[BBW]

what do you think of steel shot for water fowl i personally don't like steel and prefer the tungsten matrix or heavy shot when i hunt but i will be trying the new black cloud shells this year as i tried them a little last year on ducks and liked them

 

[Riggs]

I think you'll really like the Black Cloud. Remember though, with Black Cloud don't use anything tighter than modified. I use I/C.

 

[Guest]

You will have no regrets with the black clouds. Used BB's for canada's and 4's for snows with a modified choke. Our kill ratio went up instantly with more kill shots overall also.

 

[Patty]

I like the winchester supremes, they pattern well and have decent knockdown power, they are a little pricyer... Use to use nothing but challengers 3 1/2" BB for geese and 3" 4's for ducks, But the quality seems to have gone down in them, when i first started using them lead was still legal and they were the best bang for your buck... Never tried heavy shot or any of the matrix shells, never really had the need to, steel performs just as well at ethical ranges...

 

[canadian-ice]

I have found steel to work just fine once I started using the right chokes. Pretty much anything BB or larger, patterns best for me using i/c. Some smaller shot sizes I can get away with modified and can a get a pretty deadly pattern with #4 shot for ducks over decoys. I even ended up seizing a full choke into my 870 after much shooting with steel BB's for geese. I don't recommend using any choke tighter than modified when shooting steel.

 

[shane019]

I usually shoot Winchester Experts because they are the cheapest..... I find the Kent shells to be pretty good.. I cannot justify spending 2-4 dollars a shell..... I have shot Black Clouds and didn't really notice a difference from the cheap shells (have to hit them first hahah) but, that was over decoys so really anything works in close. I found that the Remington Hypersonics with improved modified choke work well for the shy birds that don't want to decoy.....

Shotgun shells are like anything else the more you pay the better quality you get IMO but I will easily go through 20 boxes of shells a season so I would have to re moregage my house to shoot heavy shot.

 

[Patty]

I have found steel to work just fine once I started using the right chokes. Pretty much anything BB or larger, patterns best for me using i/c. Some smaller shot sizes I can get away with modified and can a get a pretty deadly pattern with #4 shot for ducks over decoys. I even ended up seizing a full choke into my 870 after much shooting with steel BB's for geese. I don't recommend using any choke tighter than modified when shooting steel.

a little tip about screw in chokes: Treat them like your breach plug in your muzzleloader, clean them regularly and always use lube on the threads... My 11-87 has the same system as the 870's and i've never had one sieze, i shoot lots of 3 1/2" BB, BBB,T etc through it and almost always had the factory FULL STEEL OR LEAD tube in...

I also have an 870 that i neglected to have the choke reamed out of when switching to steel that now resembles a rifled barrel... Steel is hard on barrels because its Waaay harder than lead, and therefore a more open choke is highly recomended... But now wih screw in chokes and the technology that has advanced with them there are "full" chokes available for steel That still pattern well with the larger shot sizes... To each there own, i prefer a full choke, But for birds over dekes you don't really need it... I've shot geese with a 18" cyl choke marine magnum over dekes!!!!

 

[shane019]

I had a Stoeger M2000 and everyone of the chokes got seized in (except skeet choke). I tried everything with them but the problem was the choke itself would expand in the middle and seize in. I managed to get the IC and Modified out after seizing in but once they came out they wouldn't go back in. I ended up putting in the Full choke and had it opened to modified. I don't shoot anything bigger than BB.....

 

[Patty]

Maybe look into getting a aftermarket choke system or have it looked at by a gunsmith, the chokes shouldn't expand like that!!! I would suspect that if left unnoticed that it could lead to Barrel burst or blowing the choke right out of the barrel not to mention that if it expanded the choke tube it also would have expanded the outer portion of the barrel where it is machined for the chokes potentionally causing every choke you put in to expand... IMO... There are tons of aftermarket chokes out there for everything from Skeet to coyote and deer chokes, Most are reasonably priced...