Ultimate Long Range Waterfowl Rig

[Sandycreek12]

I've ran the same SBE II from northern SK all the way to southern Arkansas for 12 years.. its even been ran over by a dual axel decoy trailer.. IMO with todays chokes and heavy shot or heavy metal there is no need for a 10 gauge

 

[excaliber]

I have been using two Rem 1187's since 1985 and both have 3" chambers. I've never had a need for 3.5" gun and never wished I had one. I kill all my Geese feet down in the decoys with 3" Federal BB's or BBB's.

Those two Remington 1187's have been super reliable and the best shotguns I've ever seen. Long range waterfowl= sky busters to me.

 

[TH]

I shoot a lot of trap I took my hunting gun which is a Browning Gold 10 gauge and had it set up just like my trap gun with a lower POI. I sent the barrel in to a well known gunsmith and had it backbored basically to 8 gauge. I also removed the forcing cone. I had the POI adjusted to shoot 60/40. I also had some trigger work done to increase lock time and lighten the 8lb trigger pull to 3 lbs. I had custom choke tubes made to match the backbore to produce the ultimate long range patterns with a large payload. I load my own shells I shoot hevy weight shot or IXI 13 for extreme long range work. Yes I use shot buffer. Yes I train and shoot a lot of long range clays. Yes I kill lots of ducks and geese over 100 yards. Just like I have killed big game animals over 1000 yards and over 1 mile.

 

[wildwings]

Hevishot Duck combined with a Hevishot Extended Range
Choke and ANY Benelli

 

[ODAVID]

Hevishot Duck combined with a Hevishot Extended Range
Choke and ANY Benelli

Can you plz be more specific on recommended chokes that you used in your benelli with HEAViSHOT?????

I also like hevishot.
odavid

 

[hydehunter]

I have had a Browning bps with a 30 in barrel and now have a Benelli 12 ga 3 1/2 with a 28 in barrel and after a lot of shooting I would not go with anything over 26 in so much handier

 

[Pa Grizz]

870 Remington with Federal 3 in BB's with a slaughter choke.Anything within 70 yard's is dead.I have learned to get on another goose while pumping in another shell.Many a time I get triple's

 

[wildwings]

ok sorry let me be more specific
I shoot Hevi X and HeviMetal shells by using these shells
I never use anything larger than a 3" shell...I opt for
2's for the most part and I am normally shooting puddle
ducks in flooded bean or rice fields

 

[Orange Dust]

What are your thoughts? The bar none best combo between gun, choke tube and shell?

I would go with:

Browning Gold 10 Lite 28" Barrel
Patternmaster extended range
HeviShot BBB 3-1/2"

I have a few friends that run ten gauges religiously for geese and well we shot 41 between 4 of us last Saturday (limit of 15 each).

Change the choke to a Briley IM and you have what I shoot at geese. I shoot about 5 flats a year at them and ducks. Shoot BB's on ducks most of the time. Guys that think a 3-1/2" 12 will kill anything like a 10 have never been around a hunter with a 10 that can shoot.

 

[Orange Dust]

I've ran the same SBE II from northern SK all the way to southern Arkansas for 12 years.. its even been ran over by a dual axel decoy trailer.. IMO with todays chokes and heavy shot or heavy metal there is no need for a 10 gauge

No 3-1/2" 12ga will hold a pattern at long range like a 10. I have seen 10ga loads that will pattern 60% in a 30" circle @100yds with big Tungsten shot. Will kill geese so far you have to hold over them as much as you lead them. Anyone who thinks the 3-1/2" 12ga is as effective as a 10 should also believe a 3" 20ga is as good as a 12ga. Its not either. A stock 10ga has at least a 20yd advantage over a 3-1/2" 12. Anyone who has ever hunted with me will verify that.

 

[338LAPUA]

The 10 is the king at patterns, 12 3.5's come close but will never out do.

 

[Colorado Luckydog]

I fell for the 3 1/2 inch shell thing for a few years but it doesn't really help very much at all. It doesn't help any at all if the birds are decoyed. A 1 oz pellet going 1500 feet per second will only go so far. Having more pellets with it will not make it go any farther it will only make your shot string longer. That being said, I prefer an inertia gun just for the sake of reliability and ease of cleaning. So I shoot a Benelli M2 12 ga with a 26 inch barrel and a modified choke. A lot of times I take my Benelli Montefeltro 20 ga with a 26 inch barrel for goose and duck hunting and do just fine with it and I never feel under gunned. For ammo, I shoot 2's or BB's and I buy whatever is on sale. I really do like black cloud though and look for it when it's on sale.

 

[Orange Dust]

The only way you can increase range of a shotgun is to increase both pellet size and density. Then you have pattern density to contend with at extended ranges. This is why the 3-1/2" 12ga will never compete with the 10 at long range. It is the same as a 3" 20ga vs 12. The larger bore just handles larger shot better. IMO you should never shoot shot smaller than BB in a 10ga at waterfowl, only exception is tungsten 2's. You lose all the advantage of owning one. And, I only shoot BB's early in the season or at small ducks. With steel 2's there is no advantage over a 12ga. Maximum range is obtained with a 12ga. There is a small advantage with BB's, and BBB's make a big difference. Tungsten is off the charts. Tungsten BB's and BBB's handloaded in a 10ga nearly double the range of a 12.

 

[Colorado Luckydog]

Waterfowl hunting isn't about how far out you can shoot birds. It's about bringing the birds to you. If you are a good waterfowl hunter, a 20 ga with some 2's is all you need. If you are a skybuster then go ahead and waste your money and get a 10 ga. I prefer to shoot them with their feet down and landing in my spread.