2023-2024 Waterfowl Thread

[dalton916]

I, as in ME, not YOU, but ME, wouldn’t do it.

Beg borrow or steal a 26” gun and shoot it first. I struggle shooting ducks with a 26” barrel. Maybe it too small for me? I don’t know, but I would try the more open chokes with the 28” first.

(If you waterboarded me I would probably scream out that barrel length is all mental anyway)

 

[Micneador]

@dalton916 and other shooters of timber ducks, got a question.

Loving the new Beretta, but hate hunting a modified choke. I've always wanted a 12/26 autoloader in something like a cylinder/skeet/imp cylinder. Most of my shots are at 20-30 yards, with more at 20-25 than 30. I can't shot much further than that, but luckily I'm a better scout and hunter than a wingshot.

How crazy am I to look for a good smith to chop 2" off the barrel and finish it up and reinstall the bead? I've looked for a 26" improved cylinder barrel til I'm blue in the face.

Briley can thread for thin wall chokes. Could have a couple inches cut and rethread for chokes.

Edit due to Dalton post beating mine.

I haven't seen a noticeable different between 26 and 28".

 

[BTaylor]

I have not seen an imp cylinder patterned with steel shot but I dont think I would ever consider going that open even in tight spaces. Switched to an imp mod years ago and have never felt the need for anything better. For all close shooting, I am killin them dead or it's a miss, not watchin feathers fall and the bird leave. At 20-25 for a primary distance, I would lean heavily towards sticking with the modified tube. Might want to try a different tube and/or load if you arent happy with your current pattern.

 

[Nutterbuster]

I have not seen an imp cylinder patterned with steel shot but I dont think I would ever consider going that open even in tight spaces. Switched to an imp mod years ago and have never felt the need for anything better. For all close shooting, I am killin them dead or it's a miss, not watchin feathers fall and the bird leave. At 20-25 for a primary distance, I would lean heavily towards sticking with the modified tube. Might want to try a different tube and/or load if you arent happy with your current pattern.

You shoot much better than me then. I have hunted an improved cylinder choke for the past 2 seasons and much prefer it to a tighter choke. You definitely miss or pound them with this gun at close range. Even with an improved cylinder, I literally cut one in half last year. But I do shoot either steel 4s or bismuth 5s, and I shoot 1 3/8ths. Lotsapellets.

I'll wait out the season before cutting down the barrel, but I do like open chokes and shorter barrels. I hunted once with an 18" cylinder bore "home defense" barrel one morning just for giggles. That was a little too far in that direction, but I limited out in short order.

 

[Micneador]

I have not seen an imp cylinder patterned with steel shot but I dont think I would ever consider going that open even in tight spaces. Switched to an imp mod years ago and have never felt the need for anything better. For all close shooting, I am killin them dead or it's a miss, not watchin feathers fall and the bird leave. At 20-25 for a primary distance, I would lean heavily towards sticking with the modified tube. Might want to try a different tube and/or load if you arent happy with your current pattern.

I haven't shot a 12 at ducks/geese in 10 years minus one spring snow goose hunt.

My 20 gauge keeps a light modified in at all times wether I'm shooting a straight steel load (usually #3) or TSS/Steel. (9 over 3 steel)
My 28 O/U with TSS/Steel duplex rides CYL/IC due to TSS shooting so dang tight. 40YD patterns retaining 90% of TSS in a 30" circle. (9 over 4 steel)

 

[kbetts]

Very gun/load dependant. Two of my guns run extended skeet chokes exclusively. The 12 I shot the other day...skeet. I use Carlson in my Franchi and I'm using an extended "short range" choke.

 

[Micneador]

Very gun/load dependant. Two of my guns run extended skeet chokes exclusively. The 12 I shot the other day...skeet. I use Carlson in my Franchi and I'm using an extended "short range" choke.

What franchi you shooting?

Only franchi's I've ever shot were the 48AL and my buddy owned a 720 20 gauge that was a wonderful gun to shoot.

 

[kbetts]

What franchi you shooting?

Only franchi's I've ever shot were the 48AL and my buddy owned a 720 20 gauge that was a wonderful gun to shoot.

I bought a Franchi Affinity 20 a couple years ago. Love the little thing.

 

[Squirrels]

I bought a Franchi Affinity 20 a couple years ago. Love the little thing.

Just picked myself up one a couple weeks ago, bought some Boss 3s too. Pattern testing was great. Time will tell on how they do on the mallards.

 

[Micneador]

I bought a Franchi Affinity 20 a couple years ago. Love the little thing.

I'll probably end up getting one for my wife eventually unless i find a good deal on a used benelli. Her stoger 3020 has seen some abuse over the years from yours truly

I picked up a used SX3 20 from a friend last year that been a soft shooter and so far I've shot very well with it.

 

[kbetts]

I'll probably end up getting one for my wife eventually unless i find a good deal on a used benelli. Her stoger 3020 has seen some abuse over the years from yours truly

I picked up a used SX3 20 from a friend last year that been a soft shooter and so far I've shot very well with it.

My Franchi says made by Benelli right on the side. My first inertia gun and I like it. My only beef is that it can be hard on the thumb when reloading.

