doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Double friendly waterfowl loads

I'm not impressed with any modern steel loads or most guns that digest them. I also really dont want to spend $75 a box on the commercial double friendly waterfowl loads. My plan is to start loading my own vintage double waterfowl loads and I would like to hear what has and hasn't worked for fellow board members. I like what I have read about NiceShot but haven't shot it at ducks so please share your experiences. I have a wide variety of 12 gauge reloading components on hand, minus the approved shot, so please help me get started by sharing your favorite vintage double approved waterfowl recipes.

I'm shooting 2 1/2" 7/8 and 1 oz 12ga loads of ITX #4's out of my Husky hammer shotgun and my Stevens 235. They have worked well on decoying ducks, and pheasants out of my Darne. I will be loading some 7/8oz ITX 6's for my 2 1/2" 16ga hammer drilling for this season for combo Pheasant, Duck and Deer hunts. All my loads come out of the Ballistic Products ITX loading book.

Channing,

Send me a PM or email and I'll provide my favorite Nice Shot loads.

Mark

While I like tungsten alloy loads a lot, Kent tungsten matrix is my favorite. But it is steep, no doubt. I have had bad results with Bismuth. I have shot Nice Shot loads with good results, too. I haven't gotten anything bad from Ballistic Products in about 30 years, either. Their load data and components are very good.

While I believe some of Ballistic products info is hype to sell more stuff (and I am guilty of buy it), there is no doubt that ITX is a great product and will kill ducks. I ave used it for a couple of years. It makes shooting the older guns possible without breaking the bank

Jerry

The problem is that most of the shot is really expensive as well. NiceShot is about like buying gold.....

DLH

I have shot a full box of 12 ga. 1.125 oz #4 ITX from a case of the former New Era Ammunition company I bought before they closed their doors nearly two years ago so take this for what it's worth... Puddle ducks shot inside of 25 yds over decoys with m/f Fox chokes were cleanly killed. Beyond that, not so good. Of course not a lot of data points at only a box thus far and, I'll admit to not patterning these shells but intend to very soon before our season opens. If memory serves, the New Era 2.75" 12 ga was about $400/case which seems like a bargain vs today's prices of tungsten or nice shot.

Before I had to buy the New Era ITX offering of the time, I was shooting Bisimuth Classic 1.25 oz #4's at both ducks and turkey and fully trusted the performance but alas my stocks rand dry and save for a final box of ten reserved for one spring gobbler each year, I'm out.

-jmc

I am curious of the issue surrounding Bismuth. Although I'm not sure for vintage tubes, but Hevi-Shot has some ugly components. The oval shaped "stuff" often has smaller teats and has some odd buffer. I haven't taken the time to pattern it but in its component form, it is quite the odd duck. But it does somehow seem to work.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

I have been using both Nice Shot and Bismuth in my hammer doubles for quite a few years now and prefer Nice Shot 2'S for my ten gauge
DT

Bismuth is a mystery to me, to the point I don't have confidence in it. I suck it up and buy Kent. I have an ample bismuth supply in shells and jugs and don't use it. There's no pleasure in birds dead-to-rights as cripples. My guess is shot brittleness.