never been duck hunting

[KID CREOLE]

As stik and D16 have mentioned many of us have gone thru so many mistakes and many of us will try to cut the learning curve down for the new folks coming in to the sport. From ammo to guns to decoys to chokes their is no one perfect set up that works all the time anywhere. In my 40 years of duck and goose hunting I learn something new every day I hunt

Many of todays new hunters are more concerned about stacking up birds for tailgate shots than they are about learning how to hunt. So many people band aid their talent level by buying ammo and chokes to shoot high. If you want to shoot shells that cost $25 a box go for it, is it needed, probably not

I will always encourage new and seasoned hunters to work harder on getting birds in close vs. shooting high and far.

Shooting longer distances increases your cripple rate and your retrieval time, nothing like looking for a crippled bird and have a flock of mallards or specs flare off while you or your dog is in the spread

 

[MasterBlaster66T]

disclaimer... always shoot following the manufactures recommendation for choke use. if you do not know call the maker of your gun or choke tube and ask them!

I only shoot a couple ducks a year so take this for what it is, just my opinion and that's all.

The idea behind chokes is to give you a desired pattern at the range you will be shooting. A open choke like improved cylinder (IC) or skeet will fan out quick leaving you with bird size gaps at longer range. Inversely a full choke will give you a tight pattern that will make it harder to hit up close but retain pattern density at a longer range.

If you shoot a duck at 15 yards with a full choke and steel shot its going to be dead! it might also be missing a large part of its body! The same duck would be just as dead if shot with a IC and steel. Now take that out to 40 yards and your duck shot with a full and steel is dead but your IC and steel might have found a gap in your pattern and is now running fast out to the sea to hide from you.

its all about compromise, shoot the tightest choke you can reasonably kill birds with at the limit of your range and up close. To tight and you will miss a lot up close, to loose and you will miss or worse cripple a lot far out.

why do i shoot Mod with steel? for me it gives reasonable range with a pattern that can still hit crossing teal at 15 yards if need be. its a bit tight up close but i would rather not cripple a bird at 35 yards so i keep the pattern tight. If i miss no big deal there will be 100 other willing ducks to come by. Even at mod choke you can chew up a bird that is feet down and close but i can live with that.

this is something that every scatter gunner has to figure out with their gun. For every guy that swears that his xtra full super mod ic with cooling fins is the bomb choke and everyone is doing it wrong there is a guy shooting a open choke and killing just as many birds. Go pattern your gun and report back what you find. then put your mod choke in and leave it. : )

lol @ bloodlover do you hunt with steeltown i hear he likes to sky bust too........... brb gota make popcorn

Haha, pocorn! Hillarious. Good write up.

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[MasterBlaster66T]

Another question in regards to barrel probs. Is it a problem to shoot 3 inch shells from a barrel marked for 2 3/4?

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[D16hunter]

Another question in regards to barrel probs. Is it a problem to shoot 3 inch shells from a barrel marked for 2 3/4?

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I don't know as much as most on here but DO NOT shoot 3in shells from a 2 3/4 barrel it will mess your gun up


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[MasterBlaster66T]

Oh boy. Do you mean it will jack up the barrel?

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[D16hunter]

Oh boy. Do you mean it will jack up the barrel?

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Yes and potentially the whole gun. No offense but am I being messed with?


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[MasterBlaster66T]

No, sorry if it seemed that way. It is a real question I wondered as I was sitting here in the duck blind. Now I am wondering if that is the reason my shots have been lately since I only recently shot 3's thru it
P.s. thanks for the help
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[D16hunter]

Sorry this whole thread has me a bit paranoid. I just think it could be bad for the gun. Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in


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[MasterBlaster66T]

Yeah, the thread is pretty rough, but F 'em!

(J K)

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[8SteelTown]

Little side note here. I keep a record of the chokes I have, what they shoot, etc. don't want to mistake 1 for another and have a blowout. Stats pulled from manufacturer label or online info found.

 

[Fowl Play]

Another question in regards to barrel probs. Is it a problem to shoot 3 inch shells from a barrel marked for 2 3/4?

