Guns of choice

What do you guys shoot out there? I was using a Baikal MP153 and a Nova this year. Sold the MP 153 and got a Verona S/A recenty. I think I overestimated how many Roman Candles I would be shooting. Personally, with the high-speed loads out there now, I don’t see much need for 3.5″ shells (Exception – Snow Geese).

If you are in the market for a decent S/A, at a low price, check out the Veronas (Gander Mtn). I’ve been doing alot of ‘net research, and it is consistently getting good reviews. Made in Italy; assembled in Turkey.

Remington 870 Express Supermag. I used my 870 wingmaster one time, and my 3 1/2″ BPS one time. I shot “all” my birds this year with 3″, 1 1/8 oz, #2. 1550fps. I now go for the speed regardless. I used to be a heavy load guy, but I don’t take shots over 30 yards anyway, so I tried the lighter Speed Loads, and I am hooked. I was also impressed with the 2nd and 3rd shot kills I had with this load.
I am looking into a Winchester Super X2 for next season. Anybody have any comments on this gun. I want the good and bad.

Remington 870 Express Supermag. I used my 870 wingmaster one time, and my 3 1/2″ BPS one time. I shot “all” my birds this year with 3″, 1 1/8 oz, #2. 1550fps. I now go for the speed regardless. I used to be a heavy load guy, but I don’t take shots over 30 yards anyway, so I tried the lighter Speed Loads, and I am hooked. I was also impressed with the 2nd and 3rd shot kills I had with this load.
I am looking into a Winchester Super X2 for next season. Anybody have any comments on this gun. I want the good and bad.

Any of you guy’s reload? My group of guy’s have been reloading steel (Fast-steel) for a couple years now. 1700fps you can shoot clean through a mallard at 50 yds.Only shooting 1oz loads but thats all it seems to take. By the way I shoot a Beretta AL391 Gold.

Any of you guy’s reload? My group of guy’s have been reloading steel (Fast-steel) for a couple years now. 1700fps you can shoot clean through a mallard at 50 yds.Only shooting 1oz loads but thats all it seems to take. By the way I shoot a Beretta AL391 Gold.

Walleyeguy, have you figured what it costs a box for you to reload?? Might get back into it if it’s worth it. We used to reload, but one year my brother left the powder “not tightly sealed” in the parents basement, (damp) and I did not have a very good first couple days of the duck season. Yeah, a lot of puffs instead of bangs, and then a lot of field cleaning and hoping the next one fires.

Walleyeguy, have you figured what it costs a box for you to reload?? Might get back into it if it’s worth it. We used to reload, but one year my brother left the powder “not tightly sealed” in the parents basement, (damp) and I did not have a very good first couple days of the duck season. Yeah, a lot of puffs instead of bangs, and then a lot of field cleaning and hoping the next one fires.

i have a super x2since the first year they were out, never have had a problem. i hunt with a group of about ten guys and all but three of them now shoot x2s. we hunt ducks.deer and lots of pheasants every year and i can only remember three jam ups they were all in very cold weather and in the two guys guns who havent cleaned them since they bought them now imnot a clean gun finatic either but ive never had a prob. if you need more refrences i can get them for you

i have a super x2since the first year they were out, never have had a problem. i hunt with a group of about ten guys and all but three of them now shoot x2s. we hunt ducks.deer and lots of pheasants every year and i can only remember three jam ups they were all in very cold weather and in the two guys guns who havent cleaned them since they bought them now imnot a clean gun finatic either but ive never had a prob. if you need more refrences i can get them for you

Just traded my Browning Gold in on a Benelli M1. The Gold was good, but a little picky about being kept clean. I prefer the feel and weighting of the Benelli.

Just traded my Browning Gold in on a Benelli M1. The Gold was good, but a little picky about being kept clean. I prefer the feel and weighting of the Benelli.

Benelli M1-90 has been my arm of choice for the year on virtually all game the size of a mallard and smaller. The bigger birds fall to my Remington SP-10, I have tried pretty much all of the popoular 10’s on the market and I don’t think you can beat it. The Benelli is so light, quick and low maintenance that there’s no gun that beats it. I also added a Pattern Master to the benelli this year and all I can say about that is watch out snow geese! brought it out duck hunting this year and couldn’t hit a thing inside 20 yards and when I did there was no head on the bird whatsoever, but when I would miss on my first two shots, that third 50 yard shot would drop ’em deader than crap. Excited to try it out on the snow geese this spring.

