# Which size steel shot



## fishingdan (Jan 7, 2010)

Hey everybody, I've been duck hunting a few times and I am planning on going more this year. I was just wondering what size shot most of you use. I've heard 2's and 4's I've thought about using 3's right in the middle. I hope to learn to call and get ducks into decoys this year, but so far it has all been pass or jump shooting. 

Thanks


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## Donttreadonme (Sep 11, 2007)

3" #3 are my favorite duck load. 3" #BB for geese. I used to shoot #2's but the more I shoot the #3's, the more I like them.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

I prefer 2 3/4" #4s. They give the best balance of pellet count and retained energy for ducks at reasonable ranges. If you look at this link, it shows that a 1 ounce load of 4s contains 191 pellets, while a 1 1/8 ounce load of 3s only has 172 pellets.:

http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/shotgun- ... -chart.php

The loads I shoot are either 1 1/6 ounce (Winchester Experts) or 1 1/8 ounce (B&P). Either one will kill ducks cleanly beyond 40 yards.


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## avidhntr3 (Sep 26, 2007)

I've been shooting the 3" 4's for years, but the last couple of years I have had some late season ducks within range where I just wasn't happy with the power. I'm switching to 3" 2's this year with a few 3 1/2" BB's in my pocket for geese.

By the way - late season is my favorite time for decoying ducks.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

3 inch 2 shot for ducks and 3 1/2 2's for geese


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

3" #2's for ducks, geese and swan.


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## Oblivion5888 (Sep 12, 2011)

3 inch # 2's for everything.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Joel Draxler said:


> 3" #3 are my favorite duck load. 3" #BB for geese. I used to shoot #2's but the more I shoot the #3's, the more I like them.


I'm pretty much the same except when over decoys I use 2 3/4" 4 shot most of the time.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

The important thing to remember is that you don't need to use shot any larger than what will penetrate to vitals and thus kill cleanly at your usual shooting distance. Number 4s will do this to at least 45 yards, I'm guessing 2s are good to maybe 60-65 yards. So, choosing 2s is overkill as far as retained energy is concerned. The real downside is you sacrifice pattern density with larger shot. This means you may cripple or even cleanly miss birds despite centering them in your pattern.

To put it another way, 1 ounce of 4s has 191 pellets. Because 4s are effective to 45 yards, it is superior to any load of 2s out to that range because it has better pattern density. The pattern density of 2s doesn't equal that of an ounce of 4s until the load reaches 1 1/2 ounce.

Late season ducks can be killed cleanly with 4s. I hunt the ice, and this was taken on the last day of the season--- with 3/4 ounce of 6s. The chokes were SK and IC:


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Believe me 3" #2's are not too big and if your shot placement is correct you don't need the added pellets. I like to hunt the ice too!


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## Dave B (Oct 1, 2007)

LOL well I like to hunt EVERYWHERE and I like 3" 4's. Or 2's or 3's! But I prefer 4's overall...


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## woollybugger (Oct 13, 2007)

I don't think there is a shot size in steel that would be a good choice for shots past 50 yards, except maybe a 3.5" 1 3/8 oz load of #1. I suggest that #4 are good to 40 yards, #3 to 45 yards, and #2 to 50 yards (most hunters can't hit anything at that range anyway), #1 to 55 yards. Anything beyond should not even be considered. Everyone has their hail mary stories; I have mine, especially back in the days of lead shot... But we shouldn't have the mindset that it is a good idea to shoot at birds out of range. 

I'm talking ducks here, for geese I think BB or #1 steel works out to 45 yards. Bottom line is that if you want to kill ducks, you must shoot at them in range capable of making a clean kill with the load you select. 

This year I'm going to shoot ducks with size 7.5 shot in my 28 gauge, but I'm not shooting steel; I'm shooting HEVISHOT!!! Ballistics on this stuff puts it up there with a steel #3, but with a lot higher pellet count!


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

Im with fowlmouth on this. I dont have problem killing birds with my 3inch number 2,s and geese with my 3 1/2 number 2,s same with swans.

my swan








21 ducks and two honkers








14 ducks


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## BigMac (Feb 12, 2012)

I use 2, 3, or 4 shot on the ducks BB on the geese. I usually find the cheepest stuff I can as they all kill when you get the birds in close! One of the previous posts said 4's out to 45 & 2's out to 65? :shock: I would never trust seel loads at that far of a yardage. Bring em in to 30 yards or closer & they all die the same.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

woollybugger said:


> I don't think there is a shot size in steel that would be a good choice for shots past 50 yards, except maybe a 3.5" 1 3/8 oz load of #1. I suggest that #4 are good to 40 yards, #3 to 45 yards, and #2 to 50 yards (most hunters can't hit anything at that range anyway), #1 to 55 yards. Anything beyond should not even be considered. Everyone has their hail mary stories; I have mine, especially back in the days of lead shot... But we shouldn't have the mindset that it is a good idea to shoot at birds out of range.
> 
> I'm talking ducks here, for geese I think BB or #1 steel works out to 45 yards. Bottom line is that if you want to kill ducks, you must shoot at them in range capable of making a clean kill with the load you select.
> 
> This year I'm going to shoot ducks with size 7.5 shot in my 28 gauge, but I'm not shooting steel; I'm shooting HEVISHOT!!! Ballistics on this stuff puts it up there with a steel #3, but with a lot higher pellet count!


