Duck Loads

[Tex S]

I've been reloading metallic rifle and pistol for many years. I feel like I have a good understanding of the ins and out of this type of reloading, so I figured loading some custom shotshells for killing ducks would be super simple.

I was wrong.

My father gifted me a MEC Sizemaster about 15 years ago. When I was younger and way more into "volume shooting" I created some very "hot" dove loads using this machine. Back in that day I wasn't really concerned with patterns, felt recoil, or fitting a load to a specific purpose. It was really just load and shoot.

So, I understand the process of physically creating a shotshell, but I'm having trouble understanding what would be the, and I hate to say it, "best" duck load. I hunt ducks over decoys and would like to have the capability to shoot 50 yards if necessary, at least 40 while still maintaining leathality.

I plan on loading steel in 2-3/4" 12 gauge hulls (or 3" if necessary, but I don't think it is). I have read quite a few manuals that I have bought from Ballistic Products, and their mantra seems to be lighter payloads at higher velocities. This makes sense to me, but I have also read that when shooting spherical pellets there reaches a point of diminishing returns since the faster the projectile is launched, the faster it loses its energy. I have no access to a ballistics calculator for spherical pellets so I am not sure if this is true.

I can't find any source of ballistic calculator for steel shotshell pellets. Some guys say "1600fps will do the trick." Well, thats fine and dandy, but a #2 pellet at 1600fps will (correct me if I am wrong) retain more downrange energy than let's say a #6 pellet. So there goes that theory.

I also came across another interesting theory when I was browsing the net. A lot of guys talk about pattern density and say something like you want 70% in a 30" circle. This also seems flawed to me, as 70% of 1oz of #2's is not going to look anything like, let's say 7/8oz of number #6's.

I want to create a load for medium to large ducks over decoys, and another for teal.

I think the larger duck load needs to be a larger pellet fired at high velocity. The teal load probably needs to be something with smaller pellets as to increase pattern density on the smaller, faster flying birds, but still a high velocity load.

A good ballistic software and a number stating the energy it takes to kill a duck would be nice. Anybody know where to find either?

I was also wondering if the listed velocities on factory shotshells are accurate, or if they are overstated much like factory rifle rounds. I have a chronograph, but don't really have an interest in buying shells for $30 per box to blast over it to check advertised velocities.

Ballistic Products manuals also makes mention of ambient temperature dramatically effecting load velocity. Has anybody ever tested this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I really want to bang out some loads over the spring and summer to be ready for duck season.

 

[snuffy]

steel shot

Looks like no one else has done much shotshell loading, at least not duck loads. Nowadays you're restricted to non-toxic shot. That means either steel, bismuth, heavy-shot, or some of the blends of tungsten. The cheapest is of course steel, so I'll focus on that.

Don't even consider any other powder than Alliant STEEL powder. It has a burn rate and just the right density to provide the speed needed. Ballistic products is THE place for supplies and info. They have the specialty wads needed for barrel protection and pattern control. AND they're right about the best steel loads are the fastest you can get for whatever load weight you choose. My favorite close duck loads was a 2-3/4 federal gold-medal shell with 1 ounce of #4 steel shot at 1600 fps. I don't remember the powder grains, but it WAS STEEL powder. Decoying ducks at 40-50 yards were DRT,(dead right there). I sometimes used #6 steel, but some cripples were the result at the longer ranges.

BP is right about speed as I said. The faster the shot leaves the barrel, the longer it will retain the speed required for penetration. Steel is much less dense than lead, so it requires higher speed to penetrate. But because it's less dense it slows down faster, so it MUST be launched faster.

You should select shot sizes for steel by going down at least 2 shot sizes from what you used to use for lead. For all game. My favorite duck loads with lead was 1-1/4 #6 at about 1300 fps. It was deadly clear out to 70 yards. When forced to shoot steel, I dropped to #4 steel, but because it was so much more bulky, I had to load lighter charges of #4. For geese I used BB, 3" 1-1/8 loads.

As for patterns, steel reacts to chokes differently than lead. An improved modified is the tightest I could go without the pattern opening up. Full choke actually shot bigger patterns that modified. A lot of work shooting patterns at sheets of paper, counting pellets holes, and drawing 30"inch circles to verify the above results.

Be sure to follow the recipes for whatever load you choose. The exact casing/shell, the exact wad, the listed powder charge and be sure to weigh each shot charge. It's very hard to dispense steel shot with a charge bar, especially the bigger sizes.

Hope this helps, reply if you have any more ?'s.

 

[Lucas McCain]

I've hunted a lot of ducks in my 72 years of life. I am fortunate that I live in what they call the "duck factory" of the Mississippi flyway. I shot steel the very first year that that it was required. We didn't know how to use it, we were advised to move up 2 shot sixes from lead to steel. We always shot 6's over decoys so we went to 4's. We killed very few ducks and crippled a bunch. Thank God for Labradors. We had 1-1/4 ounce loads and I don't remember the dram weight for the powder. Later in the season when the big heavy feathered northern ducks came we went from #4 lead to #2 steel. We had also learned that we had to set the decoy spread a lot closer to our blind. Our kill rate increased but the cripple rate was still higher than we had previously had with lead. Pass shooting ducks is an absolute bust, we guit that practice, we got pellets into them, slowed them down, but they just sailed to far away and it was very difficult to get the dog on the scent of the downed bird. Then the big black Canadian geese came. Now using lead in previous seasons that required #4 buck. F shot in steel was recommended with steel. I shot F's in my Winchester model 1200 on the first goose hunt and split the barrel open. At this point screw in chokes were uncommon, and modified chokes weren't used used very much neither. Soon, after many reports of damaged barrels, it came out that F shot wasn't recommended, even with screw in chokes it would seize them. And T shot was better, not good but better than F. Today I would use BBB and only shoot when they are close.
Now here is what I have learned over 35 years of loading and shooting steel shot. You are going to the best supplier there is by going to Ballistic Products. Yes they are expensive, but it is cutting edge, custom quality products your getting. Just like cars or whiskey. You can't get a new Cadillac for the same price as a Saturn, and a bottle of Crown Royal costs more than a bottle of Black Velvet.
The most important thing I have learned is forget about using steel shot. I only use Bismuth and tungsten matrix. It like shooting lead. You can kill ducks at fifty yards, consistently. With steel, yes on occasion you can kill them at 50 yards but not consistently. The cripple count went way down we started using bismuth and tungsten. You can use #6 or #4 shot and have denser patterns. With steel we saw less pellets pass through birds. Now we kill a lot of birds with no pellets in them. It passes completely through the duck, even on the large mallards.

Welcome to the fraternity of Duck hunting. We are a fast dying breed, it's good to have new blood. Welcome. I hope you can enjoy a long lifetime of hunting ducks and experiencing the unconditional love and loyalty that a Labrador dog will give you. Good shooting and I hope you have a target rich environment.

 

[Tex S]

Thanks for the reply guys.

Snuffy, I definitely plan on picking up some Alliant Steel. All of the data I have suggests it lends the highest velocities.

However, Longshot looks like a solid powder as well. Do you have any experience with it? I already have 2 pounds on hand as I use it for powerhouse loads in my 10mm.