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Loads?

2K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  tripleb 
#1 ·
What loads do you guys use for geese? and what type (and size) of geese do you normally shoot?

We shoot giants here, usually around 12-13lbs, but got a couple over 14 this year.

I started out the year shooting 3.5" 1 3/8 #BB at 1550 and did pretty good on the stupid early geese. Then as the shots got longer, I switched to 3" 1 3/8 #BBB at 1250, and 3" 1 1/4 #2 hevi-shot, and started wounding and gut shooting birds... after 4 lost geese (sailed into the neighbors pond) I switched to 3.5" 1 9/16 #1 at 1475.. man what a change! Now that I have almost 200 pellets vs 74 with #BBB I have started getting more head/neck shots and it absolutely crumbles geese out to about 50 yards. I shot all of it out of a factory mod choke.

What have you guys found to be an ideal load for your situation?
 
#2 ·
I don't know if it was the tool or the fool for me, but Friday we called in a small flock to about 40 yards and I was prepared for them with a modified choke and Winchester Faststeel 3" BB and bang, bang, bang, hit a goose and kept trying to pump shells in him but he acted hit but never went down, not even on the far side of the field. I think after duck season I'm maybe gonna start using some heavier hitting loads because I know I won't be shooting as much.
 
#3 ·
luie b said:
I don't know if it was the tool or the fool for me, but Friday we called in a small flock to about 40 yards and I was prepared for them with a modified choke and Winchester Faststeel 3" BB and bang, bang, bang, hit a goose and kept trying to pump shells in him but he acted hit but never went down, not even on the far side of the field. I think after duck season I'm maybe gonna start using some heavier hitting loads because I know I won't be shooting as much.
I had the exact same thing with the #BBB. "BOOM!" goose would flinch and you could see a clean pass of shot and the bird would keep right on moving, just a little crooked. I think my problem was that I was only shooting 74 pellets and one or two were hitting the bird instead of 20. They can take a real beating and keep right on truckin, that is one of the reasons I switched to the #1 shot and 1 9/16 load.. So many pellets flying up there that if I do hit the bird there is a very good chance of hitting head, neck, wing, or all 3 and bringing the bird down. Or if I do have a bad placed shot and hit him in the gut, there should be enough hits that I hit an extreme vital and it comes down instead of flying away crooked. I almost tried 1 9/16 #BBB but then I realized I rarely take a shot over 45 yards so #1 should have enough power, plus extra pellets. If I ever find myself in the situation where I'm taking really long shots I think I will move up to #BB or #BBB.
 
#10 ·
From Sept 1-Jan 31st...3 1/2" #2. I will take pellet count and pattern density over larger size any day of the week. After all it dont take much to snap the neck of a Canada goose or penetrate the skull. More bb's the better the odds. Same with Turkeys. I dropped from 4's to 6's to get my pellet count and pattern density up. Increased my pattern density at all ranges and is a very effective killer.
 
#11 ·
When we first starting hunting geese with steel shot, around 1991, a lot of guys used Federal 1 3/8 3" loads of BBB's. They rarely were satisfied with the results, even seeing pellets fall out of the birds' feathers when they were picked up. Later I convinced these same friends to switch to a 1 oz. BBB load running just over 1500 fps. and they started hammering the geese (10 - 14 pounds at the time, they run a bit smaller 20 years later). We found that the Federal load was actually running under 1100 fps.

Having shot BBB's for many years, I will tell you that if you use them, as I do, you should keep the velocity us above 1400 fps., preferably 1450 fps. or higher. And, of course, you need to pattern your loads, not every gun/choke will pattern those loads well. Usually LM in a Benelli, Mod in a Remington or Imp Mod in the Invector Plus bore will pattern them the tightest for longer ranged shooting .... if you use conventional chokes.

I use a 1 3/16 oz. hand load of BBB's in my 12ga running about 1570 fps. and a 1 1/2 oz. load of 15 T's over 71 BBB's running about 1500 fps. in my 10ga. Most birds are "bang flops" with either load and I have very few birds which require a run down or swatter shots .... almost never more than 1 or 2 a season.

http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc33 ... 0pictures/
 
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