LARS

Benelli M1-90 has been my arm of choice for the year on virtually all game the size of a mallard and smaller. The bigger birds fall to my Remington SP-10, I have tried pretty much all of the popoular 10’s on the market and I don’t think you can beat it. The Benelli is so light, quick and low maintenance that there’s no gun that beats it. I also added a Pattern Master to the benelli this year and all I can say about that is watch out snow geese! brought it out duck hunting this year and couldn’t hit a thing inside 20 yards and when I did there was no head on the bird whatsoever, but when I would miss on my first two shots, that third 50 yard shot would drop ’em deader than crap. Excited to try it out on the snow geese this spring.

LARS

I shoot a Browning citori waterfowler for everything from snipe to crane. I have been looking for a win. super-x 1 in good cond. If anybody has one they’d want to part with let me know.

I shoot a Browning citori waterfowler for everything from snipe to crane. I have been looking for a win. super-x 1 in good cond. If anybody has one they’d want to part with let me know.

Ok, I’ll throw in one for the budget brigade. I have shot several guns and own a variety of shotguns (none of which are very high grade) and have yet to find anything better for birds than my trusty old Ithaca Model 37

Ok, I’ll throw in one for the budget brigade. I have shot several guns and own a variety of shotguns (none of which are very high grade) and have yet to find anything better for birds than my trusty old Ithaca Model 37

Walleyeguy,
How have those ultr-high speed loads patterned? I have read some threads on other sites which indicated they are hard to hold together at those speeds. Any particular chokes that work better? Thanks.

Walleyeguy,
How have those ultr-high speed loads patterned? I have read some threads on other sites which indicated they are hard to hold together at those speeds. Any particular chokes that work better? Thanks.

Hey Walleyeguy, i used to reload, I’ll have your loads up there soon putz! Anybody that shoots alot or just wants to save a few bucks should reload. Im thining about hunting ducks and geese this next season and i know i’ve got to use steel shot. When it comes to savings when reloading heres my math compared to boxes of shells on the shelf. This is for lead shot but im shure the savings is similar for steel if not more. For $40.00 dollars i get a pound of powder, 25lbs of shot, a sack of 250 double A red wads and about 500 primers. I can load a whole sack of double a red wads, 250 rounds for 12 cents a piece. Heres my math, at 250 rounds devided by 25[shells in a box] thats 10 boxes. The loads im loading, lead loads, are $12.00 a box on the shelf. At 12 cents apiece what it costs me to load each round, times 25 thats $3.00 a box, thats a $9.00 difference per box. $9.00 a box times 10 boxes that i get from a sack of red wads is $90.00 bucks. With that kind of savings i can go buy double what i just bought to make the 10 boxes. With the origional investment of $40.00 i’ve still got shot left in the sack, 250 primers left and enough powder left in the bottle for about another 150 rounds. Thats why i reload plus i can make any shell i want from the powder chart. I buy a fast powder for the weight of the loads i shoot in lead, i can exmagine what kind of speeds i’ll get from a full lenght barrel burn with 1oz or 1 1/4 steel loads. At speeds that fast, about 300 ft per second faster than a trap load you must be able to just aim at thier beak and pull the trigger at 50 yrds. 1,700 for steel compared to lead is really really fast. I can hardly wait for this next season. Look out ducks and geese because i just got a new crockpot!

Hey Walleyeguy, i used to reload, I’ll have your loads up there soon putz! Anybody that shoots alot or just wants to save a few bucks should reload. Im thining about hunting ducks and geese this next season and i know i’ve got to use steel shot. When it comes to savings when reloading heres my math compared to boxes of shells on the shelf. This is for lead shot but im shure the savings is similar for steel if not more. For $40.00 dollars i get a pound of powder, 25lbs of shot, a sack of 250 double A red wads and about 500 primers. I can load a whole sack of double a red wads, 250 rounds for 12 cents a piece. Heres my math, at 250 rounds devided by 25[shells in a box] thats 10 boxes. The loads im loading, lead loads, are $12.00 a box on the shelf. At 12 cents apiece what it costs me to load each round, times 25 thats $3.00 a box, thats a $9.00 difference per box. $9.00 a box times 10 boxes that i get from a sack of red wads is $90.00 bucks. With that kind of savings i can go buy double what i just bought to make the 10 boxes. With the origional investment of $40.00 i’ve still got shot left in the sack, 250 primers left and enough powder left in the bottle for about another 150 rounds. Thats why i reload plus i can make any shell i want from the powder chart. I buy a fast powder for the weight of the loads i shoot in lead, i can exmagine what kind of speeds i’ll get from a full lenght barrel burn with 1oz or 1 1/4 steel loads. At speeds that fast, about 300 ft per second faster than a trap load you must be able to just aim at thier beak and pull the trigger at 50 yrds. 1,700 for steel compared to lead is really really fast. I can hardly wait for this next season. Look out ducks and geese because i just got a new crockpot!

