2 3/4" on Ducks??

[Rogmatt]

How about these modern steel 2 3/4" high brass loads. Will they work??
Thanks for any opinions and feedback. All the autos I have are 2 3/4", and I have my first duck hunt in 2 weeks.

[Bill in IL]

Buy Hevi-Shot 2 3/4 inch and you will be happy. Another option is to try and borrow a gun capable of shooting 3 inch steel loads. Good luck on your hunt and let us know how it goes.

[dukkillr]

I shoot 2 3/4" shells much of the early season when shooting non-mallards.  I shoot them out of an old Model 12 that I like a great deal.  You don't need the expensive shells, 2s 3s or 4s will work great for decoying or smaller ducks... the only time the 3" stuff is important is for windy days, spooky ducks, or if geese could be involved.

[Land_Owner]

My Win. 1300 pump broke early in the season.  Before I could replace the part, I purchased a Benelli pump in 42" barrel.  The "European" IC choke seems to be much tighter than the IC Win.  The Benelli shot pattern is tighter and the distance longer than expected.  It has taken some getting used to, but I like a 2.75" #4 steel load in the lighter Benelli.  Don't get me wrong, I also like the apparent "extra" distance the Benelli throws #4 steel from 3" sheels.  Perhaps the Benelli fits better out of the box than the Win.  Whatever, I am making more of my opportunities with the Benelli and 2.75" loads.  Still getting used to it though.

[dukkillr]

42"?  I've never seen anything longer than 34"

I can't think of anything nice to say about a 1300.  Any product, with any sized chamber would be an upgrade.

[Land_Owner]

Oops.  Make that 42" overall (not barrel).  Seems you have your particular duck gun likes and dislikes, just about everybody does.  Since I am an avid deer hunter, the choice of duck gun is, to me, rather immaterial.  I duck hunt because my partner loves it almost as much as his family.  We duck hunt together at dawn and I deer hunt at dusk.  Works for me.

[dukkillr]

the nova is a very solid pump.  i find them similar in function to an 870.  very find duck guns, both.

[Land_Owner]

...kinda of getting off topic, but the Benelli Nova is a very stout pump gun and appars to be well made.  It needs more rounds through it to smooth the action and my tactile feeling for it, but that will come.

An "experienced customer" at the gun store said I would not like the recoil in that gun from 3" shells...that it would kick me.  He was wrong.  I can find nothing wrong with shooting it 25 times a morning other than I still haven't gotten 6 ducks.  I've made a few decoys waterlog though... :wink:  

I think I am still trying to sneak up on the ducks when they're passing at 30 mph.  Kind of a deer hunting habit that is hard to break.  John (62 y.o.) loves it.  With 500,000+ rounds through his collective skeet and trap guns in a lifetime of shooting to my (52 y.o.) 1000+, well, you get the point.  My new moniker is: "Winchester quit making shells?  I ain't done yet."

[Sx2]

Estate has a 1400FPS 1 1/4 oz 2 3/4" offering. check it out

[Buckskin]

42" wow! Now that would be quite a swing!

[willysjeep134]

Dukkillr,

You hunt with a model 12, what choke do you have. I have an old model 12 field grade with a full choke that I shoot trap with and do some upland hunting. I was thinking about doing some duck hunting, but I was told that the old model 12 with a full choke would develope a barrel bulge near the choke if I shot steel shot through it. I guess the theory is that steel shot won't compress through the choke like lead would, resulting in a few thousanths bulge right before the choke. I've also been told that smaller shot makes this less of a problem.

I was thinking I could either buy a box of bismuth for the little bit of waterfowling I do, or I could find a front half assembly from another model 12 with a modified or cylinder choke and not worry about wrecking it. Both of those options could get pricey though.

So, have you seen any barrel bulge with your gun? Did you have tubes or a polychoke installed? Is there any advice you could give me?

[dukkillr]

i killed a limit of teal saturday with my favorite m12.  It's a 2 3/4"  28" mod with a simmons vent rib.  The wood was beat up when I bought it, and it had been reblued.  I hunt with it for almost all upland and early waterfowl trips.  In fact I'm leaving here in the next few minutes to go dove hunting and I'm taking it with me.  I've never messed with having the choke tubes installed although I've thought about it.  The guys I know that have done it say that the results are better if done on a 3" "heavy duck" gun.  Apparently the barrel thickness is important for the threading.  That's all fine and good except that I can't think of a situation where I'd want to shoot a 30" 3" "heavy duck" gun at upland birds.  I hate the poly-choke things with a passion and won't do that to my guns. 

