Ducks and front stuffers.

[starmac]

Do any of you guys use a front stuffer for waterfowl hunting.

I have never been an avid duck hunter, but one of my favorite canoe fishing destinations just happens to be some great ducking too, soooo I am thinking I might just have an excuse for a new to me front stuffer. lol

[Baja_Traveler]

I haven't hunted ducks with it (simply because I havent made the drive out to the Salton Sea to hunt them), but I've used my SxS front stuffer for pheasant, and it worked fantastic...

[gnoahhh]

I do from time to time, with a Pedersoli 12 gauge SxS, choked IC&Mod. I shoot a 3 1/4dram load of FFg, .135" cardboard over powder wad, 1/2" fiber wad, and a thin over shot wad. 1 ounce #2 Nice Shot for geese, 1 ounce #4 Nice Shot for ducks. Kills them as dead as if shot with a 'modern' gun. Patterns nicely, but I haven't chrono'ed it.

[Nice Shot is my favorite soft non-toxic shot. A bit pricey, but I'm not getting any younger so what the heck. I load it in my L.C.Smith double that I use mostly too, with similar (smokeless) loads as above. Those relatively light shot charges are murder on decoyed birds- much more effective than heavier loads of steel. Try it yourself if you don't believe me!]

[waksupi]

That high priced shot has kept me away from waterfowl for a long time. I do wish there was an exemption for muzzleloaders. I tried to get the laws changed some years ago, with a resounding lack of results.

[starmac]

The nice shot that was mentioned sounds pricey at 205 bucks, for a six pound bag.
It also claims it increases chamber pressures.
I am out of the loop on what is even legal for ducks anymore.
Is steel shot not advised in a muzzle loader.

[DIRT Farmer]

I took my first banded goose with a Brown Bess and bismuth, just after heart surgry I shot a pair of mallards with an 7/8ths oz dipper of bismuth my 28 trade gun. I make several trips a year with the 10 ga, using #2s for geese and #5s for ducks. If I'm shooting backup for the grandkids the ole Ithaca mag ten still comes out.

Starmac, I have tried steel in the m/ls but had a hard time getting useful patterns and loading the required plastic wads was a bear. Them suckers are tough, more so when cold.

gnoahhh, what is your sorce for nice shot?

[stubshaft]

I haven't used my Pedersoli SXS for ducks, but I can tell you that it turned all my other shotguns into safe queens. I have so much fun with it, that it is all I use nowadays.

[gnoahhh]

Reloading with Nice Shot uses the same data/recipes as for lead shot. It does increase chamber pressures over lead a skinch- less than 500psi, or so I'm told. I load my 12 gauges with either PB or Longshot, and even with that slight pressure increase I'm still way low enough to be totally safe for the old doubles I use them in.

At $200/6 pounds I will admit (again) that it is pricey. I can get nearly 100 rounds loaded (which pretty much lasts me for a goose season, with a few ducks thrown in here and there) with that, and adding in the cost of powder, wads, primers it gets right close to $2.50 each time I pull the trigger. That doesn't bother me, and I'm a man of means by no means. Why? Because it forces me to concentrate more on each shot- no more 'chancy' shots- resulting in fewer birds missed/wounded, and way less shots fired per number of birds killed. Spreading the cost out over the entire season and factoring in what it costs for gas to get there and back, meals, camo clothes, decoys, guns, etc., the cost of the shells is easily amortized. It isn't a sport for someone who isn't willing to pay out some bucks. Most importantly though, it flat out works like lead and kills ducks and geese cleanly and is eminently safe in the barrels/chokes of older guns. Putting a quantified price on that is impossible.

Being soft and heavy (emphasis on the soft), you can get away with using what to mis-informed magnum steel shooters appears to be ridiculously light payloads- 1 to 1 1/8 ounces is plenty. Remember, the market hunters at the turn of the last century decimated the flyways halfway to extinction using one ounce loads of lead. I doubt the birds are any tougher now than they were 100 years ago.

I have also been known to cut open magnum Bismuth shells to get the shot for reloading and using in the Pedersoli. (I understand it is available in bulk again but don't hold me to that.) Since I discovered Nice Shot several years ago, I haven't messed with Bismuth. I still do consider it a close second best though.

[Shooter]

Slight thread drift; Has anyone considered zinc shot?
Might be something to do with new WW.

[gnoahhh]

Wouldn't zinc be a lot lighter than lead? Also, is it 'toxic' to waterfowl making it unacceptable to the Feds? It would bear investigation though!

[Dean D.]

I think I'm glad I got to do my muzzleloading duck hunting way before they outlawed lead shot. My very first Mallard drake was with an old Williams 10ga caplock SxS. Sweet memories.

[Shooter]

Wouldn't zinc be a lot lighter than lead? Also, is it 'toxic' to waterfowl making it unacceptable to the Feds? It would bear investigation though!

Yes it would be lighter, but one could load by weight and increase pellet count, or use larger pellets to increase sectional density of the shot.

I thought it was non-toxic. Isn't that the reason they replaced lead in WW?

I'm no shot maker, but it might work for a ML. I might cast some zinc buckshot and see what kind of pattern I can get when the winter grows long and cold.

[gunseller]

I have killed a lot of ducks over the years with a single flinter or a SXS cap gun. Load was 90 grains 3F card wad, fiber wad, 1 1/8 shot and over shot wad. took both guns with me as I did a lot of jump shooting on farm ponds. 1st shot was with the flinter and the next two were with the SXS. Usually killed 2 ducks out of 3 shots. This was before the stupid idea that lead shot was dangerous to birds. Well I guss it is when you shoot them with it.
Steve