Shells- Duck Loads

[DeerWhisperer]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[WilcoKen]

…Let's go Brandon…

 

[tickweed]

cypress ridge has a shipment a week or so ago, most are now gone

 

[DeerWhisperer]

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.

 

[RUGER]

…Let's go Brandon…

I been seeing that a lot
Care to fill me in ?

 

[RUGER]

@cbhunter found us some or I would be out of luck

 

[drake799]

Shells gonna be hard to come by this year. Maybe it keep them sky busters In check though LOL

 

[cbhunter]

@cbhunter found us some or I would be out of luck

come to think of it, i have plenty, you ain't got squat

 

[cbhunter]

I been seeing that a lot
Care to fill me in ?

been wondering the same

 

[TNGunsmoke]

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.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

I been seeing that a lot
Care to fill me in ?

https://www.newsweek.com/lets-go-brandon-meme-explained-1637434

 

[younggun308]

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.

 

[younggun308]

They're not 4 packs any more, they are 3 packs. Fewer shells, and the price went up.

That was quick! Glad I picked up a $45 4-pack the one day we had them in Cleveland.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

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]

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]

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

 

[PJones]

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….

 

[TAFKAP]

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.

I would imagine current production is moving towards steel load now. There was decent availability of dove loads in July/August. Pricing might suck, but they could be available soon

 

[BlackEagle1]

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.

In my experience on the patterning board…. you maybe the owner of a unicorn!! You could swap chokes and likely find a different combination.

Those HM have never patterned for me out of any combination. Noticed some strange clumping on the target while counting pellets. I finally cut some open and the shot looks like welding slag. I like the hevi steel tho. Been looking for some more 10ga, 1 3/4 oz #4 for a good while

 

[DeerWhisperer]

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….

Are you finding them on-line or in the stores?

 

[younggun308]

Been looking for some more 10ga, 1 3/4 oz #4 for a good while

For when you want to knock down half a dozen teal with one shot in the decoys, that'd probably be the load to do it.

 

[drawforce]

I went ahead and bought a case of win. Dry locks at Wally World yesterday

 

[mossyoakmantn]

all walmart had the last time I checked was steel shot. Try camping world in bowlingreen ky. I know the last time I was there they had probably 3 pallets of waterfowl shells. In fact that's all they had for quite a while.

 

[PJones]

Are you finding them on-line or in the stores?

In stores mostly. I did find some that said available online and called and they were actually in stock so I went and got them.

 

[Displaced_Vol]

all walmart had the last time I checked was steel shot. Try camping world in bowlingreen ky. I know the last time I was there they had probably 3 pallets of waterfowl shells. In fact that's all they had for quite a while.

Curious how long ago that was mossyoakmantn? They didn't have much in the way of any shells back before dove but heck that's been almost 2 months since I was in there. I'm pretty well set for the year but some friends may need a couple boxes.

 

[mossyoakmantn]

It was around spring

 

[THE DUKE]

Have a case from 3yrs ago hoping we get ducks and nobody can find shells.