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Do You Use Lead Or Steel Shot For Duck Hunting?

Jordan recommended that duck hunters shoot steel shot two sizes bigger than what they’d use if shooting lead because the bigger pellets have more energy. “You’ve got to have enough energy to penetrate a duck’s vitals,” Jordan said. “I like 3s and 2s for big ducks, like mallards. For teal I like 4s and 5s.”

What shot is best for duck hunting?

#3’s and 4’s are the best shot sizes for ducks. They meet the minimum 3 foot-pounds of knockdown power, and the most pellets present within a 30” circle when reaching the distance of the target.

What size steel shot is best for duck hunting?

150”) have exhibited the best all-around performance for taking geese; steel #3 (. 140″) & HEVI-Shot #4 (. 130”) the best all-around performance for taking ducks; steel #2 & HEVI-Shot #4 (. 130”) the best all-around performance for taking ring-necked pheasants; & steel 7’s (.

Is lead better than steel shot?

Steel is less dense than lead. The pellets weigh one-third less than lead pellets of the same size. Steel retains less energy and may not kill birds cleanly at the same ranges. Steel with the same weight and shot size contains more pellets than lead, making loads that contain more shot than necessary.

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Can you use lead shot for duck hunting?

Nontoxic Shot Regulations For Hunting Waterfowl and Coots in the U.S. The ban on the use of lead shot for hunting waterfowl was phased-in starting with the 1987-88 hunting season. The ban became nationwide in 1991.

Where do you aim to shoot a duck?

Aim slightly below the bird, raise the gun up into its flight path, and pull the trigger when the gun barrel blots out the bird. Or, if the duck is descending to land, aim at its feet and shoot. By the time the shot charge gets on target, the duck will have dropped into the middle of the pattern.

What shot size for mallards?

2 steel shot, No. 4 Bismuth will do the job. Using Bismuth in a smaller shot size gives you more pellets per shot, a denser pattern, and thereby greater probability of a lethal pellet hit. Because of Bismuth’s malleability, pellets deform somewhat on impact as they dump lethal energy into waterfowl.

Is 6 shot too small for ducks?

Use a #6 Shot in Steel or Tungsten
For medium-sized ducks, a #6 steel or tungsten alloy shot can give you 115 hits per 30-inch circle. For larger ducks, however, the amount of hits that you can achieve drops down to 85 per 30-inch circle. Therefore, a #6 shot size isn’t ideal for larger ducks.

What size shell is best for duck hunting?

Ideally, you want 60 or more pellets in a 30-inch circle at the range you expect to be shooting geese, and these pellets need to be large ones that carry more energy. When it comes to ducks, a good rule of thumb is 85 to 135 pellets in a 30-inch circle.

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Why use steel shot for ducks?

Steel is non-toxic, but also lighter and harder than lead, which makes it perform differently. That difference frustrates hunters. Thanks to recent improvements in materials and design, steel shotshells can be quite effective provided you follow a few guidelines.

Can you use steel shot in a full choke?

When using steel shot, you should only use stainless steel choke tubes with modified or more open chokes. You should not use steel shot with Extra Full, Full, or Improved Modified Chokes of any kind. If it is a fixed choke barrel, we do not recommend using steel shot, as it may damage your barrel(s).

Does steel shot shoot tighter than lead?

Ballistics aside, steel does offer a distinct performance advantage over lead: tighter pattern density.

Why can’t you use duck lead shot?

In 1991, the federal government banned the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting because the toxic material was seen as the cause of population-level declines. Those populations have bounced back since then.

Where is lead shot banned?

Take the California example: in 2007, California banned the use of lead ammunition for hunting big game in the California Condor zone.

What are lead shots used for?

The main use today is as a projectile in shot guns, though there are several other applications as mentioned below. Originally, lead shot was used in muskets and early rifles. To control the hardness of shot used in shotgun shells, varying amounts of antimony are added to the lead shot, forming lead alloys.

Do you close one eye when shooting ducks?

Many cross-dominant shooters tend to close one eye to make the gun shoot where they look.

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How far do you aim in front of a duck?

A shooter needs to lead a duck by . 24-5.16 feet to make a clean shot. The two distinct variables that determine how far each duck should be led by are: How far away the duck is, and how fast the duck is flying.

What is best choke for duck hunting?

A modified choke tube (0.020”) is the best choke size for duck hunting. It allows for all-around performance for both decoying and passing shots. All types of shot and shot sizes can be put through a modified choke tube with no issues. Full chokes are specialized chokes for long distance shots only.

Can you hunt duck with 6 shots?

Size #6 Steel works wonders for duck inside of 33 yards. I used it for many years for the first half of the season. It will penetrate well through a duck inside of thirty yards are benefits with more pellet strikes, wider patterns and it won’t tear up your table meat nearly as bad as bigger shot as you noted.

What is #4 shot used for?

By far, the most common animals hunted with #4 shot are turkey, pheasant and geese. The #4 lead is one of the best lead shot sizes you’ll ever find for medium to large game birds. Lead flies very well and can keep a tight pattern for quite a long range, making it ideal for large birds in flight as well as runners.

Is 2 shot too big for teal?

Size 2 shot neither tears teal up nor does it cripple them, although for September teal season I’ll shoot 4 or 5 shot because it seems more appropriately sized. Size 3 pellets might make a good all-around load for you, too, since you’re not shooting big ducks or geese.

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