a criple. But in return, the duck was pretty f-ed up.


Where did you score the Federals at?


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## Utmuddguy (Aug 25, 2013)

Look here http://www.rogerssportinggoods.com/ammunition/federal-steel.html


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Do any of the local sporting goods stores do price matching? Seems to me at one time Sportsmans did and of course WalMart does price matching. Just curious of Sportsmans still does and if Cabelas or Scheels does.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

Your taxidermist (especially if it's Tex-o-Bob) will curse you when you bring in birds for mounting that have been shot with it. That goes for black cloud too; I know from personnel experience! :mrgreen:


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

I personally just don't see the point of it. Good hit with round steel=dead bird, good hit with Blindside=deader bird, with a bigger hole in your wallet? A cube will never be as aerodynamic as a sphere, and I also don't see how doing more damage to the meat at closer ranges could be an advantage for anyone. Aside from heavier-than-lead stuff like Hevi, TSS, or ITX there really hasn't been a true shotshell forumula that has managed to make a worthwhile improvement on the basic round shot that has been around forever. It seems like they hit the golden BB with the 3", 1 1/4oz waterfowl load at 1400-1500fps years ago, and they've been trying to improve on it ever since without really accomplishing much. It's all marketing hype in my opinion :mrgreen:


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

LostLouisianian said:


> I'll never shoot hypersonics again. They dang near ruined my dearly departed dad's Browning B2000. They build up too much pressure.


 This is true!!! My brother's barrell bulged because of them. He took it into a gunsmith and he said his was the 6th one he had seen during the season and all were shooting hypersonics. This was a while back when they first hit the shelves.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

LostLouisianian said:


> Where did you score the Federals at?


 Just saw this. I ordered them from Rogers after their website security was updated. Long story short, a lot of credit cards were stolen, they fixed their site, and had a sale to "heal the black eye" so they offered free shipping plus a sale price on a lot of their stuff. I got one of the last cases of 3 inch #2's during that sale. They might be a little more expensive now.


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## hawglips (Aug 23, 2013)

Just like a cube shaped baseball won't fly as well and as far as a round one, so it is with cubed shot.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

hawglips said:


> Just like a cube shaped baseball won't fly as well and as far as a round one, so it is with cubed shot.


Funny I have consistantly dropped geese at 50+ yards with the stuff with one shot. Also patterns as good if not better on paper than any other round I have shot


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## hawglips (Aug 23, 2013)

> Posted by hawglips:
> Just like a cube shaped baseball won't fly as well and as far as a round one, so it is with cubed shot.





utahbigbull said:


> Funny I have consistantly dropped geese at 50+ yards with the stuff with one shot. Also patterns as good if not better on paper than any other round I have shot


But my comment is still true.

I wonder if they got the idea from those Borg ships on Star Trek the Next Generation. But the vacuum of space is different than down here in the air.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

No argument there, just like no one can argue that something with an edge / point will penetrate further than a round ball. The aerodynamics of the cube is the reason they use a wad that sticks with the load until long after it exits the barrel. And the reason you can't use a wad stripping choke with the stuff. It's performed flawless for me, I'll keep using it for geese. You shoot what works for you.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

utahbigbull said:


> I use Blind Side for geese and love it! 3" BB does some impressive damage on them. I seem to drop them harder than my buddies in the blind next to me shooting round shot. It gets excelent penetration through their thick down. I don't bother shooting it on ducks though.


yes those blind side do a number. I took a guy out that shot his swan with them and man did it fold that sucker up like no other


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## 1BandMan (Nov 2, 2007)

I shoot Dead Coyote hevi T's for everything including teal. The 3 1/2's are a tid bit expensive at a little over $5 a shell, but they do the job.


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

I have shot about every thing out there. And I can tell you that blindside works. But at a cost. It is twice the price of most shells and most those work just fine. I have shot a lot of blindside and I will tell you if I am swan hunting or really need to kill on the first shot of a goose it is my go too every time that said I probably only shoot 3 or 4 boxes a year vs 50 boxes of regular 4 shot anything else.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Matt!! Good to see ya here stranger. Let's get out this season and get some of that Blind Side flying and some geese buddy. I owe ya a field hunt so let's plan on it!


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

Sounds good to me. It seems like once the rogers trucks sale flyer comes all I can think about is hunting. It going to be a long couple months.


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