It's really a question of balance, and there's no free lunch. You trade off pellet size, and thus downrange energy, for pattern density. And, in the case of non-toxic shot other than steel, cost. All the mentioned shot sizes will kill ducks, it's just a matter of optimizing your load and choke so that you deliver a reliable, killing pattern at and under the ranges at which you feel comfortable shooting at ducks.

How much are you paying for Hevi Shot? What load are you using?

BigMac, I mentioned those shot sizes and ranges. But what I said was that those pellets will retain enough energy at those ranges to penetrate sufficiently to make clean kills. I also said that your pattern density suffers with larger shot sizes. So, at 65 yards, you'll have a pretty skinny pattern, and holes large enough to miss even centered birds. Personally, I'll shoot ~35 yards and in, and 4s are the best choice for me and the way I hunt.


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

3.5" 'T' shot all the way baby!! run it through a full choke and youll be raining ducks all over the place  atleast thats the theory on center dike...

3" #2s or #3s are the best all around loads for ducks


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

For me (and I know I'll get grief) I like 3" #6's! 
You can't get a better pattern and if you keep the shots under 40 yards they are folding like you hit thim with a brick! I don't care what anyone says I haven't lost a bird in years!! Anyone who likes to shoot farther than 40 don't use #6's but for me it is all about how close I can get them now how far, that is why I'm a bow hunter for the deer and elk!!


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

hoghunter011583 said:


> For me (and I know I'll get grief) I like 3" #6's!
> You can't get a better pattern and if you keep the shots under 40 yards they are folding like you hit thim with a brick! I don't care what anyone says I haven't lost a bird in years!! Anyone who likes to shoot farther than 40 don't use #6's but for me it is all about how close I can get them now how far, that is why I'm a bow hunter for the deer and elk!!


I'm surprised that you kill ducks cleanly to 40 yards with 6s. They lose velocity quickly, and I don't shoot much beyond 30 yards with them. Maybe it's some kind of cloud effect. I know another guy who shoots 1 1/8 of steel 6s in his 12 gauge and really likes them. You can't beat the pattern density, that load has ~354 pellets, vs 141 for 2s, 178 for 3s, and 216 for 4s.


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## beretta2 (Jan 5, 2008)

With that many pellets, you can bet that the bords are going to catch some in the neck/head areas and you won't need to penetrate very far. This goes along with Paddler's 'cloud effect' comment. I am still a #2 shot size for ducks kinda guy though.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

beretta2 said:


> With that many pellets, you can bet that the bords are going to catch some in the neck/head areas and you won't need to penetrate very far. This goes along with Paddler's 'cloud effect' comment. I am still a #2 shot size for ducks kinda guy though.


My "cloud effect" comment was the idea that in a given load of shot, pellets are somewhat protected from the effects of air resistance, and so retain more energy downrange than would a single pellet. Same idea as a peleton of cyclists. Steel 6s, if you look at the ballistics, should be completely ineffective much beyond 30 yards. You're right about more pellets having a better chance of hitting the head and neck, though. Some of my bloodiest kills have been with 6s when they penetrate the carotids. Here's one from last year, this just the way it hit the ice:


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## Caddis-n-Cutts (Sep 28, 2007)

[/quote]

Ugly scene for such a beautiful bird!

I typically shoot 3" 4's and 2's, but I seem to have better kill results with the 2's.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

While switching files over to a new laptop, I came across some shot tables. It says that #6 steel, given a MV of 1365fps, has 1.8ft-lb of energy at 30 yards and 1.3ft-lbs at 40 yards. IMO, #6 steel is very marginal beyond 30 yards, but is lethal to 25 yards. Steel #4s have 2.5ft-lbs at 40 yards, #3s have 2.5ft-lbs at 50 yards. I don't have data for steel #5s, but that would probably be the optimal size for a 3/4oz 20 gauge steel load. Steel #4s give the best balance of energy and pattern density out to 40 yards. Number #3s have enough energy at 50 yards to yield clean kills, but you sacrifice some pattern density. That's probably not an issue for big ducks, but teal may be able to slip through #3s at longer ranges.


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