I shoot a Matage (870 wing master) I have owned it since I was about 14 and it has never seen a gunsmith! It has shot ducks geese roosters grouse and deer ect…

I can throw it in the mud, run over it with the truck, pick it up and shoot it LOL.

I also shoot an 1187. I have owned this gun sice i was about 18. It has seen the gun smith twice with 2 cheap repairs and was my go to gun this year. I was going to get a 31/2″ but with the success of 3″ fast steele loads(1450 t0 1550 fps) I decided to save my pennys for other hunting goodies.

I shoot a Matage (870 wing master) I have owned it since I was about 14 and it has never seen a gunsmith! It has shot ducks geese roosters grouse and deer ect…

I can throw it in the mud, run over it with the truck, pick it up and shoot it LOL.

I also shoot an 1187. I have owned this gun sice i was about 18. It has seen the gun smith twice with 2 cheap repairs and was my go to gun this year. I was going to get a 31/2″ but with the success of 3″ fast steele loads(1450 t0 1550 fps) I decided to save my pennys for other hunting goodies.

Berreta silver mallard, three years new and never a problem!!

Berreta silver mallard, three years new and never a problem!!

I cut my shooting teeth on a 1946 Belgium A5. In 1976, (when I was 12), I bought the same gun in a 3″ model, not Belgium made. Those are the only two guns I’ve ever used to hunt ducks and geese. Both shoot like they are new.

I cut my shooting teeth on a 1946 Belgium A5. In 1976, (when I was 12), I bought the same gun in a 3″ model, not Belgium made. Those are the only two guns I’ve ever used to hunt ducks and geese. Both shoot like they are new.

The loads run about $6.00 – 7.00 A box. The most youll get out of a 2 3/4″ is 1 1/8 oz Even then you really have to cram it in there. The loads we shoot are 2 3/4″ 1 oz #3 shot. They pattern very well. I did read somewhere that the Italian guns dont pattern fast steel very good but I have standard chokes and they pattern excellent. I don’t remember where my papers are but I think it was like 87% in a 30″ circle at 40yds. I do know that the 835 mossbergs do pattern this stuff the best. I think it’s because there factory backbored? If you look into reloading steel, please get a book. All of our loads are hand poured we dont use the reloader for dropping powder or shot. The pressures are at pretty high levels. You also need special wads. We do use AA hulls,Alliant steel powder,.

The loads run about $6.00 – 7.00 A box. The most youll get out of a 2 3/4″ is 1 1/8 oz Even then you really have to cram it in there. The loads we shoot are 2 3/4″ 1 oz #3 shot. They pattern very well. I did read somewhere that the Italian guns dont pattern fast steel very good but I have standard chokes and they pattern excellent. I don’t remember where my papers are but I think it was like 87% in a 30″ circle at 40yds. I do know that the 835 mossbergs do pattern this stuff the best. I think it’s because there factory backbored? If you look into reloading steel, please get a book. All of our loads are hand poured we dont use the reloader for dropping powder or shot. The pressures are at pretty high levels. You also need special wads. We do use AA hulls,Alliant steel powder,.

I’ve been shooting a Benelli Super Black Eagle, synthetic and camo for the past few seasons. Prior to that I shot a Remington 1100 for over 20 years. The Super Black Eagle was an expensive gun (about $1100) but when you only buy a new gun ever 20 years the cost per year is pretty low.

I like the weight and balance of the Benelli SBE better than the Remington 1100 but my records indicate I shoot about the same. At the end of the pheasant season I will have retrieved about 85% of the roosters I’ve shot at. I’ll hit about 3-5% that I don’t retrieve, either birds that get knocked down but we can’t find or birds that get hit and keep flying, and I just plain miss the rest. These figures are birds shot at, not shots fired. Sometimes I have to shoot twice and once this year it took three shots

I bought the SBE because it could handle anything from light 2 3/4″ loads up to heavy 3 1/2 loads. I’ve found this to be true. I haven’t had any problems. However, I’m dissappointed with the turkey loads I’ve patterned with this gun. I tried Federal 3″, 2 oz. #4 buffered loads and Federal 3 1/2″ loads and did not get what I consider to be a very tight pattern using the full choke. I also tried the improved modified choke thinking maybe the constriction was too tight in the full but that resulted in an even more open pattern. For turkey hunting I use my dad’s Mossberg pump and it shoots a much tighter pattern with the Federal 3″ load than the SBE. I measured the diameters of the choke tubes and the SBE tube had a slightly smaller diameter. One other thing I’ve noticed with my SBE is that the matte camo has developed a shine where it rubs against my hunting jacket or where I hold it.

Boone