16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 16 Feb 2007 Posts: 181 Location: Great White North

I recently acquired 2 new Browning 16's, and would like to get some use out of them. I also sold the rest of my Brownings save for a mint Light Twelve with Invector chokes. That being said, I'm contemplating using only the 16's on ducks this year. Shooting is almost exclusively done out of a blind over decoys, and I'm not into sky blasting or 80yard shots. I'm thinking some Federal steel should do the trick. Just wondering how many of you use primarily your 16's for waterfowl, and if your results are worth the effort?

Member Joined: 09 Jan 2013 Posts: 2175 Location: Florida

Yes and Yes

Member Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 451 Location: La-Tx

I don't shoot steel shot but if I were I would use Sporting Ammo's 16 gauge load. I prefer Kent's TM when I duck hunt with my 16.

What 16's are you planning on shooting? Only a few 16's are truly steel shot safe.

Joined: 16 Feb 2007 Posts: 181 Location: Great White North

Your picture says it all fn16ga! As for the guns, they are NIB Browning White Lightning and BPS Medallion. Been searching for kent TM but no luck yet up here in Canada so far

If your new guns can handle steel and you shoot over decoys, you should be good. You might wish to reload with other forms of non-toxic shot, but in any case, I suggest a visit to your pattern board to shoot at the distances you normally would shoot, it could be interesting. Very Happy

Member Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 451 Location: La-Tx

Availability of Kent TM in the 16 is seasonal at best. And I must say that I would not pay what it has been selling for the last couple years. I bought close to 10, 250 rnd. cases for under $11.00 a 10 pack several years ago and still have quite a bit left. If I had to buy my loaded shells or bulk shot today I would shoot steel and learn to love it. In fact my stash of Kent TM in 20, 16 and 12 gauges is worth so much more than I paid for it that I often think about selling it all and going steel. Luckily so far I have been able to overcome that urge.

You absolutely can drop ducks with a 16 ga. shotgun -- and do it with steel, if you shoot at a reasonable range.

Like A5Mag, I prefer Kent TM because experience says it is clearly more effective than steel. But that doesn't mean steel doesn't work; it just isn't as effective as Kent TM, especially at longer ranges. At least that's been my experience.

We don't have much high-volume duck gunning around here, so I can stretch out my limited TM supply from season to season and should be able to do so for another few years. Unless TM prices drop, I'll rely on 16 ga. steel after that.

If I luck into a high-volume duck hunting opportunity, I leave the Kent TM at home and switch to steel or use another shotgun, depending on the specific situation.

Enjoy your 16 ga. Brownings and hunting ducks with them. You should be fine shooting 16 ga. steel over decoys.

Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 688 Location: Ontario

Member Joined: 09 Jan 2013 Posts: 2175 Location: Florida

I use Bismuth and Nice shot that i load my self , the ducks in the picture where taken Bismuth #6s at ranges out to 30 yards . I use nice shot out to 40 yards.

Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 1460 Location: Eagle, Nebraska

I think the Commercial steel loads stink. If you want to use steel I would surely give Sporting Ammo's a try. I am going to.

Kent's TM will be hard to beat. If it is available. If not, I would go with RST's Nice Shot loads.
Rio says it will have Bismuth available for 16ga before fall, I would try it too.

Hevi-shot makes a 16ga load, but it wasn't worth a darn out of my citori. Pattern was terrible.

If you load your own , Nice Shot is awfully hard to beat . If you are in very low volume shooting environment , RST has loaded Nice Shot shells

I have shot too many ducks to remember using Federal 16 ga Steel loads in #2 and #4. Guns used included 16 ga Citori and Auto 5 (invector choked both). Lately Federal 16 ga Steel has been hard to find ( Canadian Tire does not stock it anymore) so I switched to Remington Nitro Steel 16 ga in #4 shot. Results were the same, duck within 40 yards and I am able to hit him he is dead. I do hand load fast steel load for the 16 and found that I was able to go down to #6 steel and get good results with the higher velocity. Overall the factory 16 ga steel offerings will work just fine and save you a lot of money.

regards, Darryl

I use Federal #2 steel (sometimes 4's but rarely) in my Japanese Auto-5 with skeet invector chokes and with a Savage 775a 16ga with a 28" fixed modified. The Savage does a better job, just seems to hit them harder. Maybe its just the different steels between the barrels, or maybe I shoot better with the Savage. Everything else I hunt comes down hard with the Auto-5 though so I tend to believe its the barrel/load relationship. (I/C or M invector tubes pattern the federals poorly in my Auto-5, thus the skeet choke. Never tried F invector with the federals but I assume they wont pattern well)

*Last edited by skeettx on Wed Jul 02, 2014 7:58 pm; edited 1 time in total*

Maybe I am a bit different, I try not to shoot until they have
their wings curled and are pulling up their underpants.

I have good decoys, a number of good spots and call well.
So, I may be a bit different.

In addition, the blind captain, selected that day, calls out the shooter and the duck. Of course there are only two others that I hunt with, so we take
turns in shooting. We do not shoot each others duck.

IC and Skeet chokes rule in situations like this

Mike

Guest