Black Cloud for Pheasant

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Hiltonkv

New member
First time going on a pheasant hunt. I use Black cloud #2 for all my waterfowl hunting and was wondering if it would be a good option for pheasant also or if I should go to #3 or #4. Thanks for all the advice.
 
I personally use 5s and 6s but I know people use 4s. I'll occasionally go with 4s during later season when birds are jumpier and I'm taking longer shots.

Unless you're hunting where non toxic is required, I would skip the steel and just use lead or bismuth as it's a more lethal load.
 
Hiltonkv said:
First time going on a pheasant hunt. I use Black cloud #2 for all my waterfowl hunting and was wondering if it would be a good option for pheasant also or if I should go to #3 or #4. Thanks for all the advice.
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This is a good question. Do you have to shoot nontoxic shot? If no, then go get a couple boxes of 1 1/8oz of #6 lead from Walmart and go get some birds!
 
Hiltonkv said:
I have to use nontoxic for where I am hunting. Seen lots of nontoxic options and just don’t know where to go and would like to stick with a shell I trust
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If you gotta use non-toxic, those steel #2 duck loads should be pretty decent. I shoot bismuth when I have to use non-toxic, but if I was gonna use steel I wouldn't go smaller than #2 and I'd want 1 & 1/4 oz.
 
Hiltonkv said:
I have to use nontoxic for where I am hunting. Seen lots of nontoxic options and just don’t know where to go and would like to stick with a shell I trust
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In that case I think you'd be fine with the Black Clouds if that's what you have on hand already. I used them for a couple years (I shot # 3s) awhile back and shot really well with them. But have since gravitated back to lead or bismuth when I need a non toxic option.
 
I have to use non toxic where I do most of my hunting and I have had good performance from Blackcloud #3 in 1/4 ounce. I used to go with a cheaper steel in the same shot and had too many runners. Since switching to Blackcloud, more times than not they are laying where they landed.
 
Hiltonkv said:
I have to use nontoxic for where I am hunting. Seen lots of nontoxic options and just don’t know where to go and would like to stick with a shell I trust
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Like others have already said, use what you have and are comfortable with at first. Once you get bitten by the upland bug, you will find yourself gravitating to Boss bismuth. It performs really well for me and I can shoot it in my vintage guns.
 
msantjer said:
I have to use non toxic where I do most of my hunting and I have had good performance from Blackcloud #3 in 1/4 ounce. I used to go with a cheaper steel in the same shot and had too many runners. Since switching to Blackcloud, more times than not they are laying where they landed.
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I love your avatar picture...
 
Hiltonkv said:
First time going on a pheasant hunt. I use Black cloud #2 for all my waterfowl hunting and was wondering if it would be a good option for pheasant also or if I should go to #3 or #4. Thanks for all the advice.
Click to expand...

It is a great, non-toxic shell for pheasants. 3" #2 Black Cloud is all I shot at pheasants for many years, until I switched to bismuth a couple years ago.
 
Nothing really wrong with BC but nothing special about it either.

When using steel on pheasants, it is best to go with loads that contain #2 or #3 steel pellets. Steel shot lethality research conducted on pheasants by Tom Roster showed #2 steel to be more effective (at all ranges) than either #6 or #4 steel. Yes, #4 or #6 steel loads will kill'em too, but a little extra pellet energy is a good thing on wild pheasants where shots are often taken at longer going-away angles. The research also showed #2 steel resulted in fewer cripples than both #6 and #4 steel; and Roster speculated that the #3 steel pellet would be a good compromise between pellet count and downrange energy.

Here’s a link to an article on the study.

Steel Shot for Pheasants | North Dakota Fishing and Hunting Forum (nodakoutdoors.com)

Here are a few of my pattern numbers to give you an idea of how some #2 steel loads perform, in my gun/chokes!

Patterning results from a 12-gauge 3-inch Remington 870 Special Purpose with a 28-inch barrel and factory flush Rem-chokes (pattern average of five, 30-inch post-shot inscribed circle, yardage taped muzzle to target, in-shell pellet count average of five, and true choke constriction from bore gauge).

40 YARDS – IC REM-CHOKE (.009" const.)
Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (186 pellets) pattern 112 (60%)
Remington Sportsman 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (193 pellets) pattern 113 (59%)
Winchester Xpert 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (195 pellets) pattern 109 (56%)

Remington Sportsman 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #2 steel (139 pellets) pattern 85 (61%)

Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (154 pellets) pattern 92 (60%)
Federal Ultra-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (147 pellets) pattern 82 (56%)
Federal Black Cloud 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (144 pellets) pattern 88 (61%)

40 YARDS – MOD REM-CHOKE (.018" const.)
Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (186 pellets) pattern 128 (69%)
Remington Sportsman 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (193 pellets) pattern 146 (76%)
Winchester Xpert 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (195 pellets) pattern 131 (67%)

Remington Sportsman 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #2 steel (139 pellets) pattern 116 (83%)

Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (154 pellets) pattern 115 (75%)
Federal Ultra-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (147 pellets) pattern 109 (74%)
Federal Black Cloud 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (144 pellets) pattern 92 (64%)
 
Joe Hunter said:
Nothing really wrong with BC but nothing special about it either

40 YARDS – IC REM-CHOKE (.009" const.)

Federal Black Cloud 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (144 pellets) pattern 88 (61%)

40 YARDS – MOD REM-CHOKE (.018" const.)

Federal Black Cloud 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (144 pellets) pattern 92 (64%)
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It looks as though that Federal Flight Control wad used in the Black Cloud shells is resistant to the effects of choke.

Several years ago, I purchased a few bags of the wads used in the Black Cloud shells. They were on closeout at a gun shop in Salt Lake City.

I tried several different steel and lead loads. I observed the same thing. I also noted that patterns fired with this wad were greatly effected by the wind.

I concluded that there was nothing so special about these wads that I could not achieve with regular steel and lead shot wads and a proper chokes.
 
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BRITTMAN said:
A little science mixed in with heavy marketing. Buy in or not ... everyone gets to have their own choice.
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Much of shooting is psychological and confidence in your guns and ammo helps with performance.

There many that believe they can purchase skill. Heavy marketing feeds into this magical thinking.
 
Hiltonkv said:
First time going on a pheasant hunt. I use Black cloud #2 for all my waterfowl hunting and was wondering if it would be a good option for pheasant also or if I should go to #3 or #4. Thanks for all the advice.
Click to expand...
If you have to use non-toxic shot, IMO 2';s are the way to go. If you can use lead, I recommend 4's but will use 5's in early season.

Black Cloud and it's lead twin Prairie Storm work great, but because of the Flite Stopper wad they shoot very tight (I suspect steel BC not so much as lead PS) As has been pointed out, use an IC or Light Mod choke (I like LM all season with all lead loads). There are lots of folks here who can attest to destroying roosters (can't be recovered to eat) by centering them with PS at 20-25 yds, and I'm one of them...
 
I use Black Cloud most of the time and really like the performance using improved cylinder. 3" #4. I have no problem limiting my shot distance as an old experienced hunter.
 
Those 2s will work great. Black cloud is iffy on patterns, just like prairie storm, be careful you arent too tight and shreading the birds to pieces. I preferred steel 3s when i used steel, but theres not enough difference between the two to go buy new shells.
 
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