Chokes are over-rated anyway.  I've said it before in other threads, but I'll say it here again.  People who spend a bunch of time patterning different shells/chokes/guns would be better off to have taken that time and spent it in other ways.  Practicing shooting/calling/scouting or even working would be more productive and put more birds on the table that worrying about your choke.  I bought my work-horse duck gun (a 3" 26" BPS) many years ago and put the modified choke tube in.  I haven't taken it out.  I've shot fall turkeys, doves, quail, pheasants, ducks, geese, rails, snipe, squirrels, and even a few fur bearers since then.  I've shot a perfect round of skeet and a perfect round of trap with that modified M12.  Now don't over react to what I'm saying.  My spring turkey gun has a super full choke in it.  I also have a couple of benellis that i routinely change the choke on for my fiance.  To say chokes make no difference would be false.  What I'm saying is that they don't make THAT MUCH difference, and aren't really worth worrying about.  100% of the duck hunters I've met that worry about chokes have no idea what they're doing with a duck call, don't know how to work ducks, and can't hit what they're aiming at.  Each of those things is more imporant than their choke/load/gun combination.

I've never shot bismuth.  I've shot heavy shot, steel, lead, and copper plated lead out of that m12.  I've never noticed any real difference.  I even shot a 3" 30" Full M12 at ducks and geese using steel for part of a season without any negative results.  I probably don't recommend doing that, but I did it.

My advice, buy a case of 2 3/4" steel 4s or 2s for ducks or lead 6s for pheasants and go hunt.  Kill 'em all.

[dukkillr]

Well since I told you I was getting ready to go dove hunt I thought I'd take a picture of the gun and the results of this afternoon hunt.  Many of the doves have headed south but I still managed to pick up a limit over a couple of hours.  The limit in Missouri is 12.

[dakotashooter2]

I always get a kick out of people who think 3" shells have more "power" than 2 3/4".  A 1350 FPS load in a 3 " has no more power (energy) than the 1350 FPS 2 3/4" case. Sorry shotshells do not violate the Laws of Physics.  Likely the "extra power" of the 3" shell at longer ranges is due to the larger payload and better pattern  (though not always the case) it presents at that extra range.  The fact is that if you are a pretty good shot to start with the 2 3/4' is really no handicap at moderate ranges. In other words if you regularly "dust" clay pigeons rather than just break them at the range th 1/8 oz difference in payload (to get similar velocities) probably won't make a difference.  Actually my favorite gun for general duck shooting is a 20 ga. I tend to have better success with it than with a 12. I also use a O/U for duck hunting and will often load a 2 3/4" in the first barrel and 3" in the second just to get that little extra "pattern" when the birds start to flair away.

I remember in the good old days of lead we hardly ever bought 3" shells.

[Buckskin]

Dakota,
You contradict yourself there.  Why would your second shot be a 3" if you think there is no benefit.  Of course the extra shot, especially w/ steel is a help.  Back in the good old days you didn't need to make up for the crappy steel load that you were throwing at them.  You could very efficiently kill ducks w/ lead trap loads. But w/ steel, who knows, especially in wind!

[dukkillr]

It's been a several years since I studied physics but I think additional pellets hitting the same target would indeed increase the "force" on the target and impart more Kinetic Energy which is what creates "knock-down power".  It's quite simple if you think about it.  Lets say you're shooting 2 3/4" 3s at a mallard drake at 40 yards.  Lets say your pattern will hit him with 5 pellets that left the barrel at 1300 FPS but are now traveling at 1100.  Assuming that none of the pellets pass through the target, the "knock-down power" is going to be the collective energy of those 5 pellets.  Now assume you move up to 3" and your pattern hits that same drake at the same range with the same speed, but this time it's got 7 pellets.  Well there going to impart the same individual KE but collectively they will transfer 7/5s more.

Of course I'm only trying to help explain.  I continue to believe that most days your shooting and your hunting ability are far more important than the length of you shells.

[Buckskin]

I continue to believe that most days your shooting and your hunting ability are far more important than the length of you shells.

No doubt.