Houseplant Posted May 20, 2021 Report Share Posted May 20, 2021 My shotgun shooting hasn't been great this season to be honest. Too much time behind a rifle! Going to sit it out on a duck pond tomorrow and looking for some advice about cartridge and choke combinations. I know I'm being lazy and need to do some patterning, but there never seems to be enough time to do all these things! Shotgun: Browning Maxus 12g with factory supplied Invector Plus chokes Cartridges: Eley VIP Game Hyperspeed Steel #4 31g (70mm) or Eley Lightning #2 32g (76mm) Hopefully, birds will be within 30 metres range. Ducks will be mallards,or species of a similar size. Instinctively, I was going to go with the #4 shot and the improved cylinder choke (Invector Plus IIII), but remember reading somewhere that there can be big gaps in the pattern at close range. Any advice appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted May 20, 2021 Report Share Posted May 20, 2021 Will the birds be going over the ponds, dropping in in front of you or dropping in at a far end? How big is the pond? Steel shoots tighter than lead so I would have no concerns about using 1/4 (IIII or improved cylinder) ... I would also consider using cylinder choke if they are close in. You should be able to estimate your range by the size of your pond. The 32g 4's should be more than enough for shooting mallard over a pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted May 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 Thanks Lloyd. The pond is 25 metres across at it's widest point. Because it is almost completely surrounded by trees and I sit facing the open side of the pond, I predict the ducks will be flying straight at me to land on decoys (although this hasn't always proved to be the case!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted May 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 Had a look a my choke selection. The most open I have is skeet/improved cylinder (IIIII), so will give that a go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 22 minutes ago, Houseplant said: Thanks Lloyd. The pond is 25 metres across at it's widest point. Because it is almost completely surrounded by trees and I sit facing the open side of the pond, I predict the ducks will be flying straight at me to land on decoys (although this hasn't always proved to be the case!). How far is your hide going to be from where you think they will land? Id be considering cylinder choke with the steel 4’s at that range, although the improved cylinder wouldn’t be miles off anyway. 1 minute ago, Houseplant said: Had a look a my choke selection. The most open I have is skeet/improved cylinder (IIIII), so will give that a go! I think my Maxus has the same chokes. IIIII used to be cylinder marking but it seems on the Maxus it is skeet choke and the cylinder has no slits at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted May 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 18 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said: How far is your hide going to be from where you think they will land? Id be considering cylinder choke with the steel 4’s at that range, although the improved cylinder wouldn’t be miles off anyway. I think my Maxus has the same chokes. IIIII used to be cylinder marking but it seems on the Maxus it is skeet choke and the cylinder has no slits at all. If it goes well, I could be very close to the birds and think this is where I've gone wrong recently. Thanks for the advice. I will report back and hopefully it won't be a pig this time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 7 hours ago, Houseplant said: My shotgun shooting hasn't been great this season to be honest. Too much time behind a rifle! Going to sit it out on a duck pond tomorrow and looking for some advice about cartridge and choke combinations. I know I'm being lazy and need to do some patterning, but there never seems to be enough time to do all these things! Shotgun: Browning Maxus 12g with factory supplied Invector Plus chokes Cartridges: Eley VIP Game Hyperspeed Steel #4 31g (70mm) or Eley Lightning #2 32g (76mm) Hopefully, birds will be within 30 metres range. Ducks will be mallards,or species of a similar size. Instinctively, I was going to go with the #4 shot and the improved cylinder choke (Invector Plus IIII), but remember reading somewhere that there can be big gaps in the pattern at close range. Any advice appreciated. Just put'em in the pattern. They will not notice the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 (edited) I have no experience of those cartridges, but have shot a lot of Mallard with Gamebore Supersteel 3’s and 4’s through quarter and half chokes. They really do the biz. Just read back through the thread, and agree that skeet would perform well at those ranges. Edited May 21, 2021 by Scully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 Hello, why such big shot ? Only ever used 5s out to 40 yards when I had my flight pond, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ajarrett Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 I use Gamebore Super Steel 5s for that sort of shooting. Pattern kills! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 If your shotgun shooting have hit a bad patch I don't think worrying about the choke and shot size is really going to make a lot of difference to your performance , shooting over a flight pond at that size don't need a tight choke or large shot , what you really need is less shooting with the rifle and more shooting with your shotgun using the combination of choke and cartridges that you are happy with and once you reach a decent standard you can vary the shot sizes to whatever you are going to hunt in your neck of the woods . GOOD LUCK in getting it sorted out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 1 hour ago, oldypigeonpopper said: Hello, why such big shot ? Only ever used 5s out to 40 yards when I had my flight pond, Was this steel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cookoff013 Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 call me overkill, but cartridges like gamebore 3" 36g #2 steel are ideal for duck shooting. ballisticly #2 steel are about the same as a #5lead pellet (1300fps comparison model). if i were to shoot alot i`d get or reload these shells. those 32g #2 in 32g sound good. an associate of mine used some homeloads, 25 gram in bb and #2. found them very decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 12 minutes ago, Smokersmith said: Was this steel? Hello, no well before steel came out, I suppose there's a difference in shot size now, but shooting over a small flight pond should not require anything heavy in cartridge, 1 hour ago, Ajarrett said: I use Gamebore Super Steel 5s for that sort of shooting. Pattern kills! Hello, in what load ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 Makes sense with lead (seen many a good duck fall to Trap 200's back in the day!) ... steel does 'run out a bit', especially in the smaller shot sizes. I don't use that many steel 4's as in most situations although the first shot may be close, I like knowing that follow up shots, or a 45 yard crosser are within the capability of my set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted May 23, 2021 Report Share Posted May 23, 2021 With what you have described regarding chokes and cartridges I’d recommend you make sure the shotgun fits using the shims you can get for the browning maxus I’ve used the same cartridges and chokes on the foreshore With good results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Malone Posted August 11, 2021 Report Share Posted August 11, 2021 Personally, just for me, not trying to push any “hippie beliefs” on anybody, I will be using BioAmmo lux steel #3’s 34g for all my game and wildfowling, including the #5’s for pigeon shooting. Simply because I do lose the odd cartridge from my semi auto in my surroundings. This is path we will all be pushed down within the next 10-20years. I was always an eley man through and through and grew up on it. The pro Eco is what I used last season and had some great birds taken with them. in light of the next step in the shooting world, being environmentally friendly, I would advise any of the environmentally friendly cartridges available and find ones that you can use for clays and birds.This will increase your shooting undoubtedly.There is no difference between them and other steel plastic wadded cartridges at all! …except Fiocchi = fiocchi are overall **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted August 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2021 Realised I never replied to this thread! Went with the advice, skeet/improved cylinder (IIIII) choke and #4 shot. Two birds at first light. No more birds that day, and no pigs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enfieldspares Posted August 12, 2021 Report Share Posted August 12, 2021 All of us, even fellow lurkers such as i, did wonder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted August 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2021 Apologies, I thought I had replied. I'll make amends with another NZ adventure shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted August 13, 2021 Report Share Posted August 13, 2021 5 hours ago, Houseplant said: Realised I never replied to this thread! Went with the advice, skeet/improved cylinder (IIIII) choke and #4 shot. Two birds at first light. No more birds that day, and no pigs! Good shooting How have you been getting on with your Maxus since then? I keep tinkering with mine, adjusting the LOP and considering If I need to have a play with the shims or not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted August 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2021 Our duck season came and went. It's only two months long and that was my last day out. In general though, Maxus is great, holds and swings nicely. No complaints. It's the shooter that's the problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 On 13/08/2021 at 01:36, Houseplant said: Our duck season came and went. It's only two months long and that was my last day out. In general though, Maxus is great, holds and swings nicely. No complaints. It's the shooter that's the problem! biggest issue is always the nut behind the stock 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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