How’s your shooting been?

B

benelli-banger

Well-known member
Better than usual? Worse? About the same? I’ve been shooting my Benelli Ultralight exclusively, not jumping around between guns, which tends to goof me up…some head scratching misses this year, but overall very happy with things…I shoot that Benelli better than any gun I own, though my Parker Reproduction 28 gauge and my AYA 4/53 20 gauge are close. I’ve had an IC tube in, and have shot 2 3/4” lead #5’s with 1.25 oz of shot. About a dozen hunting days in SD thus far, good/great bird #’s, good dog work, despite fairly warm conditions…really happy with my puppy’s progress…bird crazy! Many fewer steps per day due to bird #’s, and fairly good shooting, and pretty good dog work. Back out next Wednesday…hard to sleep after a trip, reliving various moments afield…
 
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Just got done with 13 days of hunting. Had one really bad day of shooting on day 10 but other than that it’s been pretty good as far as shooting. Lots more steps for us per day this year but as the corn has finally really started to come out that has been decreasing. Great trip. Head for home this morning with one stop at a honey hole a buddy shared with me. 😁. Have 2 spots in our possession limit open so will see what happens on a quick walk.

Really want to get back out here for late season this year but we will see what happens.
 
When Im hunting with a group of 4-5, it’s been garbage. When Im alone or with one other guy, not bad, some days perfect. I have a tendency to pull up on the bird and wait a couple seconds for someone else to shoot. Then I rush the shot if/when i shoot. I dont know why i do it, but i do.
 
Generally pretty good. Dove season was terrible for me, so I didn't get much practice. I spent some time over the summer patterning various loads and settled on Kent Ultimate Fast Lead, 1.25@1345(I think), in #6. A couple others were close seconds, and I'll field test once I run out of the Kents. Through some combination of the shells and my shooting, I'm having a pretty good year. I've had 2 misses on birds that should have fallen and probably 15+ on the ground counting chickens, quail, and pheasants. Noticeably fewer runners. While they haven't all been stone dead, I haven't lost a runner yet.
 
I am feeling pretty good, overall. I am also shooting 3 really different guns. I am really happy with the new little 28ga SxS. I plan to hunt with it a bit more and get a better feel for it. The day I 'struggled' the most was with my favorite gun. My excuse it it was 25+mph winds and the birds were really moving.
 
Up and down for me. Some days very good, other days not good at all. Been bouncing around between a few different guns/gauges. I took a bad fall while hunting a couple of weeks ago and ended up in the ER. Turned out no ribs were broken, just severe bruising. Incredibly painful. It's getting better now, so I won't have that for an excuse much longer. :p
 
roadscholar said:
Up and down for me. Some days very good, other days not good at all. Been bouncing around between a few different guns/gauges. I took a bad fall while hunting a couple of weeks ago and ended up in the ER. Turned out no ribs were broken, just severe bruising. Incredibly painful. It's getting better now, so I won't have that for an excuse much longer. :p
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Damn, sorry to hear. Hope you know a doctor!
😊. Good luck through the season!!!!
 
matto said:
Generally pretty good. Dove season was terrible for me, so I didn't get much practice. I spent some time over the summer patterning various loads and settled on Kent Ultimate Fast Lead, 1.25@1345(I think), in #6. A couple others were close seconds, and I'll field test once I run out of the Kents. Through some combination of the shells and my shooting, I'm having a pretty good year. I've had 2 misses on birds that should have fallen and probably 15+ on the ground counting chickens, quail, and pheasants. Noticeably fewer runners. While they haven't all been stone dead, I haven't lost a runner yet.
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You might consider going to the Kent Fastlead 1 1/2 ounce load @1415FPS. I have been shooting it for years, patterns great and sometimes that extra 1/4 ounce helps in my opinion. I have only lost 1 bird this season on a super longshot about 50 yards straight away. I guess it out ran my dog as she could never catch up to it.
 
Bird Buster said:
You might consider going to the Kent Fastlead 1 1/2 ounce load @1415FPS. I have been shooting it for years, patterns great and sometimes that extra 1/4 ounce helps in my opinion. I have only lost 1 bird this season on a super longshot about 50 yards straight away. I guess it out ran my dog as she could never catch up to it.
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I'm glad it works for you. I shoot a 50 year old sxs so I'm a little reluctant to stress it with a load that hot. I doubt it would deliver a pattern % higher than the 1.25oz , but the extra .25oz might deliver more hits. My second place load is Fiocchi GP 1.375@1250. Fiocchi's GP Extreme 1.375@1475 delivered worse patterns. I was reluctant to test the GP Extreme for the same reason as the Kent 1.5 oz load, but I had some from a buddy.
 
Shooting has been about like normal. Some great. A couple that were nothing short of "miss"tifying.

So for the last couple years I'd been shooting Boss 1 oz loads of #4 bismuth, which required FULL choke in my gun. Well, a couple hunts ago I shot the last one & have moved into my 2 cases of Boss's "new" (& already obsolete) 1-1/8 oz loads of #4 bismuth. They're too valuable to actually pattern (plus I'm just too lazy), but after shooting a few, I'm sensing perhaps I can go back to MOD, which had worked well for years with Kent Bismuth. I hope that trend continues, because I'd much rather shoot MOD, as my lead loads prefer it. I'm not lazy enough to switch between lead & bismuth, but I'm too lazy to switch between choke tubes.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
Shooting has been about like normal. Some great. A couple that were nothing short of "miss"tifying.

So for the last couple years I'd been shooting Boss 1 oz loads of #4 bismuth, which required FULL choke in my gun. Well, a couple hunts ago I shot the last one & have moved into my 2 cases of Boss's "new" (& already obsolete) 1-1/8 oz loads of #4 bismuth. They're too valuable to actually pattern (plus I'm just too lazy), but after shooting a few, I'm sensing perhaps I can go back to MOD, which had worked well for years with Kent Bismuth. I hope that trend continues, because I'd much rather shoot MOD, as my lead loads prefer it. I'm not lazy enough to switch between lead & bismuth, but I'm too lazy to switch between choke tubes.
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Those are really expensive shells. Jesus, you don't have to spend that kind of money on shotgun shells.
 
Goosemaster said:
Those are really expensive shells. Jesus, you don't have to spend that kind of money on shotgun shells.
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If you want to shoot a 16 gauge & are required to shoot non-tox (& expect it to kill pheasants reliably), you basically do have to spend that much. But yes, if I wanted to shoot a 12, I could spend considerably less. I just don't want to.
 
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