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A 3" shell will not fit in a 2 3/4" chamber. Longer chambers can shoot shorter length rounds, but nice vice versa. For instance, a 3.5" long chamber, can shoot 3.5", 3", and 2.75" loads. A 2.75" long chamber can only shoot 2.75" loads.

Edit: Master Blaster.... you shot 3" shells out of a gun marked 2 3/4"?! First off... how? Did you have to jam them in there? Second off, that is extremely dangerous... not so much for the gun but for your face. If the chamber does not lock, but you still have the ability to fire the round, it could open on you, at ignition... sending flames and hot gases into your face.

 

[MasterBlaster66T]

Yeah, I just had to push really hard and jammed it in her. She seemed to like the snug fit, and it really blew out of the barrel when it fired. It was awesome!

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[MasterBlaster66T]

I'm just kidding, I really do hear what you are saying and very much do appreciate your concern. The gun will chamber up to three, but stupid me I never noticed the barrel was stamped for 2 3/4. They seem to shoot ok although I have not patterned it so there may be gaps. I don't really understand how a barrel would be for just 2 3/4 though, when you think about it.

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[MasterBlaster66T]

How would it bulge the barrel or seize the choke tube? It should just shoot through, shouldn't it?

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[Fowl Play]

How would it bulge the barrel or seize the choke tube? It should just shoot through, shouldn't it?

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Do you know the difference between the chamber of a gun and the barrel? Your chamber is not made to fit 3" shells, has nothing to do with the barrel. You are playing with fire, shoving a 3" round in there. The one time that gun does not lock properly, you could loose your eyes. I'm not trying to be a dick, but how much experience do you have with firearms? Do you know the difference between 12 gauge and 20? These are very basic (yet critical) things any gun owner should know. Should be one of the first things you learn, as the results could be life threatening. Next time I'm at the range I would be more than happy for you to tag along -- make sure we have everything squared away before you go back into the field.

What gun are you shooting by the way?

 

[MasterBlaster66T]

No, I get it. The 12 is larger. I am missing what your saying about the chamber though. It is made for threes, but the barrel does not appear to be. It would be great to go to the range though, cus it does sound a little sketchy still to me. I'm not exactly sure what trolling is.
I'm shooting a rem 1100 magnum
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[Fowl Play]

No, I get it. The 12 is larger. I am missing what your saying about the chamber though. It is made for threes, but the barrel does not appear to be. It would be great to go to the range though, cus it does sound a little sketchy still to me. I'm not exactly sure what trolling is.

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Could you post up a picture of your gun. Also a picture of the markings that say 2 3/4"

 

[MasterBlaster66T]

Not with tapatalk. Just look up 1100 mag

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[Aeon]

ok...this thread is like a tornado.
look at the above photo. the shell fits in the area marked chamber body. As the shot leaves the gun it is constricted down by the forcing cone. it then travels down the barrel to the choke where its squished even more.

in a 2 3/4 chamber gun the forcing cone is closer to the receiver. how much closer? you guessed it 1/4 of a inch. why does that matter? well smokless powder is very sensitive to pressure! the more pressure its under the more energetic it becomes. ( DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME) a simple science test to show this effect would be to light some smokless powder on fire with it just laying on the ground. IT will burn slow and not explode at all. that same powder under pressure becomes explosive. example of that is in a shotgun shell! the pressure of pushing the shot charge down the barrel changes how the powder burns.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_ballistics

now if you cram a 3" into a 2 3/4" chamber the forcing cone hits the shot much faster causing a spike in pressure. that spike happens to be right where you do not want a burst ( next to your face). Now toss in a auto loader with a 2 3/4" barrel. on a gas gun its going to have ports cut into it that let gas cycle the gun. the NON magnum barrel is going have big holes to let lots of lower pressure gas move the bolt. Shove in the magnum cartridge and pressure goes up quite a bit and your big ports are letting in a LOT more gas shoving the bolt back much much harder.

that is why its bad!

 

[MasterBlaster66T]

Roger that, thanks for clarification.

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