Choice of steel ammo

In recent years I have acclimated to steel shot for pheasant hunting because its a pain to switch back and forth when hunting in Iowa and I dont want to make a mistake and get caught with a lead shell in a steel area.
What brand/type of shells are you duck hunters gravitating to? Right now my go-to is Federal Black Cloud 3″ but I havent tried much else. They seem to work well but I dont want to miss out on something if it works better. Thanks.

I shoot way too much ammo to dump the money on the high end loads. I shoot Federal high velocity ultra shock(red box) as much as I can. If I can’t find that I shoot the Federal speed shock(blue box).

I used to shoot quite a bit of Kent ammo, I love the high speed stuff, but I have had way too many mis-fires in the last 3-4 years so I totally quit using Kent

Good to know. That could explain why the shelves at Cabelas in Woodbury were FULL of Kent but everything else was low. Guy there told me he had feeding problems with Kent. Now I know thats one brand I wont be buying.
Winchester Blind Side looked intriguing as well. I dont go through much ammo pheasant hunting so I still want to stick with high-end steel and none of the more expensive exotics.

3 inch 20 ga blindside for me 5 shot

I have been shooting Kent this year for ducks and have had 3 miscycles. The shell didn’t eject. I really like how they shoot otherwise.
DT

Ususally when I’m shooting lead I’ll shoot the orange box of Federal which are moving at 1500 FPS for 1.25 oz 5’s. When shooting steel I just use my duck loads which are the blue box of Federals that have 1400 FPS for 1.25 oz 3’s.

This is just me and seems to work.

deertracker wrote:

I have been shooting Kent this year for ducks and have had 3 miscycles. The shell didn’t eject. I really like how they shoot otherwise.
DT

I absolutely love the performance of Kent shells too, but with the mis-fires and yes now this year a few jams I can’t make myself buy them anymore. I sure wish they could fix these issues, I’d love to be able to use them again, but this is 3 years in a row I have had issues.

I think that there is a lot of invitations on ammo like prairie storm. I used Prairie Storm and it worked well. However I found that regular steel shot from Kent Steel or Federal is just fine. I like Winchester AA steel ammo I shoot a variety of shots from #5 to #2 2 3/4 to 3inch. My choice varies on wind, how tight the birds are holding and the type of cover. If I am hunting corn stocks or thickets I use a #4 or #5 for more pellets If the birds are holding tight I will go with the higher shot as well to not blow up the bird. If there is high wind or the birds are getting up quick I go with a #2 or #3. Often times I am carrying at least three different shots. I always have #5 3 inch mags, #3 2/34, and number #2 2 3/4. When you get a bird make sure you look over the bird and see what damage you are doing to the bird or make sure you are knocking them down. I think that having one load will get it done most of the time however I hate wasting meat so I am consistently trying to dial in the right shot. Keep a few different choices and dial it in. I found with prairie storm often time I found you blow them up.

Along those lines dont forget hangover hunt ammo. Low brass 2 3/4. lol.

I’ve had countless problems with Kent misfires. The other problem with the Kents is the thin wads, you run the risk of scoring your barrel. I’ve shot the blue box Federals quite a bit. For a 4 year stretch I would shoot around 60 to 70 boxes for waterfowl, and never had any issues. The wads are solid, and above all else the pellets are some of the most round I’ve found. There are a lot of other brands where pellet deformity is an issue, you’ll get a lot of flyers.

Can’t help with brand selection, I just shoot whatever’s cheap as I don’t do that much in places that require it.

An idea for keeping things straight as far as what shells you’re carrying, though.

Get a different vest for steel shot. Only steel shot goes in the steel shot vest. Get to an area that requires it, put the lead shot vest in the truck and put on the steel shot vest. You always know what you’re carrying.

My dad came up with this idea years ago when he got tired of switching back and forth between 20 and 16 gauge shells in a vest. He was rightly concerned about missing one 20 gauge shell and in the heat of battle accidentally dropping it into a 16 gauge gun.

So he just bought a second vest for $30 at Gander and wrote “16” and “20” on the respective vests with a sharpie. When he wants to switch guns, he also switches vests. Several relatives have now picked up that idea and use it for both different gauges and not for steel and lead.

Grouse

I shoot estate. They are generally the cheapest and I haven’t had issues with them. I shoot 3″ 2 shot so I am ready when honkers come out of the blue. I shoot them at roosters too.

I doubt I will buy anything but Black Cloud again. They are devastating on Roosters. The distance I was dropping them was incredible. Especially considering I was using Improved Cylinder. These seem like one of the best options a guy could use for ducks or pheasant.

#3 Fed Blue Box

No interest in gimmick loads like Blindside, HeviSteel, etc.

Pattern your gun, know your limitations.