Shells- Duck Loads

DeerWhisperer

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Looks like the ammo shortage has moved to the duck shells. Just checked Macks Prairie and basically every shell is out of stock. This will make for an interesting duck season if shells are not available but based on the past two years of hunting the case I have will last a few years due to no ducks.
 

TNGunsmoke

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Yep. I still have about 5 boxes of what I normally shoot for ducks, and probably a box and a half of goose shells, and that will probably last me 3 years based on number of shots fired the last 2 seasons. Still, I'd like a case of the Winchester 2&3 blend to have to try out, but not sure I want to go 160 a case on what was 89 a case last season.
 

DeerWhisperer

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Yep. I still have about 5 boxes of what I normally shoot for ducks, and probably a box and a half of goose shells, and that will probably last me 3 years based on number of shots fired the last 2 seasons. Still, I'd like a case of the Winchester 2&3 blend to have to try out, but not sure I want to go 160 a case on what was 89 a case last season.
Agree, I was shooting the Heavy Metal and they switched to the new Heavy Metal Long Range and it is $309 per case. Price went up by $100 per case. I refuse to pay that much for shells. I switched to the Hevi Steel #'2s and they are now $200 per case but they are out of stock in most places.
 

younggun308

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Y'all are in the part of the country where those Federal 4-packs of 1450fps steel loads regularly hit Wal-Mart shelves, from what I've read in other forums.

Online retailers are not updating their online stock because they're reliably selling their inventory in-store. This includes Rogers, Mack's, etc. I'd recommend hitting up all your local Wally Worlds and Sportsman's Warehouses. They seem to be getting regular shipments of Xperts, DryLocks, and Speedshoks. If those are not good enough for you, you picked the wrong year to be picky.
 

DeerWhisperer

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Y'all are in the part of the country where those Federal 4-packs of 1450fps steel loads regularly hit Wal-Mart shelves, from what I've read in other forums.

Online retailers are not updating their online stock because they're reliably selling their inventory in-store. This includes Rogers, Mack's, etc. I'd recommend hitting up all your local Wally Worlds and Sportsman's Warehouses. They seem to be getting regular shipments of Xperts, DryLocks, and Speedshoks. If those are not good enough for you, you picked the wrong year to be picky.
It is not a matter of them being good enough, my gun just will to shoot a Winchester shell or the speedshoks, I went about 12 different brands of shells/shot combinations last year and these two are by far the least patterning shells for my gun. I just do not want to shoot a shell that I know performs poorly out of my gun and will not kill ducks cleanly.
 

TNGunsmoke

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Y'all are in the part of the country where those Federal 4-packs of 1450fps steel loads regularly hit Wal-Mart shelves, from what I've read in other forums.

Online retailers are not updating their online stock because they're reliably selling their inventory in-store. This includes Rogers, Mack's, etc. I'd recommend hitting up all your local Wally Worlds and Sportsman's Warehouses. They seem to be getting regular shipments of Xperts, DryLocks, and Speedshoks. If those are not good enough for you, you picked the wrong year to be picky.
They're not 4 packs any more, they are 3 packs. Fewer shells, and the price went up.
 

younggun308

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It is not a matter of them being good enough, my gun just will to shoot a Winchester shell or the speedshoks, I went about 12 different brands of shells/shot combinations last year and these two are by far the least patterning shells for my gun. I just do not want to shoot a shell that I know performs poorly out of my gun and will not kill ducks cleanly.

That's very interesting. Curious what your gun + choke combo is? I've only heard people complain about Federals being burning dirtier than premium shells, but not complaints about the pattern.

I know the Winchester Xperts used to have terribly malformed pellets years back. But they're better now.
 

TNGunsmoke

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That was quick! Glad I picked up a $45 4-pack the one day we had them in Cleveland.
To be fair, I just noticed you said Federals. What I have seen were Winchesters. My gun hates most Federal shells, and they leave a lot of powder residue/unburnt powder gumming everything up in the action.
 

DeerWhisperer

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That's very interesting. Curious what your gun + choke combo is? I've only heard people complain about Federals being burning dirtier than premium shells, but not complaints about the pattern.

I know the Winchester Xperts used to have terribly malformed pellets years back. But they're better now.
I shoot a Remington Versa Max, probably 5-6 years old, I shoot both the factory chokes that came with the gun but found a Carlson actually works better and #2's seem to be the preferred shot. I am not knocking those brands at all and would have thought the Remington shells would done well from a Remington gun. Believe me I would have much preferred to have found a cheaper priced shell that patterned well.
 

TnKen

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The only good thing about last season is that I still have plenty of shells left. If last season is the new duck hunting trend, I probably have enough to last me the rest of my life
 

Pooper

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You can find them. Just have to be consistent with your searching. I check 5-6 places everyday and usually after three or four days of looking each time I can find what I need. Definitely right on not being picky….
 
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