 

[Micneador]

My Franchi says made by Benelli right on the side. My first inertia gun and I like it. My only beef is that it can be hard on the thumb when reloading.

They're imported by benelli just like stoger. Same family.

 

[Squirrels]

My Franchi says made by Benelli right on the side. My first inertia gun and I like it. My only beef is that it can be hard on the thumb when reloading.

Every benelli, stoeger, franchi are hard on the thumb. The carrier plate needs a redesign. You can buy an aftermarket replacement that solves the issue if it bothers one bad enough. There are some methods to loading it that help, just youtube it.

 

[dalton916]

I have not seen an imp cylinder patterned with steel shot but I dont think I would ever consider going that open even in tight spaces. Switched to an imp mod years ago and have never felt the need for anything better. For all close shooting, I am killin them dead or it's a miss, not watchin feathers fall and the bird leave. At 20-25 for a primary distance, I would lean heavily towards sticking with the modified tube. Might want to try a different tube and/or load if you arent happy with your current pattern.

This made me laugh…..at ME, not you, lol.

Many times I’ve gone out on the SC opener and shot my first woodduck graveyard dead only to realize I still had my turkey choke in the gun,

Didn’t happen this year because I carried a 20 ga 870 turkey hunting. A few years ago I stoned a woodduck at a respectable distance…..think brick wall. I’m feeling all good about my shooting prowess when my son chimes in with….”change you choke when we get back home”. I was deflated, lol

 

[Micneador]

This made me laugh…..at ME, not you, lol.

Many times I’ve gone out on the SC opener and shot my first woodduck graveyard dead only to realize I still had my turkey choke in the gun,

Didn’t happen this year because I carried a 20 ga 870 turkey hunting. A few years ago I stoned a woodduck at a respectable distance…..think brick wall. I’m feeling all good about my shooting prowess when my son chimes in with….”change you choke when we get back home”. I was deflated, lol

I've seen guys leave their turkey choke in and it looks like they're shooting dragons breath or tracers at first light.

I haven't taken overly long shots at ducks, but head shot a rooster pheasant beyond 60 yards with a fixed Mod O/U 20 gauge. First shot cut a tail feather, gave it a hair more and he folded. My buddy's dad looked at me like a wizard

Another friend of mine, his dad could have been the next George Digweed. I've watched him stone mallards at stupid distances with a cheap stoger Condor. Like 70 yards stupid, teal at 50-60, honkers near 80. Unreal

 

[dalton916]

Most people refuse to lead a bird, especially a cruising duck, as far as they need to in order to kill them. Heck, I KNOW and I still don’t lead them enough on occasion.

I shot a mallard in a rice field from a layout blind with steel that I had zero business shooting. She had been shot at 6 times already by two different guns and she was high and moving out. I raised up, pulled wayyyyyyy out in front of her……poof…..she folded up, lol. I just laid back down, closed the doors on my blind and called the dog’s name to send him to get my duck

I knew it was a miracle, everyone else knew it was a miracle, but I couldn’t let on it was anything more than another day at the office, lmao

 

[shmelton]

I have not seen an imp cylinder patterned with steel shot but I dont think I would ever consider going that open even in tight spaces. Switched to an imp mod years ago and have never felt the need for anything better. For all close shooting, I am killin them dead or it's a miss, not watchin feathers fall and the bird leave. At 20-25 for a primary distance, I would lean heavily towards sticking with the modified tube. Might want to try a different tube and/or load if you arent happy with your current pattern.

Man between me and my hunting partner we’ve killed countless birds with an ic choke. That’s all either of us have ever used. I’ve killed them in fields, and in the woods. Actually I don’t think I’ve ever had a choke besides an IC in my duck gun. Most of the guys I hunted with that actually knew what they were doing killed them used IC’s or mods. The noobs always showed up with those tight ass custom chokes, and wondered why we could kill our limit with less than a box of shells, and they couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. I know there are some real killers out there that use tight chokes, but it just never worked for me. The biggest game changer for me was BOSS shells. I could kill 6 ducks with 8 shells if they were working right. Instead of knocking the bird down with 1 shot, and need 2 more to kill it. With BOSS they were DRT.


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[dalton916]

If shoot the woods you should never need anything more than IC. Do it right or don’t shoot and if you’re doing it right you won’t take a shot beyond 25 yds except for maybe cleaning up cripples.

I actually LIKE a bit tighter choke for woodducks here at home if I’m hunting a beaver swamp that’s big or has a lot of opening because I feel that a tighter choke has a longer shot string that an open choke. Woodducks in those situations are normally scooting when you shoot them so you need all the shot string you can get. But….the best shot string in the world isn’t worth a crap if you never get it out in front of the bird.

 

[Micneador]

If shoot the woods you should never need anything more than IC. Do it right or don’t shoot and if you’re doing it right you won’t take a shot beyond 25 yds except for maybe cleaning up cripples.

That's the draw to timber for me. In your face or nothing. Our wood duck hatch has been phenomenal this year it seems, and I haven't shot one in a few years so I'm eager to get into em. Sunday hopefully.

 

[Nutterbuster]

Another day, another limit. Lounging around eating duck tartare and playing with kiddo now.

This was a cool hunt because me and my daughter scouted this spot out Thursday afternoon.